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Here is recent find we picked up.

97.95.43.235
Posted on April 23, 2017 at 01:26:43
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005






" A pair of Carver 1.0 amps and a PS Audio preamp with separate power supply. It also has a passive position and and a moving coil cartridge gain stage in the phono.
We also got these Stax Heaadphones. They are not electrostatic but still a sweet deal along with two 30 LB speaker stands.It was a sweet deal.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

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Pretty nice , posted on April 23, 2017 at 08:06:47
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 I never had my hands on any Carver gear. How does it sound????

 

Used Carver gear fairly common here in the PNW , posted on April 23, 2017 at 11:13:54
Mossback
Audiophile

Posts: 1871
Location: Washington, the State
Joined: November 17, 2001
 Nice Mike, I clearly remember going to the local stereo outlets featured Carver as a high class brand but never did have a very good reputation for some reason.

 

Clean and resell -nt :), posted on April 23, 2017 at 11:59:32
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 .

 

RE: Clean and resell -nt :), posted on April 23, 2017 at 14:21:52
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 Yes
Exactly what we will do. I have a pair of Carver 4.0 amps and one I bought new and one I got from a friend and mentor that passed away. They actually are quite good but the bass is average but the mids are fabulous and the highs are really nice with the upgrades I did. The problem is,the Carver amps have reliability issues but they sure sound good for the money. The 4.0 is quite heavy compared to his earlier Carver stuff.I always liked the Phase Linear as well.The amp I inherited,Bob Carver couldn't fix it so he sent out a new one to Ken and that's the one I have along with mine.
At the time,I was running Martin Logan Monolith 2s with a CJ Premier 3 preamp.I wanted a high powered amp to run on them until I got my Acoustat Servo amps up and running.I was able to wire them to the ESL panels.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Pretty nice , posted on April 23, 2017 at 14:22:44
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 Very nice. Not as tube like as my 4.0 but close in a some ways.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Used Carver gear fairly common here in the PNW , posted on April 23, 2017 at 14:23:53
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 The reason was reliability.They really are touchy and when there is an issue,even Carver can't figure it out at times.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Used Carver gear fairly common here in the PNW , posted on April 23, 2017 at 14:38:15
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 Hi Mike,

I technically did sell Carver in the 80's but I tried not to The return rate was too high. I actually have a Carver Amazing Receiver that I got for free. Amazingly it works!

Dave

 

Back in the day ..., posted on April 23, 2017 at 15:04:13
reelsmith.
Audiophile

Posts: 13134
Location: CT
Joined: June 7, 2005
Contributor
  Since: January 19, 2010
 ...when working for a Carver dealer (mid/late 1980s) we referred to the rated power of Carver amps as "bullshit watts".

Never heard a Carver amp from the era that could play, cleanly, as loud as the competition with half the power.

Especially the "Cube"... a 200-watt amp that couldn't keep up with most 80-watt receivers.

The exception was the M-500. Sounded good and had serious headroom.

Dean.




reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.


 

Innovation, posted on April 23, 2017 at 15:55:57
spindoctor
Audiophile

Posts: 1663
Location: Virginia
Joined: December 31, 2002
 But then again there's my sonic hologram unit!!!

Sim

 

RE: Back in the day ..., posted on April 23, 2017 at 20:18:55
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 Dean
You are exactly right. Notice that the M500 and the M 4.0 and the M 1.0 and
the Phase Linear 700 and the 400 to a lesser extent,all were heavier amps.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Used Carver gear fairly common here in the PNW , posted on April 23, 2017 at 20:20:29
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 The big thing that sold on the east coast was Martin Logan CLS speakers and the Carver 4.0 and the mono block versions.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Innovation, posted on April 23, 2017 at 20:53:01
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 Yes
We got that as well with this find.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Back in the day - ah Phase Linear, posted on April 24, 2017 at 07:38:43
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 I remember it was in the latter 70s and I was listening to a Phase Linear setup at the local Newmark and Lewis store.

My review: It was like listening to the future of audio.

 

RE: Back in the day ..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 08:45:01
Bold Eagle
Audiophile

Posts: 6936
Location: America's Heartland
Joined: May 27, 2001
 Dean,

That's right on. I was given a "Cube", and it had no bass. At the time I had a Scott 370R receiver, and in sound quality, and bass output it put the Carver to shame.

Jerry

 

RE: Clean and resell -nt :), posted on April 24, 2017 at 11:32:36
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 Exactly what we will do.

We? Have you got a mouse in your pocket? :)

 

In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 11:34:45
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 It was like listening to the future of audio.

I would have said that of Threshold. The 800A truly set a new standard in terms of sonic performance and ability to drive difficult loads.

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 12:18:23
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 I still have my 800A.I bought it for 175 dollars back in the mid 80s not working.One of the big input filter caps was open so I changed both.It's a beautiful class A amp but it sounds kind of brittle.It's nowhere near what my SA/2 is sonically.I need to recap the driver board and that may help.I had to pull the face plate off to work on it and the face plate is also the cover of meter pointers.Static charge made the bottom pointer stick a bit so I had to bend that pointer back on the right channel.It looks good but you can see that slight kink it that pointer.I love that amp from a nostalgic standpoint.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: Clean and resell -nt :), posted on April 24, 2017 at 12:24:06
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 We? Have you got a mouse in your pocket? :)

On the stuff we buy and sell,my friend Roger and I do that stuff as a partnership.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 12:49:59
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 It's a beautiful class A amp but it sounds kind of brittle.It's nowhere near what my SA/2 is sonically.

Then something else is wrong with it. While the ten year later SA series was clearly better, "brittle" is not a word I would ever use with a properly functioning Threshold amp.

Ever listen to one of Nelson's more recent models like say an XA200.8 or one of the XS (pun intended by him) series?

 

There you go!, posted on April 24, 2017 at 13:11:10
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 Your enterprise need a catchy name like "Mirage Associates." (Mi+Rog) :)

 

RE: Pretty nice , posted on April 24, 2017 at 14:20:01
Kingshead
Audiophile

Posts: 574
Location: Florida
Joined: September 14, 2016
 Purchased many Carver pieces in 1991, all still making beautiful music until the great sell off of 2012. So 21 yrs without an issue other than a few meter lamps, outstanding in any book.

As for their "bullshit" watts, they drove my 84db/watt power hungry Infinitys to ear damaging, foundation weakening, levels with no trouble.

The equipment list:

C-16
TFM-25
TFM-15cb
TFM-15cb
TD-1400
TX-12
DPL-33
MD/V-500

This made a killer surround system with the TFM-25 driving my Infinity mains, one TFM-15cb bridged mono driving my Infinity center, and the other TFM-15cb driving the rear channels. There was another 400watt/channel amp driving two passive built in subs. My equipment saw a lot of use, daily used just for regular tv viewing, a couple of hrs a day listening to music, and of course MOVIES.

So figure 8hrs a day, 365 days a yr, multiplied by 21yrs? Comes out to a little over 60,000 hrs for the preamp and the TFM-25 as they were in use for all our media activities. The TFM-15cb's and DPL-33 a very close second. As most of my music listening is vinyl the tuner, tape deck, and laser/multi disc player had many less hrs. It's possible my numbers are a good bit too low as my system was on with either music or television from morning until night.

Again, all lost in the great sell off of 2012 (along with Mac gear, Nak gear, etc, etc, etc) when I lost my bride of 32yrs. Much of the equipment has been replaced now along with many of the Carver pieces (thank you eBay). And I have to say, the used Carver gear has been outstandingly reliable, not a single issue.

Martin

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 16:51:25
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 I love all of his amps but maybe brittle wasn't the right word but it is hard sounding in comparison to other amps.It's very detailed but it doesn't have that warm tube type elegance like that the SA series.My FET-10E is also a charmer.
There really isn't much to the 800A other than the DC coupled outputs which are standard NPN Motorola.I asked Nelson Pass about this issue and he said that was our first amp and recapping the driver board may help but it is old technology.That very well could fix the issue to make it better because all the outputs are at .62vdc base to emitter and it makes exactly 201 watts and than starts to clip on measurement which is normal for class A.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 18:13:32
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 My first experience with the 800A was driving Dayton-Wright XG-8 MKIIIs. The results were far better than what the D-W rep (Dan D'Agostino) initially recommended using Dunlap-Clarke amps.

The dealer who I worked for in college sold Acoustats and Dayton-Wrights. The results were definitely improved when Julian drove his D-Ws with a Stasis 2 amp. :)

 

RE: Used Carver gear fairly common here in the PNW , posted on April 24, 2017 at 18:16:11
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 I don't remember the 4.0 breaking, but we did not sell very many of them.

Dave

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 18:42:53
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 Remember when Nakamichi used NP's Stasis technology in their amps? They paid NP for that but they couldn't get their amps sound like the Threshold at all. I want to get my FET 10E back out. Speaking of D'Agostino. I knew Leonard and Chris at Martin Logan and I used to tell them,quit using that lifeless Krell amp to demo your speakers with. They would always respond with,tell me about it. LOL. They knew the Krell amps were lifeless but Gayle Sanders and D'Agostino were buds so the story goes.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 24, 2017 at 19:02:21
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 They paid NP for that but they couldn't get their amps sound like the Threshold at all.

Execution is everything. :)

They knew the Krell amps were lifeless but Gayle Sanders and D'Agostino were buds so the story goes.

HP used Krell amps on the Nola bass towers where they excelled.

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 25, 2017 at 04:09:50
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 HP used Krell amps on the Nola bass towers where they excelled."

Oh yes,they were exceptional on bass and they were detailed and accurate in the mids in an analytical sense but they were very boring and dry to a lot of people including myself.

This Plinus is the amp that I was very impressed with this winter when I heard it on my friend's Apogee Divas. We were running a tube preamp tho.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 25, 2017 at 08:11:54
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 You have some nice friends. Why is it all of mine buy HT's at Best Buy.

 

RE: Carver Convertee , posted on April 25, 2017 at 08:53:29
FRG7SWL
Audiophile

Posts: 2109
Location: NorCali
Joined: March 26, 2003
 Just like Kingshead, moi is a Carver convertee, too. Carver got their Flame Linear reputation due to under-spec'ed parts gettin' stressed & failing. Properly repaired, however, Carver gear will rock long-n-strong. ... Got a MXR-130 Receiver a few years ago which had those problematic power resistors replaced by previous owner & apparently par-tayed mercilessly. Which peaked curiosity for a PM-600 pro amp, which was designed for similar abuse. Both 130-n-600 are Class G Magnetic Field amps, & have a "this is what your speakers sound like" presentation. Along with a panoramic sound-stage which Hafler surround-sound aficionados will find enticing. However, both 130-n-600 amps have a mid-range peak akin to Celestion's V-30 speaker. Won't be noticed on more neutral sounding speakers, & mid-recessed speakers will sound fuller. But mid-range-centric speakers will sound shouty, irrespective of volume level. ... Your M1.0t amps, Michael, were designed to emulate Conrad Johnson's Premiere Five tube amps. There are BillD update mods available over on the Carver site, amongst a myriad of available Carver topology updates. Moi's 600 really bloomed by simply bypassing volume controls, & now prefers Mitsubishi DA-C20 pre over Carver CT-17. Properly performing Magnetic Field amps apparently have a "this is what your pre-amp sounds like" presentation, too. Whoever gets your refurbed M1.0t amps will be extremely grateful, Michael. 73s para Sactown P.S.: HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY ELLA FITZGERALD !!!

 

RE: Back in the day ..., posted on April 25, 2017 at 10:04:32
ph5y
Audiophile

Posts: 178
Location: DC
Joined: October 30, 2010
 I had a cube too. It sounded okay but I never drove it hard. Mainly it was cute looking. But it behaved rather oddly at times and I was told it was very hard to fix. I believe you about the wattage. I think he was using some proprietary measuring technique ...
It's never too late to turn back the clock.

 

RE: Carver M401 "Cube", posted on April 25, 2017 at 12:16:39
BigguyinATL
Manufacturer

Posts: 3475
Joined: April 10, 2002
 I had a beautiful "Champagne" one I used with an Advent 300 Receiver - driving my Obelisks. While is mainly was up to the task, I built myself a Dynaco 410 and in the A-B test of similar powered amps the Dynaco won - so the little 7 lb cube was sold to a friend. Like the Kenwood KA7300 I owned before it (1977?), they are still owned and running with the friends they were sold to... As are the Obelisks and the Stereo 410 that were sold together to aid in purchasing engagement rings... Marriage still going too! LOL


"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 25, 2017 at 14:59:29
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005
 I don't know but I have a lot of those friends to Charles.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

I owned that preamp many years ago., posted on April 26, 2017 at 16:26:43
Vinyl Valet
Audiophile

Posts: 1346
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Joined: November 13, 2003
 Also came with an optional isolation transformer, same box that they used for the power supply. Interesting design. Stan Warren may have still been at the company at that time.

A friend of mine bought it from me several decades ago, still has it and, as far as I know, it's still working in his main system.
Open up your mind, in pours the trash. - Meat Puppets, 1987

 

RE: Carver Convertee , posted on April 26, 2017 at 16:51:35
Michael Samra
Dealer

Posts: 36118
Location: saginaw michigan
Joined: January 30, 2005



Your M1.0t amps, Michael, were designed to emulate Conrad Johnson's Premiere Five tube amps"

It's funny you say that because I have a pair of Carver 4.0 amps and those are the ones that say vacuum tube transfer function on them.I take it the 1.0t also have that function?
I had the CJ Premier five EL34 amps in my home for 3 months back in the mid 80s because my friends were CJ dealers and Tom let me use them while they moved into their new and larger store. I thought they were wonderful at the time because I was using them on my Magnapan Typmpani lVa speakers.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken

 

RE: In the latter 70s..., posted on April 26, 2017 at 20:22:38
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 I sold Nakamichi in the 80's, and they had some great CD players, preamps and of course, cassette decks. On every other speaker we tried them on, the Stasis Nakamichi sounded dull and lifeless, but on Acoustats they sounded great. Somehow the flaws balanced out. Go figure!

Dave

 

RE: Carver Convertee , posted on April 27, 2017 at 08:28:51
FRG7SWL
Audiophile

Posts: 2109
Location: NorCali
Joined: March 26, 2003
 Indeed they do, Michael. That "t" designation stands for Transfer Function Modified. 130 Receiver's amp was based on TFM-24/25 amps (one amp had analog meters, the other LED's). Silver Seven amps were Carver's top dawgs, so M-4.0t should be a delight. Might be fun A/B testing your Carvers, & wondering how actual Premiere 5/Silver Seven would compare. BTW, 600 allows for switch-selectable bridged mono mode operation. 73s para Sactown

 

RE: Carver Convertee , posted on April 29, 2017 at 11:42:07
rosendds@frontiernet.net
Audiophile

Posts: 599
Location: North East
Joined: November 13, 2010
 Where do you make good finds like that?

 

Indeed, the first 200 M1.0T were tweaked by Carver himself... I had one, was pretty good~Nt, posted on April 30, 2017 at 10:33:19
Cleantimestream
Audiophile

Posts: 7551
Location: Kentucky
Joined: June 30, 2005
 ~!
The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.

 

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