B2 Audio Zero Five (The Falcon) - 5.5kw Monoblock

ZERO’S – THE REVIVAL

The Zero’s have been an iconic keystone from B2 audio ever since the late naughties (2000’s). There has always been a Zero, either as a Reference amp or the renowned monoblocks known as Zero.5’s, Zero1’s & Zero.7′ that sat the standards for others to follow for nearly a decade.
Instead of being the norm, it was time for progression. The previous generation of Zero’s nearly remained dormant at the end of life, but the R versions are still highly sought after. Our team reviewed each of our designs, noting what works, what doesn’t, and what we could upgrade. From each component used to the thickness of PCB, we left no rock unturned so to speak. The result is an entirely new amplifier line, designed in the USA with the help of the Danish DNA we offer in all of B2 audio’s products.

THE GAME

The predecessors set multiple world records & secured world championships all over the globe, the task of a revival comes with an immense responsibility. We decided to merge their DNA & their heritage, but adding our take on tomorrows tech. As we did on our previous world’s first featured amplifiers. The Zero Five (The Falcon) & the Zero 8 (The Osprey) follows in the same footstep. These amplifiers are not meant to be the most powerful on the market. They are statement of quality, both in design and in components used. Sourced worldwide, accepting nothing less that the best for its design & purpose.

The new gen of Zero’s boast amazing power ratings, reliability and a sense of pride in ownership rarely seen in this era. Unique features & proprietary designs will keep them ahead of the game. Their advantages will display the true value of the product.

FEATURES

Due to rise, running in the dirt, low power. Terms publicly not known to all, but we all face them. A speaker load is not a constant, it varies with movement. The common term is box rise. Some might not get the full power out of the amplifier due to many factors, but a key factor is the physics and the enclosure design. To defy this, many run their amplifiers at an impedance near to a short circuit as the rise easily is multiple or quadruple. In other terms it’s a dangerous game for your amplifier. It might work in your setup, but in another you only smell burnt electronics.

Our take is different, we sought to reduce the footprint, increase the power and maintain stability. With a smaller size we needed more cooling, quad fans with full throttle or thermal settings became the answer. Recessed bottown panels allows air to be sucked underneath the amps, while the quad fans works in a push-pull config, ensuring air is circulating correctly.

Using other tech than the industry boasts, the output of the Zero’s are configured to be more efficient with less footprint. The added benefit is also how this affects low voltage performance and the higher ohm power output. If your system is identical to the norm your voltage is not above mid 14’s. Your impedance is not 1 ohm either.

The Falcon’s (Zero Five) & the Osprey’s (Zero 8) performance at low voltage and higher ohms is comparable to larger amps. 20 ~30% higher powered amps strive to match the same performance. The Zero’s will surely work at higher voltage (up to 18v) & lower impedance.

FUSED & LOGICAL

Common arranged triples & logical quads? Sounds French to you? Our take on power and ground connection is logical and just better for you, the customer. The Falcon has 3 positive inputs and 3 ground inputs, while it is only a 5.5k (ish) amplifier with a less than 20″ footprint! Seen before, possibly. We fuse them all together as a common block of 3 negatives and 3 positives. Instead of the – +, +- , +- config that will surely confuse you and increase risk of faulty connections. The arranged triples makes your install easier, looks better and increases the efficiency of your amplifier due to a larger contact surface to your wire. The Osprey boasts Quad inputs from an 8k on steroids. Logical quads are using the same idea as the Falcon. Each negative and each positive has their own terminal, not mixed together.

CONTROL PANEL

Slave 1 / Slave 2? Yes, it is possible to both strap and daisy chain (link) these amplifiers. With the slave 1 mode you can strap them together to achieve twice the power of a single unit. The slave 2 mode and the added gain is a new twist. In this mode your signal path will all come from the master amplifier. This is commonly used in gain matched amplifiers or splitting the signal into multiple y-cables! The slave 2 will make it easier for you to gain match as the gain of the slave 2 amps (if several) is close to identical to the master amplifier. There could still be variables and losses in signal cables, installation etc, so the extra gain is there to fine tune the slaves.

All this talk about slaves, well what about remote voltage, instead of having to split your switched 12v remote into multiples, the Zero’s have both a remote in and a remote out, simple as that. Worry about all that beefy wire you will use to your subwoofers, no problem. The dual 4 gauge terminals have you covered. Should you care to monitor the real voltage inside your amplifiers, then there is port for an external display that will do that too.

By the way, the ACCU8 crossovers with designated frequencies on the potentiometers, makes it simple to tune your sound like a pro. But with less experience and tools needed. That’s what the new Zero’s are about!

*In order to get the full power output of the amplifier, it is crucial that your electrical system is correctly (over) dimensioned. Failure to upgrading will constrain the power output & lower the efficiency which can cause damage to the amplifier & void the warranty, this also includes ohm loads below of what is written in the manual. Do take your time and read the manual thoroughly before installing!