Carver Raven 350 Amps

I've been wanting to hear the Carver on my Magnepan 3.7i's.

dracule1,

I have heard from others that the Carver Raven 350 has a severe drop off in the higher frequencies. I am concerned about that. Can you comment more about that?

Thanks, ozzy

Ozzy, That has never been my experience with any of Bob's tube amps (I've heard the 350 and Silver 700 monster as well.). 

Context is very important.  What was the preamp, source, and speakers used to evaluate the 350 that showed "severe" drop off of the higher frequencies?  Were the tubes in the 350 stock?  The stock Shuguang KT88 are on the bright side in my opinion compared to the for example the Golden Lion K88 reissues, which are more natural sounding but can sound a little recessed in the highs.  Did the person who evaluated amp make sure the tubes were functioning normally?

Good thing about tube amps is that you can roll tubes and suit the sound to your taste to a certain degree.

dracule 1,

So you think the Carvers 350's have a decent top end?
Even the review of the 305 hints about a darken sound.

ozzy

Ozzy, it depends on which amp you’re comparing the Carver’s to and what your preferences are. Are you referring to the review by J. Valin? His reference amps are fast SS amps, I believe. In that context, I’m not surprised by Valin’s assessment. There is a way to significantly improve the sound of the 350’s without spending too much money. You can replace the stock built in volume pots with a mono stepped attenuators from DACT, Gold Point (I have them in my amp), etc. The Gold Points should cost you less than $200 (I have extra set of new Gold Points if you are interested). You can also replace the stock coupling caps with Vcap, Jupiter, or Duelund caps. You’ll need 4 of the 0.22 uF caps (you’ll need to verify values). They’re low value caps so shouldn’t cost arm and a leg. If you go with the tin foil Vcaps (I have them in my amp), you’ll pay around $400. You’ll hear more transparency/detail, increased dynamics, and more extension in the high and low frequencies. These upgrades are well worth the money, and you’ll never think they are "dark" sounding.