Crown K1 User manual

K1 K SERIES
K
-Series amplifiers deliver more power
and sound while using less energy than
conventional amplifiers. And it’s all in a
durable, maintenance-free package that’s just
two rack spaces high.
Using patented Balanced Current Amplifier
(BCA®) circuitry, Crown®K-Series amplifiers
give you massive amounts of power while gen-
erating just one-tenth the heat of conventional
amplifiers. In fact, the powerful K2®amplifier
can deliver an amazing 1,250 watts per channel
into 2 ohms (and that’s a very solid 2 ohms)!
Because of their incredible efficiency, K-Series
amplifiers require no internal cooling fan
and feature a closed chassis. Of course, no
fan means no fan noise. In addition, the
closed chassis makes these amplifiers virtually
immune to environmental problems such as
dust, cigarette smoke, stage fog and spilled liq-
uids. In practical, everyday terms, the K-Series
amplifiers are essentially maintenance-free. As
with all convection-cooled amplifiers, varying
operating levels and loads may require addi-
tional air movement in high ambient tempera-
ture conditions.
K-Series amplifiers are so energy efficient—
more than twice that of conventional switching
amps—they require significantly less energy to
deliver their massive power into virtually any
load, no matter how difficult. In addition, each
amplifier is equipped with a “green” circuit
that further reduces energy use during idle
periods. Energy draw is so low—only 12 watts
or less—the amplifier may be kept in a con-
tinual ready state at minimal cost. This effi-
ciency means you’ll realize significant savings
over the life of the amplifier, reducing the
cost of ownership, as well as enabling more
K-Series amplifiers to be plugged into a single
AC circuit, reducing installation costs.
Best of all, the K Series delivers all of the supe-
rior sound that Crown is known for—tight,
chest-slamming low end, crystal-clear highs
and a well-defined midrange. Several excep-
tional product reviews concur that the K Series
delivers fantastic sound.
The K Series stands above the rest as the per-
formance leader in convection-cooled designs.
For more details about the Crown K Series,
contact the Crown Technical Support Group at
800-342-6939 or 574-294-8200. Also, visit the
Crown Audio website at www.crownaudio.com.
Specifications
The following applies to 120-VAC, 60-Hz units in Stereo mode
with 8-ohm loads and an input sensitivity of 26 dB gain
unless otherwise specified. Specifications for units supplied
outside the U.S.A. may vary slightly at different AC voltages
and frequencies.
Power
Output Power: See power charts below.
Voltage Gain:
K1: 31.55 dB gain at 1.4 volt sensitivity;
26 dB gain at 2.65 volt sensitivity.
K2: 32.88 dB gain at 1.4 volt sensitivity;
25 dB gain at 3.0 volt sensitivity.
Line Voltage Requirements: Universal power
supply can be configured to operate with
100,120, 200, 220, 230, 240, 250VAC at 50
or 60 Hz. Adapters are acquired through an
Authorized Service Center.
Performance
Frequency Response: ±0.25 dB from 20 Hz to
20 kHz. The frequency response is band limited
with an 8 Hz double-integrated 3rd-order But-
terworth high-pass filter and a 30 kHz 7th-order
Gaussian low-pass filter.
Signal to Noise (A-weighted): > 100 dB below
rated power.
Damping Factor: > 3,000 from 10 to 400 Hz.
Controls
Level: A calibrated rotary level control for each
channel located on the front panel.
Power: An on/off rocker switch located on the
front panel.
Input Sensitivity: A two-position switch for
each channel located on the back panel near
each channel’s input connectors.
Bridge Output: An on/off switch located on
the back panel between the input connectors
which, when turned on, bridges the two output
channels for twice the output voltage.
Features
• Accurate, uncolored sound with very low
distortion for the best in music and voice
reproduction
• High damping factor for tight, clean bass
response
• Advanced design for energy conservation
• Mono mode switches allow you to set up your
amps/speakers in the configuration that best
suits your needs—with combined amp inputs,
combined amp outputs, or both.
• Advanced protection circuitry guards against:
shorted outputs, open circuits, DC, mis-
matched loads, general overheating,high-fre-
quency overloads and internal faults
• Extremely versatile, handling a wide range of
speaker impedances and outputs
• Exclusive BCA®(Balanced Current Amplifier)
power design provides super efficiency for
quiet, fan-free operation
• Switchable input sensitivity
• “Soft start” feature prevents the K-Series ampli-
fier from drawing large currents when it is first
turned on so you don’t need to delay power-on
of your amps
• Uniquely molded, cast-aluminum front panel
provides exceptional air circulation for your K-
Series amplifier
• Three-year, No-Fault, Fully Transferable War-
ranty completely protects your investment and
guarantees its specifications
8 ohm Stereo (per channel)
1 kHz
Power
350W
550W
750W
1,100W
1,500W
4 ohm Bridge-Mono
8 ohm Bridge-Mono
2 ohm Stereo (per channel)
4 ohm Stereo (per channel)
K1
*1 kHz Power: refers to maximum average power in watts
at 1 kHz with 0.1% or less TRUE THD.
*
8 ohm Stereo (per channel)
1 kHz
Power
500W
800W
1,250W
1,600W
2,500W
4 ohm Bridge-Mono
8 ohm Bridge-Mono
2 ohm Stereo (per channel)
4 ohm Stereo (per channel)
K2
*1 kHz Power: refers to maximum average power in watts
at 1 kHz with 0.1% or less TRUE THD.
*
K2

Crown International
1718 W. Mishawaka Rd.
Elkhart, IN 46517-9439
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]FAX
www.crownaudio.com
7/05 136713-1B
Crown’s Three-Year, No-Fault, Fully Transferable Warranty
Crown offers a Three-Year, No-Fault, Fully Transferable Warranty for every new Crown ampli-
fier—an unsurpassed industry standard. With this unprecedented No-Fault protection, your new
Crown amplifier is warranted to meet or exceed original specifications for the first three years of
ownership. During this time, if your amplifier fails, or does not perform to original specifications,
it will be repaired or replaced at our expense. About the only things not covered by this warranty
are those losses normally covered by insurance and those caused by intentional abuse. And the
coverage is transferable, should you sell your amplifier.
See your authorized Crown dealer for full warranty disclosure and details. For customers outside
of the USA, please contact your authorized Crown distributor for warranty information or call
574-294-8200.
“Y” Input: An on/off switch located on
the back panel between the input connectors
which, when turned on, parallels the two
input channels.
Indicators
TLC: A TLC (thermal level control) LED for each
channel which turns on with a dim glow shortly
before the amplifier needs help dissipating heat.
Clip: An orange LED for each channel which
turns on when distortion of any type becomes
audible in the amplifier output.
IOC: A yellow LED for each channel which
serves as a distortion indicator. The IOC indi-
cators include a pulse-stretching feature that
helps make them more noticeable even with
rapid transient signals
Signal: A green LED for each channel which
flashes dimly when a very low-level signal (as
low as 10 mW) is present in the output. They
flash brightly when a louder signal (at least 1
watt) is present at the output.
Enable: A green LED that turns on when the
amplifier has been turned on and has power.
When first turned on, there will be a brief two-
second delay while the amplifier performs a
quick turn-on diagnostic. Then the Enable indi-
cator will turn on to its full brightness. If
no signal is present, the Enable indicator
will switch to a dim level.
Input/Output
Input Connectors: One balanced ¼-inch
(6.35-mm) phone jack and one 3-pin female
XLR connector for each channel.
Input Stage: Input is electronically balanced
and employs precision 1% resistors.
Input Impedance: Nominally 20 k ohms, bal-
anced. Nominally 10 k ohms, unbalanced.
Output Connectors: Two sets of color-coded
binding posts for banana plugs, spade lugs
or bare wire (European models do not accept
banana plugs.)
DC Output Offset: ±10 millivolts.
Output Signal
Stereo: Unbalanced, two-channel.
Bridge-Mono: Balanced, single-channel. Chan-
nel 1 controls are active; Channel 2 should be
turned down.
Protection
K-Series amplifiers are protected against
shorted, open or mismatched loads; overloaded
power supplies; excessive temperature, chain
destruction phenomena, input overload damage
and high-frequency blowups. They also protect
loudspeakers from input/output DC, DC offset
and turn-on/turn-off transients.
TLC protection circuitry protects the amplifier
from excessive heat by subtly and dynamically
reducing the gain only when necessary to
reduce heat levels. Transformer overheating (an
extremely unlikely event) will result in a tempo-
rary shutdown; when it has cooled to a safe
temperature, the transformer will automatically
reset itself. Controlled slew rate voltage ampli-
fiers prevent RF burnouts, and input overload
protection is provided by the input current limit.
Out-of-band low-pass and high-pass filters pro-
tect the amplifier and loads from subsonic fre-
quencies below 8 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies
above 30 kHz.
Turn On: State-of-the-art “soft start” feature
prevents the amplifier from drawing a large
inrush current when it is first turned on and no
dangerous artifacts are produced by the ampli-
fier. (However it is recommended that all equip-
ment ahead of the amplifier be turned on first
since they may produce turn-on transients.)
Construction
Cast-aluminum front panel with durable finish
and Lexan labels. Aluminum chassis with dura-
ble black finish.
Cooling: High-performance passive convection
cooling system allows the amplifier to drive
2 ohm loads to high music sound levels (6 dB
into clip) in a 40° C (104° F) ambient environ-
ment .
Dimensions: Standard 19-inch (48.3-cm) rack
mount width (EIA RS-310-B), 3.5 inches (8.9
cm) high and 16 inches (40.6 cm) deep behind
front mounting surface.
Net Weight:
K1: 32 lb (14.6 kg).
K2: 38 lb (17.3 kg).
Shipping Weight:
K1: 38 lb (17.3 kg).
K2: 44 lb (20.0 kg).
Center of gravity approximately 6 inches (15.2
cm) behind front mounting surface.
Specifications subject to change without prior notice. Latest
information available at www.crownaudio.com.
Crown, Crown Audio, K2 and BCA are registered trademarks
of Crown International. Other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. Printed in U.S.A.
© 2005 Crown Audio®, Inc.
K1
K2