Crown Audio begins shipping I-Tech 4x3500HD DriveCore multichannel amplifier

Crown Audio, Harman group company, has brought the amplifier to the market 4 I-Tech 4x3500HD channels from the DriveCore series, featuring Crown's sixth-generation Class I engine with DriveCore technology to deliver 3.500 watts per channel into two ohms.

Crown Audio has announced the launch of its new flagship: the I-Tech HD series of 4x3500HD DriveCore quad-channel power amplifiers. The four-channel I-Tech 4x3500HD incorporates Crown's sixth generation Class I engine with DriveCore technology to provide 3.500 watts per channel, and offers a number of advanced features, including a TFT LCD 4.3 inch with capacitive touch screen, el HiQnet System Architect 2.0 and version control functionality 5 DSP for JBL Professional's newly launched V25 VTX Vertec speaker series.

The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD offers 1.900 watts per channel 8 ohms, 2.400 watts per channel at four ohms and 4.800 watts into eight ohms in bridge mode with all channels operating at the full bandwidth of an amplifier measuring only 2U rack size. This is possible thanks to the exclusive Crown chip, DriveCore, developed in collaboration with Texas Instruments. This chip incorporates the amplification stage with a powerful output stage, as well as various signal control functions, that drastically reduce energy consumption needs, which is in line with the Harman group's GreenEdge initiative, launched with the aim of creating more environmentally friendly products.

Brian Pickowitz, Head of Crown Tour Sound, has indicated that “the I-Tech 4x3500HD DriveCore offers a level of control, connections, DSP and a user interface that until now did not exist in the multichannel amplifier market for professional use. It has been designed without any type of compromises, to make it the best multichannel amplifier on the market. We are confident that customers will immediately recognize the clear benefits of a 4 channels this amplifier offers for a wide range of live sound and fixed installation applications.”

Analog inputs, digital and AES

The I-Tech 4x3500HD offers four analog inputs, four AES3 digital inputs and four AES inputs in VDrive protocol, that can be passed to the CobraNet protocol. It is possible to route any of the four inputs to any of the four outputs, which makes the I-Tech 4x3500HD a very flexible amplifier. The connectors are SpeakON or installation type, and the power outlet is a Neutrik PowerCON connector, which prevents the power cord from being accidentally disconnected.

At the internal DSP processing level, The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD is one of the best achieved products today, thanks to the use of A/D D/A converters with proprietary 32bit/192kHz BSS OmniDriveHD technology, FIR and IIR filters optimized for the crossover response of sound reinforcement systems (mainly those from JBL), greatly improving mid-range response and also off-axis response.

The amplifier is compatible with HiQnet System Architect network technology and JBL HiQnet Performance Manager sound reinforcement system management software.. The inclusion of presets through the JBL VerTec Version system 5 DSP allows perfect adjustment between speakers of this brand and the I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifier, and it is possible to adjust the FIR filters according to the specific needs of each space, at the same time this results in an improvement in sound quality. This amplifier is also compatible with Powered By Crown technology for iPad/iPhone, which means that with a simple implementation of a WiFi system it is possible to monitor and control the entire system remotely.

The I-Tech 4x3500HD also incorporates other additional functions, such as LevelMax limiter technology that combines peak level data reading and processing, thermal and RMS to create a natural limitation, more effective, as well as a USB port on the front of the amplifier that allows presets to be loaded.