A few weeks ago I received a rack of Dynacord PowerH 5000 amplifiers for my first Road Test review. The package consisted of 4 PowerH 5000 amps, a rack, cables, and a handy patch panel. As I unpacked the units and got them racked, I wasn't surprised at the light weight of these bad boys, but I was impressed with the build quality, considering how light they are. The front panel is made of a very sturdy-looking black plastic, and the rest of the amp is encased in sheet metal. It has the exact solid feel you would expect from a touring amplifier.
Visually, the amps aren't exactly beauty-contest winners, and the black plastic gives them a somewhat generic appearance. But plug one in, turn out the lights and WOW! In the dark this is by far the best-looking amplifier I've ever seen (pics to come.) The blue of the digital screen contrasts nicely with the large white power indicator, and the led indicator lights are clearly readable, yet unobtrusive.
The front panel has an easy to use interface that allows one to access the logging features, service information, display setup, and to set the breaker current. When you're not accessing these features, the display shows input voltage, power draw, temperature, operating mode (dual, parallel, bridged), mains circuit protection point, and sensitivity. It's a lot of information in a small space, but all in all, it's very easy to read.
The back panel has the usual speakon connections, binding posts (thank you!), input connections (XLR in and out and Phoenix connections), sensitivity selector, and mode switches. It also has a Powercon connection.
Which brings up the first issue: The power cable. What the heck is a 20 amp Powercon connector doing attached to a 12 gauge cable and a 30 amp Twistlock connector? A call to engineering cleared it all up: The amplifiers nominal current rating is 18 amps. So a 20 amp cordset is adequate. But CSA requires that the plug carry 125% of the nominal load, which meant that the mains connector had to be a 30 amp plug. The Mains Current Breaker Protection (which does just that) allows you to dial the input amperage from 30 on down, allowing one to scale the circuit for the exact-sized breaker you're dealing with.
Over the course of this review, I'm going to test these amps in a variety of situations. First show will be an outdoor weekend-long event on generator power. Second will be an indoor show in San Francisco. Third will be a dance party on a boat sailing the SF bay. Fourth will be an outdoor event where I plan on hitting the amps hard, as I'll be loading one PowerH 5000 with four Bassmaxx Trips! That's a 1.3 ohm load
And the last will be another outdoor 3 day event on generator power.
Also I'm planning a series of ABX listening tests powering a pair of EAW MS30C's (full range), a pair of Bassmaxx Trips, and a pair of proprietary subs front-loaded with McCauley 6174 drivers. The Dynacords will go up against my Camco Vortex 6, a Crest 9001, and whatever else I can round up for the subs, and against the Vortex 6, a Hafler P500, and a Crest 4601 for the full-range test. The panel of judges will all be experienced engineers from several different pro audio companies in the area.
A final note about pics: I've been experiencing some serious camera issues the last couple of weeks, and every pic of the amps I've taken to date has had problems of one sort or another. I should be able to get some up next week though. Especially a night shot. A rack of these amps just looks great in the dark!