professional sound engineers, studio pros and performers expect a high standard of excellence in the gear they use for their work. Technical pro has consistently been providing these individuals with exactly that…professional equipment that is built to last and built to perform. This high level of quality can also be found in their professional grade amplifiers. Their latest addition is the AX5000 2U Professional 2CH power amplifier.

The AX5000 pushes out a whopping 5000 watts of peak power. This is the type of power needed to power professional studio monitors, a small stage sound system, a DJ’s mobile rig or a lounge or small club’s speaker system. It will give you the power you need and also achieve a clear and crisp sound output. The rear inputs are RCA connectors making it easy to connect any standard equipment. The AX5000 has an 1/8″ input on the front panel in addition to a USB flash drive and SD Card input for quick connections to your audio. Simply connect a mp3 player to the 1/8″ input or a USB flash drive / SD Card loaded with .mp3 files and connect them to the AX5000. All you need is a pair of speakers and you are ready to rock. The outputs are Banana Binding Post which are also an industry standard that allow you to connect to almost any speaker system. Connecting to and from this amplifier is a simple task! And the sound quality it provides will make sure your audience knows you are professional using professional audio gear!

Like all of Technical Pro’s amplifiers the AX5000 is built to hold up under pressure. This unit will give you the sound output you need in a crowded club, a stage or in your studio. It can be connected to any standard studio or mobile rack with ease! And it will hold up against the pressure of performing and always set the place on fire! But not literally, the Dual Cooling Fans will keep this unit as Cool as a cucumber even under long term use so you won’t have to worry about overheating. Racks of professional audio gear or crowded venues and nightclubs are always hot so not worrying about overheating your amplifier is priceless!

The front panel of the AX5000 has two knobs for each channel to control the gain input and volume levels. In addition there are iridescent blue meters to show your level readings. This is not only extremely useful to gauge your levels but also looks very stylish in a dark space! The front panel also holds the power button. This is a very useful feature if you place this unit into a rack….there is no need to climb behind your gear to turn this one on and off! There is also a clipping level feature which lights up red to warn when clipping levels are reached…one fast glance to the front panel and you will see your input is at a proper level.

The AX5000 2-Channel Amplifier from Technical Pro is top notch amplifier if you are serious about your sound quality….and it can be had for a cost that is very affordable!

Can a $249 digital-to-analog converter/headphone amplifier deliver state-of-the-art sound? The Audiophiliac listens to the AudioQuest DragonFly to find out.

by Steve Guttenberg

The AudioQuest DragonFly is a USB-powered (it doesn’t use batteries or an external power supply) digital-to-analog converter. I usually need some time to get a handle on the sound of a component, but within minutes of plugging in the tiny $249 DAC I knew exactly what made it so special. It sounds clear and clean, so there’s less standing between the music and my ears.

The AudioQuest DragonFly

(Credit: AudioQuest)

The DragonFly is a bona fide Audio component, designed by Gordon Rankin, a man known in audiophile circles as a great tube electronics engineer, but Rankin is also a computer audio guy. He’s one of the few DAC designers with equal depth of knowledge in analog and digital audio technology.

The DragonFly uses an ESS Sabre DAC, a high-performance chip more typically found in higher-end CD and Blu-ray players. The DragonFly works with MP3s and CD-standard 16-bit/44KHz to 24-bit/96KHz file formats. Inside, there are 107 components mounted on a 0.6×1.7-inch four-layer board including regulators and custom capacitors.

The DragonFly was designed with the audiophile in mind, so instead of relying on a digital volume control that might reduce signal resolution and sound quality, the DragonFly’s volume control works in the analog domain for the best sound quality. The analog volume control tracks the movement of the volume slider on your computer. The DragonFly has a 3.5mm output jack.

It can be used with desktop speakers, like my Emotiva Airmotiv 4s, or a component hi-fi system, or it can directly drive headphones. I tried it all three ways, and the DragonFly’s stunning resolution was always a joy to listen to.

To put the DragonFly’s performance in context I compared it first with the Halide Design DS DAC ($295) that I raved about earlier this year. The DS DAC has a softer and richer sonic balance, which I still like, but the DragonFly’s sound is clearer and more precise. bass is tighter and better defined. Listening over the Airmotiv 4 speakers, the DragonFly’s more expansive stereo image floats freer of the speakers than it does with the DS DAC.

The DragonFly trounced the DS DAC, but how would it fare in a shootout with the $495 Halide Design DAC HD? The DragonFly didn’t win that one; the DAC HD had more bass and sounded more dynamically alive, and had better overall tonality. The stereo image was even bigger, and still had razor-sharp detail. When you hear a truly great DAC, like the DAC HD, on a desktop system, you’re a giant step closer to the sound of a first rate high-end hi-fi.

At first I was less happy with the DragonFly’s sound when I listened to it as a headphone amp. I plugged in the Audio Technica ATH M50 and Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, and found the DragonFly’s sound lightweight. Bass oomph was lacking, which overemphasized midrange and treble frequencies. Then I popped on my Velodyne vPulse in-ears, and the DragonFly sounded positively awesome! My JH-13 custom-molded in-ears were also fantastic, so all I can say for now is the Dragonfly might not be a great match with some full-size headsets. We’ll see.

Granted, it’s a $249 desktop DAC, so you can’t really expect it to be a giant killer on every application, but the DragonFly still has a lot going for it.

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Technical pro’s HYBRID series of amplifiers has been turning a lot of heads in the professional audio community. In their latest offering the engineers at Technical Pro have successfully combined a high rack mount quality amplifier, state of the art tuner and professional preamplifier all into one built to last unit. The HB8X500U 4 Channel Hybrid Amplifier / Pre-Amplifier & AM/FM Tuner is one of the most powerful and versatile piece of audio gear on today’s market.

The HB8X500U is an amplifier that can push out a total peak power of 4000 watts. This is HUGE! This amplifier can be used for a professional studio, live on stage, showrooms and for home entertainment. The options loaded on this unit give the ability to be added to almost any sound set up. The inputs consist of 2 RCA jacks that can used to connect sources such as a CD player, DVD Player, mixer, etc. Or use the built in tuner and listen to your favorite AM or FM stations! There is also an MP3 input that comes complete with a cable. Connect your iPhone™ or iPod™ by using the MP3 input and play your songs through this system!

There is also a SD Card and USB flash drive input on the front panel of the HB8x5000U, allowing you to connect your portable audio directly to the amplifier.

So what is so special about a USB flash drive / SD Card input? Like most of us, you probably have an ever-growing library of mp3 audio files on your computer or laptop that you want to listen to while sitting on the comfort of your couch. Have you ever tripped over a wire connected to your computer or laptop and then dive onto the floor to save it from crashing and breaking into pieces? We can all agree the fewer wires in our sound system the better. A USB flash drive / SD Card lets you carry around thousands of .mp3 audio files in the palm of your hand. Simply connect the USB flash drive / SD Card to the computer and copy the.mp3 files onto the USB flash drive / SD Card. Disconnect it from the computer and connect it to the HB8X500U and the unit will automatically begin playing the files from the USB flash drive / SD Card. All while keeping your laptop perfectly safe.

There are also dual microphone inputs that can be used to connect any standard microphone. Make an announcement to your crowd, sing a professional performance or have a karaoke style party!

The outputs are banana binding post outs that be used to connect up to 8 speakers on 4 different channels. The 4 channel output will allow you to set up a SURROUND SOUND set up including sending out to a subwoofer. Additional outputs include 1 RCA dedicated for preamplifier output, 1 RCA dedicated for record line output and 2 mono RCA dedicated for passive subwoofer output. The unit also has a subwoofer controls with an adjustable low pass! This will let you set the frequencies you send to your subwoofer….this is a great option if you are trying to balance the sound in your room or venue and need to adjust the bass level output! And if you need more bass, engage the BASS BOOSTER button on the overall output! Use the preamplifier output to send all of your sources to another amplifier without having to disconnect everything to only reconnect to another amp…just send the whole signal by using the preamplifier output!

The HB8X500U has multiple uses and also multiple varying controls on the front panel along with an illuminated digital read out! The main output has a Dual 9 band equalizer. Use this to precisely adjust the levels of your frequency output and tune your sound to your exact needs. Also included is an echo effect that has controls for delay and repeat…you can actually set up different types of echo effects by adjusting these dials! The microphone controls can be used to adjust volume, bass, treble and echo amount. Choose your speakers by using the speaker selection…this will allow you to quickly turn off or on the speaker output from the front panel. If you don’t want set of speakers to play, just turn them off! Also included is a dimmer button, remote control and headphone jack.

The HB8X500U has so many options which in turn will you give you so many uses in the studio…live on stage…in your home entertainment system….or in your showroom or office space. It is powerful! It is universal! And it has a price that won’t break the bank!

Technical Pro changes the face of amplifier technology with the introduction of HYBRID, a technological advance that makes bulky and inefficient amplifiers a thing of the past. We started with the same revolutionary technology found in our power amplifiers, and incorporated a pre-amp, tuner and a dual Karaoke mic mixer. With high power output, versatile loading options, high thermal capacity and reliability, the HYBRID series brings you all of what Technical Pro stands for—incredible performance and sound, versatility, and the ultimate in reliability under harsh conditions.