Crown

Today, Crown Audio is one of the leaders in sound reinforcement. Crown builds amplifiers for cinema, showroom, concert venue, home audio, as well as touring equipment and portable amplification. With over 67 years of experience, a focus on innovation, and providing the best user experience, Crown Audio has continually raised the bar in sound reinforcement.

In 1947, Clarence Moore founded IREC (International Radio and Electronics Corporation) in Elkhart County, Indiana, which many years later became known as Crown Audio Inc. Moore began by producing open reel-to-reel tape recorders, the first samples were made on the job site in a converted chicken coop. Much has changed over time and Crown is now one of the leaders in audio amplification.

Clarence spent his early 40s in Ecuador working for HCJB, a nonprofit Christian broadcasting and engineering group. After returning to the U.S., he felt a desire to provide technical support to organizations like HCJB. To that end, IREC was formed and the development of quality electronic products began.

The company initially built its reputation on a line of rugged and compact reel-to-reel tape recorders designed for the reliable work required by missionaries in remote, often primitive, regions. After modifying and distributing several models in the first couple of years, Moore received a patent in 1949 for the world's first cassette recorder with a built-in amplifier. This began a string of innovations over the next 15 years. In 1964, the first SA 20-20 solid-state amplifier was released. From then on, the company switched its focus from tape recorders to amplifiers and business began to grow rapidly.

Eventually Moore's wife and co-founder suggested a name change. At the time, IREC was producing the Rowal and Imperial series of tube tape recorders, which were adorned with a crown icon. This is how the name Crown came to be. In 1975, shareholders voted to rename the corporation Crown International, Inc.

Joining Harman International in March 2000, Crown has continued to evolve with numerous innovative designs, such as DCi (Drive Core Install), a series that appeared in 2013. This series includes both analog and network amplifiers designed for use by installers. The use of one small chip instead of over 500 parts makes the DCi series the most reliable and progressive amplifier on the market today.

The achievements of Crown can be illustrated by the following figures: more than 1,500 dealer centers around the world, more than 1,000 patents received, more than 550 highly qualified employees in the in-house R&D laboratory.