Crown 140623 User Manual

products

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Signature Series amplifi er is the

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Macro-Tech Series

Celebrating the Crown

our Macro-Tech

culmination of a long heritage of Crown

and design ideas that began in the early 1970s.

Y

In these pages you can explore how the Macro-Tech Series

came to be, understand its advanced features, and enjoy

stories and sales literature from its colorful past.

the most accurate reproduction of an audio signal you’ve ever

heard. And because we put the quality of sound above all else,

Crown amplifi ers are the most coveted in the business.

When it comes to manufacturing amps, our work is based on

one simple fact: there are no shortcuts to quality. And our Macro-

Techs have proven this time and time again in some of the most

demanding applications in the world.

For this special, limited Macro-Tech release, we wanted to bring

you more than just the typical operation manual. This brochure

goes much further, delving into the Macro-Tech’s development,

design philosophy, and advanced technical features. We’ve also

included some brochures from the past, a bio of Crown’s chief R&D

engineer Gerald Stanley, customer statistics, anecdotes and more.

, sparked

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Macro-Tech Series of power amplifi ers.

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Enjoy!

ometimes a product fi ts an application so well, it

is deemed a classic. The term is synonymous with

the Crown

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Crown Macro-Tech Series

That product line, and its predecessor Micro-Tech

innovative technologies that provided lower distortion, less

thermal stress, higher output power, greater reliability, more

power density and superior audio quality.

No compromises, no gimmicks. Just brilliant engineering

backed by superior manufacturing, support and an

unsurpassed commitment to quality.

Like all Crown amps, the defi ning characteristic of the Macro-

Tech Series is sonic accuracy. A tight, rock-solid low end, with

smooth, detailed highs and a well-defi ned midrange. In short,

Since 1984, Crown has shipped

approximately 272,625 MT and MA

amplifi ers to date. That’s approximately

54 million watts into 4 ohms or 65

million watts into 2 ohms!

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Crown Macro-Tech amplifi ers were used at the 64,640-seat Sangam Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, during the 2002 World Cup.

TOUR

Neil Diamond tour

Pro Show, SPL Sound, XFL

Seoul Word Cup 2002

THEME PARK

Universal Studios

Everland (Korea)

Six Flags of America

Audio Analysts

Morgan Sound

Clair Brothers

Disturbed (band)

FIXED INSTALL

Club Capitale

Sydney 2000 Olympics

Crystal Cathedral

Art Garfunkel Tour

Maryland Sound

Gemini Sound

On Stage Audio

Offi cial All Star Cafe

Hard Rock Live

Experience Music Project

Spirit, Roxy

Enterprise Live

Deep night clubs

A Sampling of Crown Macro-Tech Users

STADIUM / ARENA

American Airlines Arena

American Airlines Center

Ralph Engelstad Arena

Key Arena

Xcel Energy Arena

Conseco Field House

Coors Field

Volkswagen Stadium

Hong Kong Stadium

Racks of Crown Macro-Tech amplifi ers power this 2001 extravaganza staged in Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace for the Annual

Gala held by Utah Governor Mike Leavitt. Rocky Mountain Audio Visual chose Crown Macro-Tech along with JBL Vertec

speakers to provide concert-quality sound for the event. (Find out more at http://www.jblpro.com/pressroom/rmav_utah.htm.)

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Crown Macro-Tech amplifi ers power the premium sound system employing JBL PD Series speakers in the 400,000 sq. ft. Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

How It All Began...

The brainstorming for this whole family began with

collaboration between engineers Gerald Stanley and Jim

Wordinger. In considering the drawbacks of current power

amplifi ers, they were looking for ways to:

• pack more power into a smaller rack space

• improve reliability by preventing overheating

• lower the cost per watt.

Gerald’s Grounded-Bridge design and Junction Temperature

Simulation were already in his toolkit. In 1975, JTS was

employed in the SA-2 and PSA-2 amplifi ers, while Grounded

Bridge was used in the M-600.

Gerald and Jim thought, “How about taking our two best

technologies and putting them in the same product?” The

Micro-Tech Series was born. The original name of this series

was to be HVA for High Value Amplifi er.

), protected

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power supply, also called bi-level

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, awed the audio industry with new

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™ topology provided 4 times the power of

technologies that reduced distortion and thermal

he Macro-Tech product line, and its precursor

Micro-Tech

existing power transistors without sacrifi cing reliability.

stress — while increasing reliability, audio quality, power density

and power output.

Three patented technologies invented by Crown’s Gerald Stanley

led to those benefi ts:

The Macro-Tech Design Philosophy

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• Grounded Bridge

• Junction Temperature Simulation (JTS), otherwise known

two best

taking our

How about

and putting

technologies

as Output Device Emulator Protection (ODEP

the power transistors from overheating and maximized their

potential power output by keeping them at the optimum

temperature.

them in the

same product?”

power-supply switching, was used in the MA-3600VZ and MA-

5000VZ Series. The supply changes its impedance to adapt to

the signal voltage and current. This technology permits large

amounts of power in a compact package while achieving ultra-

low distortion and without generating excess heat.

• Variable Impedance or VZ

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In those days, Crown was

recognized as a manufacturer

of home hi-fi products. But the

HVA Series was intended for

pro audio Touring and MI, not

for the living room. It was a new

direction for Crown.

Crown’s president at that time,

Max Scholfi eld, recognized that

Crown’s marketing needed to

be shaken up, so he hired Dr.

Clay Barclay to drive change

in Crown’s marketing and sales

divisions. Clay realized that

the MI and Touring industries

needed a product like this, and

he sold the idea to Crown and

to potential customers.

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A 1983 schematic by Gerald Stanley of the Grounded Bridge circuit.