Zapco Z-BR II — Wired Remote Level Control

Zapco Z-BR II — Wired Remote Level Control

The Z-BR II is a wired dash remote level control for Zapco Z-II Series and Z-SP Series amplifiers. It puts amplifier level adjustment within reach of the driving position instead of wherever the amplifier happens to be mounted.

Two Ways to Mount It

The Z-BR II is built so it can be installed either way, and that is the point of the design.

Used as supplied, it mounts under the dash in its solid metal housing. Remove the two screws and the rear housing slides off, leaving the remote and its front bracket. Take the knob off and the bare potentiometer comes out of the bracket, ready to mount directly into a dash panel or console.

In-dash mounting needs a 5/16-inch hole for the shaft. Two sets of nuts and washers are supplied so the remote can be secured in panels of different thickness — which is what makes a flush installation practical in a vehicle where the panel material was not chosen with this in mind.

Two Knobs, Chosen for Real Dashes

Both are in the box:

• 20 mm: sized to match the volume control of most common head units, so a flush installation looks like it belongs there
• 13 mm: for a crowded dash where finger clearance is tight, and for under-dash mounting where the smaller knob sits further out of the way

The choice is worth making deliberately rather than defaulting to the larger one. A knob that looks correct on the bench can be the one that catches a knee under the dash.

System Application

Any Z-II or Z-SP Series installation where the amplifier is mounted out of reach — under a seat, in a trunk, behind a panel — and level needs adjusting from the driving position.

In practice that means subwoofer level in a system where the right amount of bass changes with the recording. Setting it once at the amplifier and living with it is the alternative, and it is why remotes like this exist.

Installation Considerations

Decide the mounting method before drilling anything. Under-dash keeps the housing and requires no hole; in-dash requires the 5/16-inch hole and disassembly of the remote, and is not reversible in the same panel.

Route the control cable away from power wiring where practical, and give it enough slack that the dash can be removed later without disconnecting the remote.

Test the fit with the chosen knob before committing to the location.

Specifications

• Type: wired remote level control
• Compatible with: Zapco Z-II Series and Z-SP Series amplifiers
• Mounting: under-dash in housing, or in-dash with housing removed
• Panel hole required (in-dash): 5/16 in
• Knobs included: 20 mm and 13 mm
• Hardware: two sets of nuts and washers for varying panel thickness

HF Audio Perspective

Remotes are usually an afterthought and this one is not, which is the reason to say anything about it at all.

Most amplifier remotes are a plastic box with a knob and one way to mount them, and the installer works around it. The Z-BR II comes apart on purpose — metal housing for under-dash, bare pot for in-dash, two knob sizes, and hardware for panels of different thickness. Those are the decisions of someone who has done the installation rather than only designed the part.

The practical result is a remote that can be made to look factory in a dash panel, rather than one that will always look like something added afterward. In a build where everything else has been done carefully, that matters more than the price of the part suggests.