ELKHART, Indiana — HARMAN’s Crown
Audio today announced that after 37 years of continuous production the company
is discontinuing its D Series power amplifiers. In a run that’s unprecedented
in the history of professional audio amplifiers, the Crown D Series became
ubiquitous worldwide for its outstanding sound and unshakable reliability, and
as the D Series era draws to a close, its legacy is embodied in every current
Crown product.
“Little
did the 1977 engineering development team know that the new D75 would turn out
to be the longest running product of the company. During its lifetime over
100,000 were produced. Generations of dedicated assembly personnel have
touched the D75 and contributed to its long life. It epitomizes the focus we
have to do our best and satisfy our customers,” stated Tom Szerencse,
Manufacturing Engineer, HARMAN Professional Amplifier Business Unit.
The Crown D
Series evolved from modest beginnings. “In 1977 we developed the D Series from
the Crown SA20-20, a one-rack-space 20 watt per channel solid-state stereo
power amp that was an accessory to the Crown tape recorders of the time,” said
Gerald Stanley, Director of Research, HARMAN Professional Amplifier Business
Unit. “However, when mounted in a rack the tape recorders and their electronics
left little room for accessories, which shaped the compact form factor of the D
Series and the rack-mount-ability of Crown amplifiers ever after.”
The Crown D Series soon became
ever-present. After 37 years these amps are everywhere, in the studio, on
stage, in broadcast facilities, in fixed installations and even in homes. The
odds are almost everyone has heard one. Models like the moderate-power D-75A
and D-45 were ideal for applications like recording and broadcast studio
near-field monitoring and small paging systems, and with more than 25 years of
continual production, the DC-300 has attained legendary status.
“If any amplifier line should
receive a lifetime achievement award, it’s the D Series, Stanley concluded.”
The Crown D Series has outlived most amplifier companies, let alone most
amplifier families.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment