Harman Kardon Citation III (1958–1963)
The Citation III is an all-transistor stereo control unit, a solid-state preamplifier, made by Harman Kardon from 1958 into the early 1960s. Stewart Hegeman designed it. It is described as the transistor version of the successful Citation I. The Citation name carried real weight in late-1950s high fidelity, and the III was Harman Kardon's early bet on solid-state circuitry in a preamp.
The record on this model is thin in places. What survives comes mostly from period kit advertising and equipment directories. The Citation III appears to have been offered in kit form. Harman Kardon's own advertising, which ran in High Fidelity (July 1962, p.15) and Audio (August 1962, p.49), claimed the builder could assemble "the world's best FM/Multiplex tuner" in about fifteen hours. It also said the kit eliminated the usual IF alignment and oscillator adjustment problems. The ads stressed military-type construction too, with rigid terminal boards and components suspended tightly between them. A separate High Fidelity equipment report (July 1962, p.42) covered the III-MA multiplex adapter paired with the III-X tuner. It noted excellent results in testing by United States Testing Co.
Documented specifications are sparse and sometimes conflict. Known figures attributed to the Citation III include:
- Phono inputs: Low (2.5 mV / 47 kΩ) and High (5 mV / 47 kΩ); sensitivity figures vary by source
- Aux input: 250 mV / 250 kΩ
- Tape out and pre out: 1 V; output impedance 1 kΩ
- THD: max 0.1%
- Frequency response: 10 Hz - 50 kHz (one source lists 20 Hz - 20 kHz)
- S/N ratio: better than 60 dB
- Dimensions: 181 × 97 × 259 mm; weight 2.9 kg
- Power: 110-220 V, 50/60 Hz; consumption 5 W
One source gives production years as 1958-1963 and another as 1958-1960. The later date may reflect continued kit availability. No original price, market values, or common repair notes have surfaced in the available documentation. The rear panel details are missing from the record too.
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