Power amplifiers aren’t exactly the sexiest audio components, and some users would be content to simply know that they work when powered up, and leave it at that. But well-designed power amps can streamline and enhance a church installation by providing onboard DSP, facilitating distribution of audio to different zones, enabling software management and monitoring, and of course, generating the required amount of power for speakers. Dynacord’s IPX Series of power amplifiers incorporate those attributes while also showcasing some cutting-edge technology.
The Eco Rail power rail switching technology is designed to significantly reduce power consumption, environmental impact and overall cost of ownership.
IPX power amplifiers were designed for use in mid-to-large fixed installations, with applications including concert halls, theatres, houses of worship and large-scale distributed sound systems. All IPX amplifiers are multi-channel: the IPX5:4, IPX10:4 and IPX20:4 are four-channel units, while the IPX10:8 boasts eight channels. Power output ranges from 1,250 to 5,000 watts per channel maximum, all channels driven. The amps feature Dynacord’s patented Variable Load Drive (VLD) technology, so maximum output power is available at 4 or 8 Ohms, as well as for 70V or 100V systems (in Direct Drive mode). Users can configure any IPX amp on a per-channel basis to drive low- or high-impedance loudspeakers, enabling (for example) a single amplifier to drive 8-Ohm PA “mains” speakers in the sanctuary, while simultaneously driving a 70-volt system for distribution to areas such as a cry room or meeting rooms.
Sonicue software, designed to solve the real world challenges of sound engineers. It's intended to be understood by users at every level working on small to large sound systems.
Amplifiers capable of producing high output levels can drain significant amounts of AC power even when providing audio at background levels or idling. The problem is that full power output capability must always be available instantly, so most amps remain fully “on” even for low-output applications and enter standby only when there is no audio output. Introduced with the IPX Series (and employed in all models), Dynacord’s proprietary Eco Rail power supply technology was designed to address this issue by ensuring minimal power consumption, resulting in reduced environmental impact and long-term cost of ownership. The power supplies in IPX amplifiers have two power rails: the Eco Rail and a high-power rail. The Eco Rail reduces power consumption by more than 50 percent while maintaining the amp’s ability to play music at background levels. Both rails are always live, and the amplifier’s onboard circuitry uses DSP to switch between rails at any moment without creating artifacts even under conditions when the mains power varies.
The DSP has look-ahead capability to predict the required output level, enabling instant delivery of full power without audible transitions or clipping syllables from the orator. When the DSP anticipates low output levels it utilizes the Eco Rail; when it senses the need for increased output levels, it switches to the high power rail. When we get our hands on a review unit we’ll be interested to see how Eco Rail technology affects the amount of heat dissipated by the amplifier, and if indeed the power rail switching is free of audible side-effects.
IPX amps are network-ready and in addition to being Dante-enabled, they are compatible with Dynacord’s Sonicue sound system management software. Sonicue facilitates integration of IPX amps with a wide variety of Electro-Voice loudspeakers ranging from line arrays to ceiling speakers. That’s an important consideration for the designer and engineer of a church system because various types of loudspeakers are often used in the same system. Sonicue includes a library of presets that optimize loudspeaker performance without guesswork on the part of the designer. An entire church sound system can be controlled from a single Sonicue loudspeaker screen, with access to system setup and DSP parameters such as level, delay, filter and EQ adjustments for system tuning. We’re curious to learn whether or not Sonicue allows a user to create a library of preset EQs that can be applied to multiple speakers in a church install, and if it’s easy enough to be used by engineers with limited network experience. If the amp is on a Dante network, Sonicue can also manage the Dante input routing. In addition to the primary and secondary network ports, the rear-panel includes Phoenix connectors for analog audio I/O and a cooling fan.
Dynacord seems to have put a tremendous amount of thought into the development of the IPX Series of amplifiers, and we’ll be looking forward to running them through a thorough review.
