ASTi Crown User manual

500 A Huntmar Park Drive
ASTi
Crown®Power Amplifier
User Guide
Document: DOC-01-CA-UG-1
Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 500A Hun® ar Park Drive, Herndon, Virginia, 20170 USA
Revision F (May, 2012)

Product Name: Crown® Power Amplifier
Note: This document is for use with Crown Amplifiers and ASTi equipment only. Please refer to Crown’s web-
site for more information.
Crown® Power Amplifier
© Copyright ASTi 2007-2012.
Restricted Rights: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in sub-
paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.
This material may be reproduced by or for the U.S. Government pursuant to the copyright license under the
clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 (1994).
ASTi
500-A Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170

i
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Figure 1: System Setup ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Dimensions ............................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 2: 4-Channel Front View .................................................................................................2
Figure 3: 4-Channel Rear View ..................................................................................................2
Figure 4: 8-Channel Front View .................................................................................................3
Figure 5: 8-Channel Rear View ..................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1. Proper Cooling ....................................................................................................................... 4
2.2. ACENet and Crown Power Amplifier Operation and Configuration Process ................... 5
2.2.1. Multiple Crown Amplifiers on the ACENet ....................................................................... 7
2.3. Setup Procedure ..................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 6: Rear Panel Connections ............................................................................................. 8
2.4. Powering Up the Amplifier .................................................................................................... 9
Chapter 3: General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.1. Front Indication Lights ........................................................................................................ 10
Figure 7: Front Panel Indication Lights .................................................................................... 10
3.2. Rear Panel Connections ...................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 4: Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.1. Wiring .................................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 8: Output Connector Wiring .......................................................................................... 13
4.2. Voltage Limits ....................................................................................................................... 14
4.3. Performance Specification ................................................................................................. 14
4.4. Minimum Guaranteed Power ............................................................................................... 15
Chapter 5: References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1. Crown Amplifier Part Numbers ........................................................................................... 16
Appendix A: Crown Amplifier Configuration for ACENet Network . . . 17
Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 17
Opening and Assigning Saved Presets .................................................................................... 25
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

ii

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Crown® Power Amplifier provides the user with the power to drive passive audio loudspeak-
ers. Each amplifier is a network component that integrates with ASTi’s ACENet. ACENet pro-
vides a low latency, network based audio and I/O distribution architecture for ASTi’s Telestra 4
ACE communications and sound modeling equipment and software. The amplifier offers a full
range of indicators for accurate diagnostics. This document provides an overview of the CT 4200
4-channel amplifier in a 2U chassis and the CT 8200 8-channel in a 3U chassis. For a more com-
prehensive understanding of the Crown® products please read the documents listed in the Refer-
ence section of this document.
Telestra 4
CAT 5
Ethernet
8-Channel ACENet Amplifier
Advanced Simulation
Technology,Inc.
CAT 5
Ethernet
ACENet Switch
Figure 1: System Setup

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
2Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
1.1. Dimensions
Crown
Amplifier Depth Width Height
CTs 4200 16.25 In.
41.3 cm
19 In.
48.3 cm
3.5 In.
8.9 cm
CTs 8200 16.25 In.
41.3 cm
19 In.
48.3 cm
5.25 In.
13.3 cm
CTs 4200 4-Channel Crown Amp
Figure 2: 4-Channel Front View
--
++
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
+
+
-
-
+
+
-
-
--
++
MAC ADDRESS
PART# 00000000AAAAAA
0000000000
120 V
00/00/0000
00/00/0000
Figure 3: 4-Channel Rear View

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 3
CTs 8200 8-Channel Crown Amp
Figure 4: 8-Channel Front View
~
~
++--
++-- ++--
++--
CLASS 2
DUAL
DUAL
-- --
----
++ ++
+
++
+
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
dB dB dB dB dB dB dB dB00 0 0 0 0 00
Figure 5: 8-Channel Rear View

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
4Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
Chapter 2: Getting Started
WARNING: Before amplifier installation, ensure that your amplifier is not con-
nected to power and all control levels are turned down (counter clockwise).
2.1. Proper Cooling
Do not block any of the amplifier ventilation vents. When using an equipment rack, mount the
units directly on top of each other. Do not block rear, front, or side air vents. The side walls of the
rack should be a minimum of two inches (5.1 cm) away from the amplifier sides, and the back of
the rack should be open.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 5
2.2. ACENet and Crown Power Amplifier Operation and Configuration
Process
Each power amplifier connected to a Telestra 4 Target forms part of the ASTi networked ACENet
audio distribution architecture, and hence behaves a little differently from a simple analog power
amplifier at start-up.
In order to utilize the network features of the amplifier it is necessary for the Target to recognize
the amplifier, and then configure the amplifier for correct operation. This process takes a short
while to complete, and the user needs to be aware of this, otherwise the lack of immediate opera-
tion may be misinterpreted as a system failure or similar.
In order to understand this, follow the quick top-level overview of the ACENet and Crown power
amplifier operation and configuration process:
• When a Target system boots up it starts a number of background processes, one of which
scans the ACENet network for Crown power amplifiers.
• If it finds an amplifier, it determines whether or not this is configured for ACENet opera-
tion. There are two possible states “configured”, or “not configured”.
• An amplifier that has been powered off will report as “not configured”, while an amplifier
that has been configured and left powered on (irrespective of the state of the Target) will
retain the original configuration.
• The time taken to perform the configuration will be a function of the number of amplifiers
and the number of channels, and will take upward of 90 seconds to complete.
• During the configuration period the amplifier(s) will appear inoperative, and will not pro-
duce sound.
• The system will monitor the state of all amplifiers ‘registered’ with a Target during run
time. However it should be noted that the process performing this monitoring is scheduled
periodically (approximately once every 60 seconds) and therefore, if an amplifier is pow-
ered off (perhaps to perform some maintenance function), it is necessary to ensure the
amplifier remains powered off for at least 60 seconds, such that on power-up the configura-
tion process can re-discover the amplifier and initiate the correct configuration commands.
• The system will perform a configuration check of all connected power amplifiers every 24
hours, and any misconfiguration will be corrected as part of the runtime check.*
• In any given ACENet configuration only one Telestra Target can use Crown amplifiers.
Additional Telestra Targets can exist on the network but must be using ACU2s or ACE-
RIUs only.
* It is worth noting that the system performs two levels of self-monitoring; every 60 seconds the
system confirms that all the amplifiers it “recognized” previously are still present, any new ampli-
fiers receive a configuration download. While every 24 hours all registered amplifiers are interro-
gated for correct configuration, and any errors are automatically corrected.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
6Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
ASTi recommends that users limit themselves to the basic operation of the Crown power amplifi-
ers, however we do recognize that there are many sophisticated capabilities available within the
embedded functionality of the amplifiers via the Crown HiQnet. Please contact ASTi before
attempting to utilize any of the extended features of these amplifiers to ensure that there is no con-
flict with required ASTi configuration settings.
Caution: Manual selection of a ‘preset’ (via the rear panel ‘preset’ switch) will almost certainly
cause the amplifier to cease communication with the Target (since the required ACENet configu-
ration data will not be available in the selected preset). While we discourage customers to use this
capability, if this is done, the simplest resolution is to power off the amplifier for at least 60 sec-
onds, and then turn the amplifier back on, at which point the Target will reconfigure the amplifier
to the required working configuration.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 7
2.2.1. Multiple Crown Amplifiers on the ACENet
All Crown amplifiers come pre-configured with the same IP address and when using two or more
on the same ACENet network they will not function properly in the System Architect software
until one IP address is changed. ASTi recommends changing all IP addresses if using multiple
Crown amplifiers on the same ACENet network.
If you try to use two or more Crown amplifiers on a common ACENet network with the Harman
Audio “System Architect” software to set-up the internal DSP features (filters, delay, power limit-
ing, etc.) it will only report that one amp is online via System Architect; the others will be
“offline”. The software will find the amps, but all but one will be grayed out. The network trou-
bleshooter will repeatedly try to instruct you to reconfigure the network interface of the PC that is
running System Architect.
There are two applications available from Harman Audio that will help resolve this issue:
1) System Architect via “Tools” and “Readdress Devices”
2) HiQnet NetSetter which is available at http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com/software/netsetter/
One amp should remain configured with the default IP address of 192.168.1.1 and set any addi-
tional amps with incrementing IP addresses (i.e. 192.168.1.2, etc.).

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
8Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
2.3. Setup Procedure
1. Connect the power cord into the AC Power Cord Connector.
2. Remove the Output Connector’s cover plate and connect the speakers to the output con-
nectors.
3. The dual RJ45 connectors allow a Primary & Secondary Ethernet port to the 100 Mbps
Ethernet network. Use the Primary or Secondary port and a Category 5 cable to connect to
the ACENet switch.
4. If using speakers higher than 8 ohms change the Mode Switch to 16/8, for most applica-
tions the mode switch can remain in the 8/4 setting.
Note: Ensure the amplifier is powered off before changing the mode switch.
The Channel Level Controls act as the overall master gain control for each channel in all
operational modes. As a starting point ASTi recommends that the Channel Level Controls
be set to the ‘10 o’clock’ position.
The Channel Level Controls are implemented rather counter-intuitively. With the ACENet
digital input active, and a setting of 12 o’clock (control vertically up), 0dB gain is applied
to the signal meaning a full-scale digital signal will demand full power from the amp. Set-
ting the control beyond 12 o’clock could cause clipping for any signal at or approaching
full-scale which is definitely not recommended. Using the 10 o’clock setting as the start-
ing point ensures clipping is not allowed and limits the amp to approximately 50 watts of
delivered power. If more power is required advance the control but do not exceed the 12
o’clock setting under any circumstance.
See section 3.2. Rear Panel Connections for more information.
The Input Connectors are not used in the ASTi system setup.
WARNING: Do not connect or disconnect speakers or ACENet while the amplifier is powered
on.
--
++
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
8
dB 0
+
+
-
-
+
+
-
-
--
++
MAC ADDRESS
PART# 00000000AAAAAA
0000000000
120 V
00/00/0000
00/00/0000
AC Power Cord Connector
Output Connector
Primary & Secondary Ethernet Ports
Channel Level Controls
Input Connector
Mode Switch
Figure 6: Rear Panel Connections

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 9
2.4. Powering Up the Amplifier
Important: Complete section 2.1. Setup Procedure before proceeding with this section.
When turning on the amplifier for the first time follow the steps below.
1. Turn down the levels of the audio source.
2. Turn on the Power switch. The power indicator should illuminate.
3. Turn up the audio source levels.
4. Once the amplifier is properly setup and connected to the network, use ACE Studio soft-
ware to complete the amplifier configuration.
Remember: Disconnect the power cord before making any changes to the installation or wiring.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
10 Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
Chapter 3: General Information
3.1. Front Indication Lights
•Bridge Mode Indicator – illuminates yellow when the channel pair is set to the “Bridge”
position. If the bridge mode is changed while the amplifier is powered on it must be pow-
ered off and back on to reset the mode.
•Ready Indicator – illuminates green when the channel is initialized and ready to produce
audio output.
•Signal Indicator – illuminates green to indicate the presence of input signals above -
40dBu.
•Clip Indicator – illuminates red when the THD of the channel’s output signal rises to a
level typically considered as the onset of audible clipping.
•Thermal Indicator – illuminates red when the channel has shut down due to thermal stress
or overload.
•Fault Indicator – illuminates red when the output channel has stopped operating.
•Power Indicator – illuminates blue when the amplifier is on and the AC power is available.
This will also flash if the amplifier shuts off from under/over voltage conditions.
•Data Indicator – illuminates yellow when a command is received by the module.
Bridge Mode Indicator Ready Indicator
Clip Indicator
Signal Indicator
Thermal Indicator
Fault Indicator
Data Indicator
Power Indicator Power Switch
Figure 7: Front Panel Indication Lights

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 11
3.2. Rear Panel Connections
Caution: Manual selection of a ‘preset’ (via the rear panel ‘preset’ switch) will almost certainly
cause the amplifier to cease communication with the Target (since the required ACENet configu-
ration data will not be available in the selected preset). While we cannot imagine why a user
would attempt to use this capability, if this is done, the simplest resolution is to power off the
amplifier for at least 60 seconds, and then turn the amplifier back on, at which point the Target
will reconfigure the amplifier to the required working configuration.
•AC Power Cord Connector – standard IEC type 320 inlet, 120V models are 15-amp, 220-
240Vmodels are 10-amp, voltage is indicated above IEC inlet.
•Output Connector – for every two channels there is a one four-pole strip with a touch-
proof cover that accepts up to 10 AWG terminal forks.
•Primary and Secondary Ethernet Connection – connects to ASTi’s ACENet which pro-
vides low latency, network-based audio and I/O distribution architecture for ASTi’s com-
munications and sound modeling equipment and software. For more information on this
flexible architecture and highly scalable distribution network please see the Telestra 4
ACENet User Guide (DOC-01-TEL4-AN-UG-1). Please note only a single connection
should be made between the amp and the upstream ACENet switch.
•Mode Switch – for every two channels this switch selects the amplifiers mode including
Dual 8/4 ohms, Dual 70V, Bridge-Mono 16/8 ohms, and Bridge-Mono 100V.
WARNING: Ensure that the amplifier is powered off before changing the mode
setting.
•Input Connectors – removable Phoenix-style connectors for balanced analog audio signal
input. The Input Connectors are not used in the ASTi system setup.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
12 Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
•Channel Level Controls – act as the overall master gain control for each channel in all
operational modes. The exact setting required for any specific installation will depend on a
number of factors including speaker placement, speaker sensitivity, size of the space being
driven, and of course the required sound level required from the system.
Conventional audio set-up procedures apply, such that the signal source should be set to the
maximum level achievable while avoiding overload (clipping) for the loudest signal levels
required from the system (typically the “crash” sound for a flight simulator), this affording
the maximum signal-to-noise performance, and then setting the amplifier Channel Level
Controls to achieve the required loudness for this particular sound. Please refer to section
2.3. in this document for the recommended setup.
The final setting determined for each Channel Level Control should be documented to allow
the system to be returned to ‘tuned’ state, should it be necessary to replace the amplifier due
to failure, or to allow production programs to be identically configured. This may be docu-
mented by counting the detent value selected for each channel.
Note the Channel Level Control is a precision attenuator, and each detent of the control cor-
responds to the following attenuation:
Detent 4/8 Ohm
0 (full CCW) -68.31
1-67.54
2-32.23
3-25.46
4-21.83
5-19.23
6-17.12
7-15.36
8-13.76
9-12.28
10 -10.84
Do not exceed setting 10.
11 -9.51
12 -8.28
13 -7.09
14 -6.30
15 -4.92
16 -3.82
17 -2.62
18 -1.35
19 -0.01
20 (full CW) 0.00
Attenuation is in dB, attenuation amounts shown may vary ± 6 percent. Level-control Attenuation
per Detent.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. F)
Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 13
Chapter 4: Technical Specifications
4.1. Wiring
Select the appropriate size of the wire based on the distance from the amplifier to the speaker.
Distance Wire Size
up to 25 ft. (7.6 m) 16 AWG
26-40 ft. (7.9-12.2 m) 14 AWG
41-60 ft. (12.5-18.3 m) 12 AWG
Over 60 ft. (18.3) 10 AWG
Warning: Never connect the speaker return to the chassis of the amplifier, or dam-
age to the amplifier may result.
Never use shielded cable for output wiring.
++--
++--
--
--
++
+
+
++
--
Figure 8: Output Connector Wiring
Note: Output panel shown with touch-proof cover plate removed.

ASTi Crown®Power Amplifier User Guide (Ver. 1, Rev. E)
14 Copyright © 2012 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
4.2. Voltage Limits
Models Under-Voltage
Limit
Over-Voltage
Limit
120 VAC units 108 VAC 132 VAC
220V / 230V / 240V units 198 VAC 264 VAC
4.3. Performance Specification
Performance CTs 4200 CTs 8200
Frequency Response (at 1 watt, 20 Hz – 20 kHz)
0.5dB
0.5dB
Signal to Noise Ratio below rated power (20 Hz to
20 kHz)
100 dB unweighted 100 dB unweighted
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) at 1 watt, from
20 Hz to 20 kHz
< 0.05% < 0.5%
Crosstalk (below rated power, 20 Hz to 1 kHz) > 80 dB > 80 dB
Common Mode Rejection (CMR) (20 Hz to 1 kHz) > 50 dB > 50 dB
Load Impedance (Note: Safe with all types of
loads)
Stereo
Bridge Mono
4/8 and 25 ohms (70V)
8/16 and 50 ohms (100V)
4/8 and 25 ohms (70V)
8/16 and 50 ohms (100V)
Voltage Gain (at maximum level setting), 1.4V
sensitivity
4/8 Ohm Operation 20:1 (26 dB) 20:1 (26dB)
Required AC Mains (model dependent) 120V, 60 Hz. 220/ 230/ 240V,
50 Hz
100V, 50/60 Hz. 120V/60 Hz.
220/230/240V, 50Hz
Power Draw at Idle (120VAC mains, all channels
in 4/8 ohm mode)
70W 70W
Power Draw at Idle (120VAC mains, all channels
in 70V mode)
114W 114W
Cooling Continuously variable speed
forced air, front-to-back airflow
Continuously variable speed
forced air, front-to-back airflow
Dimensions: Width, Height, Depth 19 in. (48.3 cm) W x
3.5 in. (8.9 cm) H x
16.25 in. (41.3) D
19 in. (48.3 cm) W x
5.25 in. (13.3 cm) H x
16.25 in. (41.3) D
Net Weight, Shipping Weight 26 lb. 6 oz. (12 kg), 30 lb. 14
oz. (14 kg)
36 lb. 6 oz. (16.5 kg), 47 lb.
(21.3 kg)
Dynamic Range 103 dB typical (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz)