Proton CR-560 (c. 1990)

Little is documented about the Proton CR-560. It appears to have been a car stereo - an FM tuner/cassette combination, moderately priced by the standards of the day. Nearly everything known about it comes from one thorough Equipment Profile in Audio magazine's April 1990 issue, whose table of contents listed it as the "Proton CR-560 Car Stereo."

Audio's test bench (April 1990, p.86) measured the FM section with 50-dB quieting sensitivity of 13.2 dBf (3.0 µV at 75 ohms), alternate-channel selectivity of 60 dB, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 62 dB. On strong signals the measured S/N was better, at 70 dB mono and 66 dB stereo. Both are above Proton's published figures (Audio, April 1990, p.88). The preamp output delivered 900 mV into 1 kΩ at 1 kHz with 0.1% THD, and preamp-out frequency response was 30 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB.

In listening, the reviewer found suburban and country FM reception good, with controls that could be used to improve marginal signals. The radio also came back at a reasonable volume when the tape was ejected. The verdict was that cassette performance was creditable and the radio more than acceptable. The FM sound was a bit less warm than the reference unit's - clearer on some material, thinner on others. The main ergonomic complaint was the control layout, with knobs on the left and radio controls around three sides of the face. The tape-direction display was also hard to read, which made the fast-wind buttons easy to confuse. The reviewer called that common at this price level.

Beyond that review, little else has survived in the archive. No production dates, original price, or Proton family context for the CR-560 has surfaced.

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