CSL Series Power Amplifiers
Page 13
Fig. 4.1 460 CSL Minimum Power Matrix
8
460 CSL –
Minimum Guaranteed Power (Watts)
Stereo/Mono
Mode
Stereo
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
16
4
FTC Continuous Average
0.1% THD+N
(See note 4)
1 kHz
20Hz-20kHz
180
350
200
390
390
Maximum Average
Load (Ohms)
AC Mains
120 VAC, 60 Hz Units
1 kHz
0.1% THD+N
(See note 1)
0.1% THD+N
(See note 2)
240
200
455
395
455
400
20Hz-20kHz
185
370
4
2
8
8
16
4
175
350
200
390
390
230
205
465
410
440
410
185
375
0.05% THD+N
(See note 3)
1 kHz
235
200
455
390
445
395
225
200
455
405
430
405
4
2
8
International Units
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
Stereo
(both channels
driven)
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, we use THD plus noise as the reference because it is a more demanding test than true THD. Power tests also
require a reference distortion level, and 0.1% THD appears to be the industry standard. Two of the maximum average power ratings in
each minimum power matrix are measured at 0.1% THD plus noise 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 plus noise is included in each minimum power matrix to represent 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 specs 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.
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).
International units with multi-tap transformers are specified for the worst-case transformer tap (normally 100 VAC, 50 Hz). The standard EIA power mea-
surement (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 plus noise reaches
0.1%. At this level the average power per channel is reported.
2. A sine wave is presented to the amplifier over the range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the output monitored for nonlinear distortion. The level at each
frequency is increased until THD plus noise reaches 0.1%. At this level the average power per channel is reported.
3. A 1 kHz sine wave is presented to the amplifier and the output monitored for nonlinear distortion. The level is increased until THD plus noise reaches
0.05%. At this level the average power per channel is reported.
4. Continuous power in the context of Federal Trade Commission testing is understood to be a minimum of five minutes of operation. THD plus noise is
measured as the RMS sum total and given as a percentage of the fundamental output voltage. This applies for all wattages greater than 0.25 watts.
