Crown D Series power amplifiers discontinued

Crown Audio has announced that after 37 years of continuous production the company is retiring its D Series power amplifiers.

In a run that must rank as one of the longest in the history of professional audio amplifiers, the Crown D Series became popular worldwide for its sound and reliability.

“Little did the 1977 engineering development team know that the new D75 would turn out to be the longest running product of the company," stated Tom Szerencse, manufacturing engineer, Harman Professional amplifier business unit. "During its lifetime over 100,000 were produced. Generations of dedicated assembly personnel have touched the D75 and contributed to its long life.”

The product range 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-mountability of Crown amplifiers ever after.”

Today, the amps can be found in countless studios, live stages, broadcast facilities, fixed installations and even homes. Models like the D-75A and D-45 were ideal for applications like recording and broadcast studio near-field monitoring and small paging systems.

“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.”

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