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Crown International

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Crown International
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAudio electronics
PredecessorInternational Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC)
Founded1947; 79 years ago (1947) in Elkhart, Indiana, United States
FounderClarence C. Moore and Ruby Moore
FateSubsidiary of Harman International Industries; manufacturing relocated to Mexico in 2018
Headquarters
Elkhart
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Clarence C. Moore (founder)
ProductsPower amplifiers, microphones, loudspeakers, commercial audio equipment, digital audio networking solutions
OwnerSamsung Electronics (via Harman International Industries)
ParentHarman International Industries

Crown International, also known as Crown Audio, is a United States-based producer of audio electronics. It operates as a subsidiary under Harman International Industries, which has been owned by South Korean corporation Samsung Electronics since 2017. The company is chiefly recognized for its power amplifiers, while it has also developed microphones, loudspeakers, commercial audio equipment, and digital audio networking solutions.

History

Founded in 1947 by Clarence C. Moore, a minister from Elkhart, Indiana, the original company was named International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC). Its initial focus was on manufacturing durable open reel tape recorders intended for missionary use in remote locations.[1] The first production site was a repurposed chicken coop.[1]

During the 1960s, the firm was renamed "Crown International" following a suggestion from Moore’s wife and co-founder, Ruby. She believed the original name, "International Radio and Electronics Corporation," was overly lengthy and also noted that many of their tape recorders featured a crown emblem. In 1975, shareholders officially approved the name change to Crown International, Inc.[1]

On Thanksgiving Day in 1971, a fire devastated approximately 60% of Crown’s manufacturing plant and caused severe damage to the remaining structure. The incident resulted in an uninsured loss valued at around Template:US$. Despite this setback, the facility was reconstructed swiftly, and production of the D-60 amplifier resumed within six weeks.[2]

In March 2000, Crown International became part of Harman International, serving as their key supplier for audio power amplifiers.[1] Subsequently, the radio frequency broadcast division was reacquired by Clarence Moore’s descendants. They reorganized this segment to continue producing broadcast transmitters and RF amplifiers under the original company name: "International Radio & Electronics Corporation".[3] After Crown International joined Harman International, additional facilities were established in Northridge, Los Angeles, California, where Harman subsidiary AKG Acoustics operates its North American headquarters.

In June 2018, Harman International closed Crown International’s headquarters located in Elkhart, Indiana,[4] relocating manufacturing operations to Mexico as part of a strategy to consolidate resources.

Product timeline

Clarence and Ruby Moore initiated their work in 1947 by enhancing existing tape recorder models to increase their durability.[2] In 1949, Moore secured a pioneering patent for the first tape recorder equipped with an integrated power amplifier designed specifically for public address applications, which was launched in 1950.[1] By 1953, Crown expanded its offerings by introducing a range of compact loudspeakers as accessories for reel-to-reel tape recorders.[2]

File:Crown DC300 triple view.jpg
The Crown DC300, released in 1967, played a significant role in shaping the modern power amplifier era[5]

Crown entered the standalone tube power amplifier market in 1959. Advancements in solid state technology by 1963 enabled the company to develop a more durable tape recorder, followed by the debut of their first solid state power amplifier, the slim-profile SA 20-20, in 1964.[2] The DC300, introduced in 1967, was the first amplifier to feature AB+B circuitry, delivering 150 watts per channel into eight ohms. This model gained significant popularity among sound reinforcement system operators and established Crown as a global leader in power amplifier sales.[2] Additionally, the DC300 was recognized by commercial sound contractors as an innovative solution for powering constant-voltage speaker systems without the frequency response limitations and power losses associated with traditional output transformers.[6] In November 2007, after four decades of service, the Crown DC300 was honored with induction into the TEC Awards TECnology Hall of Fame during the opening day of the Audio Engineering Society's 123rd convention in New York. George Peterson, executive editor of Mix magazine, described the DC300 as "a classic that truly defined and ushered in the era of modern power amplifiers."[5]

The invention of the grounded bridge amplifier design by Crown occurred in 1971, enabling higher output power without increasing the physical size of amplifiers,[7] while also reducing distortion, thermal stress, and enhancing reliability.[2] The M600 amplifier, launched in 1974 as Crown’s initial grounded bridge product, was primarily targeted at commercial sound systems including constant voltage loudspeaker installations.[8] This design earned a patent in 1974.[9] Following successful field performance, this topology was further developed for use in the Microtech MT-1000 amplifier introduced in 1984.[7] The grounded bridge concept continued evolving with the Macrotech series, which set new benchmarks for touring sound reinforcement with the MA-5000VZ model released in 1992.[2]

In 1976, Crown secured a patent for its synergistic equalizer,[10] and launched the stereo EQ-2 graphic equalizer featuring a combination of shelving filters alongside eleven active frequency-adjustment faders per channel. These faders controlled constant bandwidth, variable Q, half-octave filters centered on octave frequencies but included adjustable knobs to fine-tune center frequencies for enhanced adaptability.[11] Only a limited number of these units were marketed to audiophiles and audio researchers.

By 1977, Crown had discontinued all tape recorder products.[2]

The year 1979 saw Crown unveil the PSA-2 and SA-2 power amplifiers incorporating analog computer control over transistor performance to optimize output characteristics.[2] Their FM-1 stereo radio tuner received acclaim at the Consumer Electronics Show.[2] This was followed by the FM-2 model featuring digital tuning capabilities released in 1981.[2]

In support of its audiophile power amplifier range, Crown introduced a series of electrostatic loudspeakers in 1973 comprising models ES224, ES212, ES26, and ES14.[12] The ES224 utilized 24 bidirectional electrostatic radiators paired with two 10-inch (250 mm) woofers and featured a crossover frequency at 350 Hz. The ES212 was similarly designed but included only 12 radiators with a crossover at 375 Hz. The ES26 contained six radiators alongside two 10-inch woofers while the ES14 had four radiators paired with one woofer; both models implemented crossovers at 1500 Hz. These large subwoofers combined with electrostatic panels delivered audio responses ranging approximately from 22–30 Hz up to 30 kHz.[12][13] Pricing originally set these models at $2,330 per pair for the ES224; $1,200 per pair for the ES212; $990 per pair for the ES26; and $670 per pair for the ES14.[14] These four premium electrostatic speakers plus two mid-tier models (the C-4[15] and C-8[16]) were collectively known as the "Auralinear" loudspeaker series.[12]

In 1980, Crown launched its line of Pressure zone microphones (PZM), culminating with the PZM-30 series released in 1990.[2] Additional microphone products included the PCC-160 directional boundary microphone introduced in 1986; the compact GLM series; and the patented Differoid CM310 from 1987. The SASS stereo microphone received patent protection in 1989. Notably, performer Garth Brooks was among the first to use Crown’s CM311A headset microphone in 1993. The CM700 studio condenser microphone followed in 1995.[2]

Certain Crown products marketed internationally were branded as Amcron instead of Crown.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Crown_history
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Crown Audio timeline Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Template:Usurped
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Crown Audio. Press release. Crown DC 300 Enters TECnology Hall Of Fame
  6. ↑ Crown Audio. Guide to Constant-Voltage Systems Archived 2009-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Crown Audio. Grounded Bridge Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Crown Audio. Legacy products. M600 Instruction Manual Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Template:US patent
  10. ↑ Template:US patent
  11. ↑ Crown Audio. Legacy products. EQ-2 Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Advertisement, Stereo Review magazine, January, 1973, p. 50
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Berkman, AudioKarma, Aug. 15, 2009
  15. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ↑ Rockwell, Crown D-75

External links

Template:Harman International Industries Template:Samsung Electronics

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