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Com-Tech 200/400/800/1600 Power Amplifiers
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 Guaranteed 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 specifica-
tions 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
Fig. 6.1 Com-Tech 200 Minimum Power Matrix
Com-Tech 200 –
Minimum Guaranteed Power (Watts)
Dual/Mono
Mode
Dual
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
FTC Continuous Average
At 0.1% THD
(See note 4)
1 kHz
20Hz-20kHz
125
100
105
250
205
200
140
105
110
270
210
205
275
215
205
Maximum Average
Load in Ohms
(Constant Voltage)
AC Mains
120 VAC, 60 Hz
1 kHz
At 0.1% THD
(See note 1)
At 0.1% THD
(See note 2)
150
110
110
300
220
205
295
215
210
20Hz-20kHz
135
105
105
270
210
200
Dual
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
125
105
95
250
205
190
135
110
100
275
215
205
270
210
205
145
110
105
290
220
205
290
215
210
135
105
95
265
210
195
At 0.05% THD
(See note 3)
1 kHz
145
105
110
295
215
205
290
210
205
145
110
105
285
220
205
285
210
205
100/120 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Dual
(both channels
driven)
Bridge-Mono
(balanced output)
Parallel-Mono
130
105
95
260
215
195
140
110
105
280
225
210
275
220
210
150
115
105
300
230
215
300
225
215
140
110
100
275
220
200
150
115
105
295
225
210
300
225
215
220/240 VAC, 50/60 Hz
50 (70V)
4
2
100 (140V)
8
25 (70V)
8
4
16
50 (70V)
4
2
100 (140V)
8
25 (70V)
8
4
16
50 (70V)
4
2
100 (140V)
8
25 (70V)
8
4
16
their specs by saying they are “typical,” “sub-
ject to manufacturing tolerances,” “single
channel driven” or that they are specified with
“fuses bypassed.” Each of these statements
effectively removes any performance guaran-
tee. 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 speci-
fications 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). Stan-
dard EIA power (RS-490) is not shown here because
it is identical to FTC Continuous Average Power.
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 point, 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
monitored for nonlinear distortion. The level at
each frequency is increased until THD reaches
0.1%. At this point, 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 reaches 0.05%.
At this point, 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
voltage. This applies for all wattages greater than
0.25 watts.
