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What ya think about carver?

rjag46

rjag46

Super Member
Carver TFM-15CB amp. carver C-1 preamp. Carver H-9AV sonic holigram generator. Have the amp, and the sonic holigram, Have the chance to pic up the C-1 pre amp. to complete the syst. What ya think??? thank,s :scratch2:
 
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I own and use a Carver 490t CDP and it sounds spectacular but has issues. The cabinet is crap, it's very flimsy, it's so flimsy that if it's ever so slightly off axis, it doesn't track CD's properly. The cabinet also resonates causing the laser pick up to not track correctly. Why haven't I replaced it? It sounds spectacular and I haven't heard anything I wound consider replacing it with yet, at least at a reasonable price. It's a love hate relationship...
 
I've had a few Carver pieces come through the house, well built and sounded pretty decent if memory serves correct!!!
 
From my experience the gear manufactured while Bob was still in charge is well built and sounds good. After the mutiny that ran him off, not so much.
 
Carver M1.5t power amp here.... love it.

Powers my Cornwalls (100db @ 1w 1m) and Magnepan MGII's (85db @ 1.5w) just fine.
 
I **** better sound.......:D

Honestly my only experience was with the cube, they were really cool amps, small and packed quite the punch- the stuff is decent for sure.
 
You are better off asking your own ears what they think than any of us. FWIW I like Carver just fine. I bought a TFM-15cb new back in '93 and still have it and no complaints. A few months ago one of the relays stopped working so its out of service until I replace it. First and only issue with my 20 year old Carver gear.

Is there better - well yes there is, but bang for the buck its pretty hard to beat.
 
TFM 15 CB was good for me. I traded up to the M1.0 opt2 mk2 for more juice and that was even better. Nothing to sneeze at.
 
I like my two M-1.5t very much; tremendous power in small packages. They're also (like most Carvers) fun (intellectually) to work on but mechanically challenging to fully disassemble if you need to work on the individual power amp cards. Very clever design and excellent protection provisioning if properly maintained and adjusted. I'm listening to one now on AR-90s and it will drive them to pain levels cleanly. An extra plus if you do your own servicing is the extensive documentation that was provided when they were new and which is now freely downloadable from the Carversite.
 
johnfalc said:
I like my two M-1.5t very much; tremendous power in small packages. They're also (like most Carvers) fun (intellectually) to work on but mechanically challenging to fully disassemble if you need to work on the individual power amp cards. Very clever design and excellent protection provisioning if properly maintained and adjusted. I'm listening to one now on AR-90s and it will drive them to pain levels cleanly. An extra plus if you do your own servicing is the extensive documentation that was provided when they were new and which is now freely downloadable from the Carversite.
Click to expand...

I've never been a big Carver fan, but that's more about Sonic Holography than the power amps. However, I do find the (emboldened) comment by johnfalc outstanding.
 
I have a C-1 that I like. I don't use the sonic holography feature much because its been hooked to a pair of sda's. I don't currently own any carver amps but have had several in the past and liked them. Never had any trouble with them, very reliable. I believe that all of my carver gear has been from an era when bob carver was still in control.
 
I have a Carver TP 2400, tested at 838.38 watts RMS into 8 Ohms with both hannels loaded and driven. Has a power cord(12 Gauge) for each channel. Dual mono construction. I have this amp powering the bass bins from a Soniphase SL6. Loud is a disgraceful understatement.
 
Carver

My current daily driver is a Carver MXR-130. Like it, especially the FM tuner. I live in the middle of the woods, weak signal, major multipath, the Caver shines! Also have a HR-732 and a 900 Receiver. All good.
The MXR and the 900 models have issues with the output relays. Easy, inexpensive fix.
 
I have a C-1 preamp/M-500t amplifier pair that drive a pair of Infinity RSM's and an M400a amp that I use in bridged mode to drive my Martin Logan Fresco i Home Theater Center Channel speaker. Both the M-500t and M400a have been rebuilt by Roland at Carver Audio Repair and will probably outlast me. I love all three and if I had any one complaint it would be that on the C-1 which has the pewter finish, I can't read the labels on the controls as they are so light in color and blend in with the finish. Lastly, the Sonic Holography on the C-1 is fun to play with occasionally but is not something I use regularly.
 
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