Harman Kardon Citation 11

Documentation on the Harman Kardon Citation 11 is thin. No production years, original price, or dimensions appear in any of the usual references. What the record does show is a solid-state stereophonic preamplifier control center built on 20 transistors and 2 diodes, designed to sit upstream of the Citation 12 power amplifier. The two were clearly meant as a matching pair. The 11 handled line-level switching and phono equalization, and the 12 supplied the muscle.

On paper, the Citation 11 was specified for a frequency response of 5 Hz to 150 kHz at -3 dB (1 V), with total harmonic distortion rated at less than 0.1% at 2 V output. It had seven inputs and three outputs. Phono sensitivity was 1 mV at 47 kΩ, and high-level input sensitivity was 150 mV. Maximum preamp output was 8 V from an output impedance under 150 Ω. Tone controls were limited to bass and treble, and a 30 Hz rumble filter at 12 dB/octave was built in.

Beyond those figures, almost nothing else is documented. The input and output types (RCA versus XLR) aren't recorded in the sources we have, and no period reviews of the 11 specifically have surfaced. Audio (June 1972, p.52) covered the related Citation line in its equipment profiles that month, but the review focused on the Harman Kardon 930 receiver rather than this preamp. If you have the manual or original literature, the Archive would like to hear from you.

Solid-state design — 20 transistors, 2 diodes
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 150 kHz at –3 dB (1 V)
THD: less than 0.1% at 2 V output
Inputs: 7 (types undocumented) · Outputs: 3 (types undocumented)
Phono sensitivity: 1 mV at 47 kΩ · High level: 150 mV
Max preamp output: 8 V · Output impedance: under 150 Ω
Rumble filter: 30 Hz, 12 dB/octave · Bass and treble tone controls