Today, we’re shining the spotlight on the career of Gerald Stanley, an engineer who has been a part of HARMAN’s Professional Solutions division for more than 50 years. Gerald got his start working for Crown part time as an undergraduate at Michigan State University in 1964. He later went on to get his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan before starting work at Crown full time in 1966, which became part of the HARMAN portfolio in 2000.
Gerald is perhaps best known as the father of the modern high-powered solid state amplifier. He was the primary inventor behind the Crown DC300, the world’s first solid state amplifier that was sufficiently reliable and suitably high-powered. Before the Crown DC300, high-power amplifiers were almost entirely tube, with the existing solid state amplifiers at the time being, in Gerald’s words, “long on the promise of solid, but short on substance.” Gerald has been hard at work here at HARMAN ever since as the Director of Amplifier Research, where he has been a primary engineer behind every Crown amplifier since the DC300. In fact, Gerald’s name appears on 49 families of patents, most of which have multiple nation versions. Even at home, Gerald’s passion for amplifiers is evident. He maintains a large laboratory at his house, where he studies amplifiers and their component parts. He’s also a fellow of the Audio Engineering Society.
HARMAN is honored to have a brilliant and inspiring individual like Gerald Stanley working with us. Thank you for your many years of service, Gerald.
Thank you to HARMAN’s 12,600 engineers worldwide as well, who we recognize during National Engineers Week and every day for their incredible contributions.