Harman Kardon Citation 24 (1987)
The Citation 24 is a stereo power amplifier Harman Kardon introduced in 1987, part of the company's push in the 1980s to reclaim the Citation name for high-end separates. It was sold alongside the Citation 21 preamplifier and the Citation 25, which made up a complete reference-grade front end. Period listings often call it a "high voltage" design, and the brand's own marketing stressed a high-voltage/high-current approach to power delivery.
The record on the Citation 24 is workable but thin in places, and a few figures contradict each other. The most commonly cited output is 100 watts per channel into 8Ω. At least one European listing claims 135 watts per channel in stereo. Frequency response is quoted two ways - one source says 0.2Hz - 150kHz, another 0.07Hz - 490kHz - and the surviving documentation doesn't settle it. The rest is consistent across sources: total harmonic distortion of 0.08%, a damping factor of 65, input sensitivity of 1V, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 95dB. The amplifier weighs 15kg and will drive loads down to 4Ω. The front panel is simple. One Belgian seller noted the speaker terminals had been upgraded with better connectors.
Known Specifications
- Type: Stereo power amplifier
- Power output: 100W per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
- THD: 0.08%
- Damping factor: 65
- Input sensitivity: 1V
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 95dB
- Minimum speaker load: 4Ω
- Weight: 15kg
The Citation 24's reputation is mixed. One owner reports it "produces good audio output." The same owner says the unit has been repaired at least fifteen times. A technician's comment in a repair forum suggests the recurring problem may be bias-related - techs "keep wanting to over bias it." That is a specific complaint, though the exact failure mode isn't documented. A service manual exists (31 pages). The amplifier was also sold new in box, which suggests NOS units were still around long after production ended.
Sources conflict on where the Citation 24 was built. One listing says Japan, another says USA, and neither can be checked against primary documentation. The original Italian price was 1,850,000 lire, which put it at the upper end of the market.
If you're considering one, the bias issue is worth taking seriously. This is not a set-and-forget amplifier; it wants a tech who understands the circuit. But when it's running right, owners report it produces good audio output — and the high-voltage design gives it a distinctive character among 1980s solid-state amps.
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