Dynasty ProAudio $300 200 Watt Wireless Stereo Amplifier Review!

$300 Dynasty Audio 200 Watt Wireless Amplifier Introduction

The Dynasty ProAudio WSA-5RP-Plus wireless audio amplifier may fit in the palm of your hand, but make no mistake, this Mighty Mouse amp packs quite a punch. The two-piece kit comes with a wireless preamp 5.2 / 5.8GHz switchable lossless transmitter with an operational distance of up to 100ft (30m) to provide 24 bit/48kHz full CD quality high resolution audio to the 2CH Class D amplifier. The amplifier is rated at 50 watts/ch into 8 ohms and 100 watts/ch into 4 ohms and is rated at 200 watts in bridged mode (8 ohms) but we found it much more capable than that as you will see in this test report. 

What is the Use Case for This Product?

The Dynasty ProAudio WSA-5RP-Plus is designed to be used power remote speakers wirelessly either connected for 2CH applications in a guest room or college dorm or to connect to an AV receiver to power surround speakers when running speaker cables to those speakers from the other side of the room just isn’t feasible.

Dynasty ProAudio WSA-5RP-Plus Front View

The Dynasty ProAudio preamp has both speaker level and RCA level inputs as well as a subwoofer input and a 3 position attenuation switch (0, -6dB and -12dB). It’s powered via a 9V external power supply.

Dynasty ProAudio WSA-5RP-Plus Rear View

The Dynasty ProAudio amplifier has some heft to it for such a small unassuming box. It has two pairs of gold plated banana style speaker connectors, an RCA sub out, a selector switch for stereo and bridge mode and a rear mounted volume control. The amp comes with a detachable 3-prong power cord.

Dynasty ProAudio Bench Test Results

All measurements were conducted using our Audio Precision APx585 8 Channel HDMI Audio Analyzer. 

For more information about how we measure power amplifiers, please see:  Basic Amplifier Measurement Techniques

In order to test the amplifier performance of the Dynasty ProAudio wireless amplifier, we had to feed the test signal from our Audio Precision to the wireless preamp/transmitter since there’s no way to apply an analog input signal to the amplifier module.

Frequency Response & FFT Distortion Tests

Dynasty ProAudio Amplifier Frequency Response

The Dynasty ProAudio amplifier exhibited very good frequency response linearity under various loading conditions (open, 8 ohm, 4 ohm). I wouldn’t call it completely load invariant as we’ve seen with other SOTA Class D amplifiers but to keep things into perspective, this is a much better result than what we’ve seen from some older and expensive Class D esoteric amplifier designs like the Axiom Audio A-1400. The Dynasty ProAmp is clearly optimized for a 4 ohm load, but you will get a slight treble boost of about +2dB @ 20kHz if you’re running 8-ohm nominal loudspeakers. The sampling rate is 48kHz as advertised as you can see the sharp roll-off at ½ Nyquist (24kHz).  The bottom line here, is the Dynasty ProAudio amplifier should sound consistently good regardless of loudspeaker impedance.

Dynasty ProAudio 1 kHz FFT @ 2.83Vrms (1 watt, 8 ohms)

The Dynasty ProAudio amplifier exhibited shockingly clean harmonic spectra when tested at 1 watt output. We see some slight power supply harmonics (-80dB) but nothing to worry about.

Dynasty ProAudio 1 kHz FFT @ 2.83Vrms (45 watt, 8 ohms)

At near rated power, the harmonics rise dramatically but are still roughly 80dB below the fundamental. I’ve seen expensive “audiophile” amps with a much worse distortion FFT profile such as the Pass Labs X350.5.

Preamp Gain Settings

When connecting up a source to the Dynasty ProAudio WSA-5RP+ RX wireless preamp, it’s important to adjust the gain setting appropriately to avoid distortion. The unit is set to 0dB default position which I found would clip with an input signal > 750mVrms. The -6dB setting allows for clean 1.5Vrms and the -12dB can accommodate up to 3Vrms without clipping the preamp.

Dynasty ProAudio 1 kHz FFT @ 2.83Vrms (1Vrms in, 1 watt out) high-gain setting

Editorial Note: Don’t use the 0dB default setting if you’re directly connecting a CD player as the source. -6dB or -12dB will ensure your input signals will not overload the preamp of the system to give you the cleanest sound possible.

Dynasty ProAudio w Denon DCD-A110 SACD Player

When I connected up my Denon DCD-A110 SACD player directly to the Dynasty ProAudio preamp, the music sounded slightly distorted. That’s because the output of a CD player can be as high as 2Vrms which was causing the preamp to clip in the -6dB default setting. I found -6dB eliminated this distortion problem while still maintaining low noise in the system. This is the setting I’d recommend for most applications. If you want to play it safe, you can set it for -12dB as long as you can still get enough gain from the master volume to enjoy music at satisfactory volume levels.

Power Vs Distortion Tests

Dynasty ProAudio SINAD vs Power (2CH, 8 ohms)

I was not expecting a low distortion amplifier, especially when the test signal was being transmitted wirelessly to it, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised. The amps lowest distortion (highest SINAD) was about 80dB (0.01% THD+N) at 25 watts.

Dynasty ProAudio SNR @ 1 watt (a-wt)

Given this amp is being fed a wireless audio signal, it is likely limiting the full low distortion potential of the design. The manufacturer rates SNR > 90dB presumably at full power (50 watts) which would translate to > 70dB SNR @ 1 watt. I actually measured 77dB SNR @ 1 watt (a-wt) which is pretty respectable considering this is through a wireless signal path.

While this is a reasonably low noise floor, the end user could potentially hear hiss at low power levels when using high sensitivity speakers (> 90dB @ 2.83V/1m) in close proximity to the listener. I tested the amp on my Revel F328be speakers and could hear some hiss but only when my ear was within a foot or two of the tweeter. At the main listening position 8ft away it was a non issue.

Dynasty ProAudio Power Bandwidth (2CH, 8 ohms)

The Dynasty ProAudio amplifier was able to deliver 45 watts/ch with 2CH driven at < 0.1% THD+N. That’s a little shy of it’s 50 watt rating but they don’t specify bandwidth or distortion levels.

Dynasty ProAudio Amp  1kHz PSweep (2CH) - 8 ohms

The Dynasty  ProAudio amp delivered 47 watts/ch at 0.1% THD+N and 55 wattc/ch at 1% THD+N with both channels driven into 8-ohms.

Dynasty ProAudio  1kHz PSweep (2CH) - 4 ohms

The Dynasty  ProAudio amp delivered 95 watts/ch at 0.1% THD+N and 109 watt/ch at 1% THD+N with both channels driven into 4-ohms. That’s impressive for a pint sized amplifier and should be plenty of clean drive to power a pair of surround speakers or to use for streaming to a pair of passive speakers in a 2CH system.

Dynasty ProAudio  1kHz PSweep (Bridged) - 8 ohms

The Dynasty ProAudio amp goes beast mode when you bridge it and this was quite surprising to me. This amp delivers the theoretical 4X power increase yielding 193 watts at 0.1% THD+N and 227 watts at 1% THD+N into an 8-ohm load. I overlayed SINAD so you can see the amp maintains very low distortion up to about 160 watts. Many amps we’ve tested in bridged mode typically only yield 2X the rated 8-ohm power. I could see a use-case for linking the wireless preamp to two of these amps in mono-bridged mode for higher power applications IF your running 8-ohm nominal speakers.

Dynasty ProAudio  1kHz PSweep (Bridged) - 4 ohms

The manufacturer does NOT recommend bridging this amp for 4-ohm loads but I was curious to test it anyways. The Dynasty ProAudio amp was able to deliver a whopping 320 watts @ 0.1% THD+N and 366 watts @ 1% THD+N into a 4-ohm load before it began to current limit. That’s a lot of power for an amp you can hold in the palm of your hand while being cool to the touch.

Dynasty ProAudio AmpCEA 2006 Dynamic Power – 4 ohms

The Dynasty ProAudio amp delivered 54 watts/ch into an 8-ohm load and 104 watts/ch into a 4-ohm load of dynamic power at 1% THD+N which was similar to its power sweep results indicating the power supply doesn’t have much headroom which is typical with SMPS regulated power supplies found in many Class D amplifiers.

Dynasty Audio R-N1000A Power Table

Dynasty ProAudio Amp Power Measurement Table

Subwoofer Output Frequency Response

Dynasty ProAudio Amp Sub Out Frequency Response

Another surpising feature of this Dynasty Audio wireless amp system is the inclusion of an RCA level subwoofer input on the preamp and  corresponding output on the power amp. If you feed a discrete input to sub input on preamp, the sub out is +6dB on power amp. If you feed a single input on Left or Right of the preamp, you get same output level on sub out of the amp. If you feed 2 inputs left/right on the preamp input, you get +6dB on sub amp. There really is no need for the sub input on the preamp unless you just want to use this system to power a subwoofer remotely. Keep in mind that this system has a latency of about 17ms so you will have to adjust your sub delay accordingly in your AVR. The sub out is bandwidth limited (-3dB at 240Hz) so you will still need to activate external bass management either in your AVR or in the subwoofer itself if you desire a lower crossover frequency (ie. 80Hz). 

Dynasty ProAudio Listening Tests

I conducted my listening tests on audiophile gear not commensurate with this price class of product but I found it to be an enlightening experience to hear the full potential of the Dynasty ProAudio wireless amp system. The source was the Denon DCD-A110 SACD player and the speakers were the Revel F328Be. The speaker cables were Kimber 8TC and the interconnects were Belden 1694A from Bluejeanscable.com. The gain on the Dynasty ProAudio wireless preamp was set to -6dB as I noted earlier, the 0dB setting caused audible preamp clipping distortion.

Dynasty ProAudio with Denon A110 and Revel F328Be Speakers

SACD: Chlara - In a Different Light | Buy Now

I always come back to this SACD as a reference due to Chlara’s angelic voice and well produced recording. "Hotel California" is arguably a top 10 overplayed classic but Chlara makes it her own. I know this isn’t a fair comparison but I also had my Denon PMA-A110 Integrated Amp on hand to compare to the Dynasty ProAudio amp. On the $4k Denon, this recording sounded buttery smooth and delicate. The decay of the bongo drums always grabs my attention almost as much as Chlara’s silky-smooth vocals. When switching over to the Dynasty ProAudio amp, I noticed a more forward sound tonally with a slight edge to it, but not offensive and certainly not something that is blatantly apparent without better, much more expensive gear on hand to do the comparison. I was mighty impressed with how well this little amp was driving my 4-ohm Revels to satisfactory levels without distress. The bass was deep and extended with good control though not quite as prominent compared to the Denon amp.

A classic Adele song Hello” was up next and this is my favorite version of the song. Sorry Adele fans. The fidelity of this recording is so superior to the original and Chlara’s voice is so seductive on this track. In any event, this is one of those recordings that you become enveloped in with your eyes closed, The Dynasty ProAudio amp brought forth much of the great tonal balance of this track I love. I again had to remind myself that I was driving a pair of $16k high-fidelity speakers with a $300 wireless amp. Impressive, most impressive.                                   

Conclusion

I have a couple of gripes about the Dynasty ProAudio wireless amp system. For one, the model #s are unrelatable unlike more sleek and recognized competitors such as Sonos. Why not simply call it the Dynasty ProAudio Wireless Amp System (WAS)? I’m not thrilled with the amp volume control being rear mounted especially since there is no remote control to turn the system on/off or raise/lower volume. It’s a set it once and forget it type of product which is fine if you’re connecting it to a variable output of an AVR with it’s own master volume control but not if your source device has a fixed output like a CD player. The lack of remote control is forgivable but the lack of a 12V trigger isn’t and I hope the manufacturer will take this feedback to make improvements on future models as this platform has a lot of promise. For now, you will have to settle for physically turning the units on/off with the manual power switches. 

It’s not often an inexpensive wireless audio system comes my way that impresses me with the high level of performance it provides. Although Dynasty ProAudio is NOT a household name among enthusiasts or audiophiles, and the model nomenclature doesn’t roll off the tip of your tongue, this is a seriously good affordable solution for anyone looking to power a pair of surround speakers wirelessly or to bring to life a pair of passive speakers you may have lying around. This product has no right measuring as well as it does or sounding as good as it does and I think that will make a lot of audiophiles happy that care about high-quality sound and wireless convenience on a budget.