Crown promises smaller footprint with ComTech DriveCore series
Published: PRODUCTS
Crown has highlighted the benefits of its chip-based technology with the release of its ComTech DriveCore series amplifiers, a range designed for smaller fixed installations, which are said to produce a smaller footprint.
The ‘energy efficient’ series consists of four models, and according to the manufacturer, the DriveCore chip technology offers ‘greater than 90 percent efficiency with no compromise in performance,’ boasting a signal-to-noise ratio of 110dB.
The DriveCore chip, which was co-developed with Texas Instruments, combines the amplifier drive stage into the power output stage (along with additional audio-signal functions). Crown states that as a result, power consumption is ‘dramatically reduced’.
Contributing to the idea of a smaller footprint is the fact that each amp is fan-less, and therefore produces less heat. As a result, the amplifiers do not need to use a fan or traditional large, heavy heat sinks, further reducing energy demands.
Meanwhile, the manufacturer has announced the release of the Pip-Blu Programmable Input Processor (PIP) card for its Crown CTs series power amplifiers. The new card adds BSS Audio Soundweb London digital audio bus functionality to the Crown CTs series, and according to Crown, offers a ‘simple, cost-effective’ way to get digital audio to the amplifiers.
The Pip-Blu card allows the amplifier to be connected into the Soundweb London digital audio bus ring, providing the sharing of digital audio, fault tolerance and simplifies cabling issues.
The addition of the card provides analogue input and output connectors, offers two digital audio bus channels to the amplifier, and provides an RJ-45 Ethernet jack for remote configuration, control and monitoring and two digital audio bus channels back from the amp. Two analogue input channels and two analogue output channels are also included, which provide analogue backup and facilitate using a CTs amplifier as a two-channel Break-In Box (BIB).
The Pip-Blu uses Harman’s HiQnet protocol and is configured, controlled and monitored using HiQnet London Architect.
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Web: www.crownaudio.com