Technical information

Page 27
Micro-Tech 600/1200/2400 Power Amplifiers
Reference Manual
Crown specifications are guaranteed for three years.
In an effort to provide you with as much information as possible about the high power-producing capabilities of your amplifier, we have
created the following power matrices.
Minimum Power Specifications
Crown’s minimum power specifications represent the absolute smallest amount of output power you can expect from your amplifier when it
is driven to full output under the given conditions. Some spaces in each matrix may be left blank because the same guarantee is not
provided for those conditions—however, your amplifier will perform well under
all conditions listed in each matrix.
When measuring power, 0.1% THD appears to be the industry standard for distortion. Two of the maximum average power specifications
shown in each minimum power matrix are measured at 0.1% THD so you can easily compare Crown specifications to those of other
manufacturers. But this high level of distortion actually allows for some clipping which is undesirable. Because of this, a maximum average
power specification at 0.05% THD is included in each minimum power matrix which represents non-clipped conditions. Although most
manufacturers do not give you power specifications at 0.05% THD, we encourage them to provide these specifications so you will have a
more realistic representation of the way amplifiers should be used in the real world—without a clipped output signal.
Many manufacturers publish power specs with a tolerance of ±1 dB or worse. This means their amplifier can deviate more than 20% in
output! A 100-watt amplifier would meet their specification if it only produced 79.4 watts. Other manufacturers qualify their specifications by
saying they are “typical,” “subject to manufacturing tolerances,” “single channel driven” or that they are specified with “fuses bypassed.”
Each of these statements effectively removes any performance guarantee. In fact, some manufacturers use these tactics to generate large
power numbers, and they don’t even print a disclaimer. We take a different approach at Crown—our amplifiers are guaranteed to meet or
exceed their specifications for three years. Further, because our published specs are set below our “in-house” measurements, you can
expect every Crown amplifier to exceed its published minimum power specs. We believe you should get what you pay for.
8
2
Micro-Tech 600 – Minimum Guaranteed Power (Watts)
Stereo/Mono
Mode
Stereo
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
1
16
4
4
FTC Continuous Average
0.1% THD
(See note 4)
1 kHz 20Hz-20kHz
285
210
570
420
320
220
645
450
635
450
Maximum Average
Load (Ohms)
AC Mains120 VAC, 60 Hz Units
1 kHz
0.1% THD
(See note 1)
0.1% THD
(See note 2)
400
325
225
750
655
450
700
665
450
20Hz-20kHz
335
300
210
650
605
425
4
2
8
8
2
Stereo
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
1
16
4
4
285
215
565
430
320
230
645
465
645
455
380
335
230
730
680
465
680
665
460
305
220
625
440
0.05% THD
(See note 3)
1 kHz
395
325
220
745
650
445
695
660
450
375
330
230
725
670
465
675
665
455
4
2
8
International Units
Minimum Power Notes:
All minimum power specifications are based on 0.5%
regulated AC mains with THD of less than 1.0% and
an ambient room temperature of 70° F (21° C). Inter-
national units with multi-tap transformers are speci-
fied for the worst-case transformer tap (normally 100
VAC, 50 Hz). The standard EIA power measurement
(RS-490) is not identified here because it is identical
to the FTC Continuous Average Power specification.
1. A 1 kHz sine wave is presented to the amplifier
and the output monitored for nonlinear distortion.
The level is increased until THD reaches 0.1%. At
this level the average power per channel is re-
ported.
2. A sine wave is presented to the amplifier over the
range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the output moni-
tored for nonlinear distortion. The level at each fre-
quency is increased until THD reaches 0.1%. At
this level the average power per channel is re-
ported.
3. A 1 kHz sine wave is presented to the amplifier
and the output monitored for nonlinear distortion.
The level is increased until THD reaches 0.05%.
At this level the average power per channel is re-
ported.
4. Continuous power in the context of Federal Trade
Commission testing is understood to be a mini-
mum of five minutes of operation. Harmonic dis-
tortion is measured as the RMS sum total and given
as a percentage of the fundamental output volt-
age. This applies for all wattages greater than 0.25
watts.
Fig. 6.1 Micro-Tech 600 Minimum Power Matrix