REPRINTED FROM JANUARY 2008
WWW.PROAUDIOREVIEW.COM
Copyright 2008 JRS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission.
QSC is a name that has been around for
some time now. At one point or another,
potentially everyone in the industry has
been exposed to at least one or more of the
company’s products. Now that market
penetration continues with the new
QSC PowerLight3 series amplifiers —
or, as QSC puts it, “the ultimate analog
amplifier.”
| FEATURES
The PowerLight3 upgrades the
PowerLight2 series, adding and refining
some appreciated functions. The new
PL380 ($3,599) is QSC’s flagship model,
with an output of 8,000 watts (two chan-
nels driven at 2 ohms at 4,000 watts per
channel). The PL380 is rated as a Class D
switching power supply amp. This amp
features QSC’s reactive “back EMF,”
which recycles the unused energy back to
the power supply to produce an AC effi-
ciency of up to 85 percent, keeping AC
power demand to a minimum.
The PL380’s frequency response is
rated from 20 Hz to 20 kHz ±0.2 dB.
Maximum distortion is rated at 0.20 per-
cent from 4 to 8 ohms, with noise rated at
-104 dB. Input sensitivity is adjustable
from three settings: 26 dB (5.27V), 32 dB
(2.67V), and 1.2V (39.1dB) with input
impedance set at >10k ohms. The
Damping factor at 8 ohms is rated at 200.
All of the standard input and output con-
nectors are on the amp: XLR inputs with
Neutrik and 5-way binding post outputs.
The front panel of the PL380 is common
with most other QSC amps, with attenua-
tion knobs from each channel (the stan-
dard LED “Christmas Tree” of signal). The
PL380 sits in only two rack spaces, and
weighs in at a respectable 24 pounds.
The PL380 also supports remote control
through QSC’s QSControl BASIS net-
worked audio platform and the DataPort
at the rear of the amp. The PL30 is shipped
with an 18A/30A Twist-Loc power cable
to a Neutrik Power-Con at the amp. All of
the common amplifier and load/power
protection of short circuit, open circuit,
thermal, RF and DC fault is also there,
along with on/off muting and active in-
rush limiting.
| IN USE
I had the opportunity to use the PL380
for several months. The first thing I did
after opening the box was to change out
the Twist-Loc power connector to a regu-
lar 20A Edison. This way, I could use the
amp in any situation that might pop up
(and they did pop up more frequently
than even I would have wanted).
I found the PL380 very robust in the
QSC
PL380
PowerLight3 Amplifier
This analog amp offers a powerful 8,000-watt
argument as to why QSC is a go-to name in live
sound reinforcement.
by
David Rittenhouse
APPLICATIONS
Live reinforcement, permanent
installs
KEY FEATURES
8,000 watts (two channels driven at
2 ohms at 4,000 watts per channel);
Class D; QSC reactive “Back EMF”;
XLR inputs with Neutrik and 5-way
binding post outputs
PRICE
$3,599
CONTACT
QSC Audio |
☎
800-854-4079
➲
www.qscaudio.com
