hey guys

got a little question about my Crown 950, most of the one's I've seen pictures of on here or for sale on the bay have been a 950F, and I've got a 950ML, and ideas what the difference is?

I have a 950L, and it has a longwave band (for Europe) rather than two shortwaves. Though minor, an additional difference is that the nameplates just say "Crown," rather than "Crown Japan," which is what's on the "F" version, since it was sold in the U.S., and the U.S. already had its own Crown amplifier corporation.

Since yours is an ML, there may be other differences.

that would make sense.

so what radio bands does yours have?

I have VHF, SW, MW and LW.

I'll try and take some photos of if tomorrow, and we can compare.

On the inputs/outputs bit on the side, it would seem to me there is an input for a remote, do you know anything about that?

My 950L has FM, SW, MW and LW. The VHF band must be the difference between the "L" and "ML" versions. What frequencies does your VHF band cover? FM, of course, is 88-108 MHz.

Don't know about a remote input. I'll have to check and get back to you.

my VHF covers the FM band only, it's just referred to as VHF.

[URL= ][URL= ]mine only has the fm,sw1,sw2,and the mw

[quoteed by E_Ghost]My 950L has FM, SW, MW and LW. The VHF band must be the difference between the "L" and "ML" versions. What frequencies does your VHF band cover? FM, of course, is 88-108 MHz.[/quote]



welcome o`board E_Ghost,her`s the result:
l(eu)lw
f(us)2sw
ml(vhf)

quote:

Originally posted by *TPR*:
welcome o`board E_Ghost,her`s the result:
l(eu)lw
f(us)2sw
ml(vhf)

So, Jens confirms it: the ML suffix was given to 950's that use the designation "VHF."

Since you say your 950's VHF band covers the same frequencies as ordinary FM (88-108MHz), then maybe the VHF designation was used simply because, in the country or countries where this 950 was sold, the term "VHF" is more common than "FM." As you probably know, "VHF" technically covers any/all frequencies between 30MHz and 300MHz, which includes (but isn't limited to) the FM broadcast band.

My 950's are in a u-store-it closet a few miles from here, so I'll need to visit my storeroom and bring them home. Then I'll post some photos, and we can compare features... including whether or not there's an input for a remote.

Woah, that Crown's a looker! I love grey and silver colour scheme. It's better looking that the CSC-850 IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Retro Addict:
Woah, that Crown's a looker! It's better looking that the CSC-850 IMO.

...but not as big.

quote:

Originally posted by baby boomer:

quote:

Originally posted by Retro Addict:
Woah, that Crown's a looker! It's better looking that the CSC-850 IMO.

...but not as big.

...but big enough. It's big enough to be called a 'fullsize', plus it should be easier to carry. I think the woofers on the 850 look out of proportion compared with the rest of the 'box.

Taken a couple of pics of what I think are the important parts


this is the side panel and I've labeled what each thing is 'cos you can't see in the pic.


this is the power input, which I doubt very much is different, but could be I guess.


now this is the back, where the FM antenna plugs in. thats my sweet fm antenna I've plugged in. the switch says DX and local however, which I don't know the meaning of.

Nice-looking boxes! That paper label which says "molder" ... 1982 looks like one heck of a collector's item! With that label, I think you have a pre-production proof/development sample there. It might also have been one for submission to testing labs for certification, or something like that. Definitely one to hang on to and treasure, as it may well be one-of-a-kind.

Here are the 950 photos I promised. (Try to contain your excitement!) But first, to answer a couple of your questions:
1. The Local/DX switch on back changes the sensitivity of the antenna. DX (= distance) for normal listening and/or far away signals. Local for when you want to decrease the sensitivity, something you might want to do if there were a powerful radio/TV transmitter nearby, and the signal was bleeding into your normal reception.
2. The remote jack (a sub-mini) on the side of the 950 was for use with microphones that came with two plugs: a mini for sound and a sub-mini to start and stop the tape recorder from a switch on the mic (more convenient than walking over to the boombox, if you were doing a lot of stopping and starting during a recording).



Some differences to notice:
Crown called itself "Crown Japan" on U.S. models ("F") because there was/is already a Crown amplifier corporation that owned the name. The dial photos show the LW band on the "L" and two shortwave bands on the "F." On the side, the DIN socket on the "L" is replaced by RCA jacks on the "F." The coax antenna connector on the "L" is replaced by twin leads on the "F." Finally, the FM band is called "FM" (not "VHF") on both the "L" and "F" models.

quote:

Originally posted by Arkay:
Nice-looking boxes! That paper label which says "molder" ... 1982 looks like one heck of a collector's item! With that label, I think you have a pre-production proof/development sample there. It might also have been one for submission to testing labs for certification, or something like that. Definitely one to hang on to and treasure, as it may well be one-of-a-kind.

THANKZ ARKAY NICE INFO TO KNOW

Not tryin' to jack your thread, E_Ghost ...

Yo, baby boomer, I just got my 950f... Do the auxiliary jacks work on yours? I tried to run my iPod thru 'em (didn't work) and had better luck runnin' 'em thru the phono jacks... Only problem with that is, I have to turn the bass all the way down. Still, it doesn't sound half as good as the tape deck!

quote:

Originally posted by MONOLITHIC:
Yo, baby boomer, I just got my 950f... Do the auxiliary jacks work on yours?

Sorry Mono, I've never tried them. I'll see if I can find something to run through them (portable CD?) and post results. Hope that's OK.

quote:

Originally posted by Retro Addict:
it should be easier to carry. I think the woofers on the 850 look out of proportion compared with the rest of the 'box.

Agree. The 850 (and cousin 980) only have a couple of strap hooks and no handle, making them hard (impossible!) to carry without the strap (which I don't have). The 950 has a full-size handle that's just right for taking a walk down the street!

Yeah, those are good lookin' boxes and all, but the fact that there's no handle makes 'em unattractive,... so to speak.

Might've been better if Crown had some kind of handle/no handle option.

quote:

Originally posted by baby boomer:

quote:

Originally posted by MONOLITHIC:
Yo, baby boomer, I just got my 950f... Do the auxiliary jacks work on yours?

Sorry Mono, I've never tried them. I'll see if I can find something to run through them (portable CD?) and post results. Hope that's OK.

That'll be fine! Thanks.