Crown FM Two Vintage FM Tuner

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General:

Super interesting and well performing vintage FM tuner from Crown.

Made in the USA and fitted into a small case which perfectly matches other Crown components from this era.

Contains a super bright display and enough presets for your favorite FM stations.

Tested in our lab where it performed admirably and reliably.

Includes the original manual too.

Brand Background:

In 1947 an Elkhart, an Indiana minister named Clarence C. Moore founded the International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC) which, over the years, has become better known as Crown Audio Inc. Moore started by building open-reel tape recorders out of a chicken coop but today, Crown Audio is an industry leader in amplified sound. Crown makes amps for cinema venues, installed sites, touring rigs, portable PA and commercial audio. With over 67 years of focus on innovation and providing the best user experience, Crown Audio is continually raising the bar in audio amplification.

Clarence C. Moore, a longtime radio enthusiast, had spent the early part of the ’40s in Quito, Ecuador working for HCJB, a non-profit Christian broadcasting and engineering group.

Following his return to the United States, he felt the desire to supply Christian broadcasters like HCJB with quality electronic products. As a result, Moore founded International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC) in 1947 and converted a former chicken coop into the budding manufacturer’s first production facility.
The company’s early reputation was built on a family of rugged and compact open-reel tape recorders designed to operate reliably when used by missionaries in remote, often-primitive regions of the world. After modifying and distributing several existing models (Magnecord, Recordio, Pentron and Crestwood) for the first couple of years, Moore obtained a patent in 1949 for a groundbreaking invention: the world’s first tape recorder with a built-in power amplifier (15 watts). This invention led the way for several more in the next 15 years. In 1964, the company invented their first solid-state amplifier called the SA 20-20. From then on, the focus switched from tape recorders to amplifiers and the business was quickly growing.
Unfortunately, amongst all of the growth and development, a fire erupted on Thanksgiving Day in 1971 and destroyed over 60% of the facility and the remainder of the plant was severely damaged. There was $1 million of uninsured inventory destroyed in the process. However, Mr. Moore wasn’t going to let this disaster stop him now. Production resumed within 6 weeks with the latest of their inventions, the D-60 amplifier.

Eventually, Moore’s wife and co-founder, Ruby (deceased 2002), suggested that a name change was in order. Since IREC had by this point produced vacuum tube tape recorders branded ‘Royal’ and ‘Imperial’, in addition to the fact that the emblem on those products was a fancy crown, she felt that the company should simply be called Crown. In 1975, the stockholders voted to change the name of the corporation to Crown International, Inc.

Ownership:

Single Owner

Connections:

Single set of RCA outputs plus Coax antenna input.

General Sound:

Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:

7 - Some Wear and Light Scratches

https://skyfiaudio.com/pages/our-rating-scale

Working Condition:

Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:

Unit and Manual

Packing:

Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.

Original MSRP:

$599.00

Dimensions:

1-3/4" x 19" x 14"

Weight:

9.5 lbs

Age:

1985

Reviews:

https://www.hifi-classic.net/review/crown-fm-two-375.html

https://www.fmtunerinfo.com/CrownFMTworeview.pdf

Recommended Cables:

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Good

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Testing Process:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. Vintage analog tuners also have moving parts related to the tuning gang and dial string. These parts are inspected for smooth operation.

If the unit passes visual inspection it is bench tested for a handful of key performance parameters using a Sencore SG80 AM/FM Stereo Analyzer. The SG80 allows us to “simulate” an ideal radio station using precision test signals instead of music. This device, in conjunction with an oscilloscope allows us to properly evaluate the following parameters:

1.  AM Reception (Where Applicable)

2.  FM Mono Reception & Tuning Meter Function

3.  FM MPX Reception (Stereo)

4.  Dial Tracking - How accurately the tuner dial or display indicates the actual frequency of the broadcast being received.

5.  Stereo Separation - A properly working stereo tuner will have minimal crosstalk between the left and right channel.

6.  Sensitivity & Signal Strength Meter Function - By lowering the output of the SG80 we can simulate weak stations and determine how well the tuner will be able to pull in weak distant stations. This adjustment also helps us verify signal strength meter function.

If the tuner has acceptable performance related to the parameters above we connect the unit for listening tests with a simple dipole antenna. We listen for audio reproduction quality of local stations and evaluate how many stations the tuner can receive while we sweep through the dial. We are looking to verify that the tuner can decode stereo on strong local broadcasts and pick up a wide variety of local stations at the bottom, middle, and top of the frequency band. At this point we also test convenience features such as muting, filters, built in oscilloscope function, etc.

We finish up with an extended listening test on our long term test rig. We tune in a strong local station and monitor for drift over a 2-3 hour period.

Specs:

https://www.fmtunerinfo.com/CrownFMTworeview.pdf