In 1947, an Elkhart, Indiana Minister named Clarence C. Moore, founded the International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC), which, over the years, was renamed Crown Audio Inc. has become more known that Moore started by building open tape spool tape recorders out of a chicken coop but today, Crown Audio is an industry leader in amplified sound. Crown manufactures amplifiers for cinemas, installations, tour rigs, portable PAs and commercial audio systems. With more than 67 years of focus on innovation and the best user experience, Crown Audio continues to raise the bar in audio amplification.
Clarence C. Moore, a long-time radio enthusiast, had spent the early 1940s in Quito, Ecuador, where he worked for HCJB, a non-profit Christian broadcasting and engineering group.
Upon his return to the United States, he felt the desire to supply Christian broadcasters such as HCJB with high-quality electronic products. In 1947, for example, Moore founded the International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC) and converted a former chicken coop into the first production facility of the prospective manufacturer.
The company's early reputation was based on a family of rugged and compact open-drum tape recorders designed for reliable operation in missionaries in remote, often primitive regions of the world. After Moore had modified and distributed several existing models (Magnecord, Recordio, Pentron and Crestwood) in the first few years, he was granted a patent in 1949 for a groundbreaking invention: the world's first tape recorder with a built-in power amplifier (15 watts). This invention was groundbreaking for several others over the next 15 years. In 1964, the company invented the first SA 20-20 solid-state amplifier and from then on, the focus shifted from tape recorders to amplifiers and business grew rapidly.
Crown today
Crown was acquired by Harman International in March 2000 and has developed further. The company produces numerous innovative designs, such as the DriveCore Install (DCi) series launched in 2013. This series offers analog and network amplifiers for the installed sound market. With just one tiny chip that replaces over 500 parts, the DCi series is the most reliable and innovative amplifier on the market. These products and more embody the reliability and innovation that have long been the trademark of the manufacturer. Crown continues to delight its customers with products that exceed customer specifications and expectations, even on the most demanding tours and installations.
Crown International Senior VP of R&D Gerald Stanley, who joined the company in 1964 as a tape recorder technician and amplifier designer, comments on Crown's success over the years. In an era of cookbook design and buggy software, the most basic lessons in history seem to have been forgotten,"he says. Crown's recipe is simple: Develop, build and maintain each product as if you were the customer. This approach not only drives the product to excellence, but also drives people to be the best they can be."
