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For those about to rock the house

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Never let it be said that Crown Audio doesn't know how to celebrate a birthday. As part of its 60th year in business, the company is releasing the limited edition MA-5002VZAE Macro-Tech Anniversary power amp.

Basically, its the mack daddy of all power amps. Sporting a snazzy, visually striking copper-plated front panel (including handles, knobs, buttons, etc.), it is shipped in a custom wood crate. A special brochure chronicling the history of the product from its initial concept through today will also accompany this amp. It will also include a specification sheet, detailing the actual benchmarked performance of that specific amplifier, signed and numbered by Crown Senior VP of Research Gerald Stanley, whose patented technologies and innovative design philosophies ultimately made the Macro-Tech series a global success. A very limited quantity of the MA-5002VZ AE amplifiers will be produced - only 600 in total will be available worldwide.

The Macro-Tech Anniversary model is modeled after the Macro-Tech series of power amps, units that have already been deemed asclassics. That product line, and its predecessor Micro-Tech, sparked innovative technologies that provided lower distortion, less thermal stress, higher output power, greater reliability, more power density and amazing audio quality. Like all Crown amps, the defining characteristic of the Macro-Tech series is sonic accuracy: a tight, rock-solid low end, with smooth, detailed highs and a well-defined midrange. In short, one of the most accurate reproductions of an audio signal you've ever heard.

The spec list could fill a phone book-sized manual, and in fact it does. The Crown Macro-Tech Anniversary model isn't cheap -- the list price is $13,999 US -- but if you're looking to rock the house, or blown it down altogether, this will do the job.

For more information, visit the official Crown Audio website.