Peeking inside a Carver Crimson 275 Tube Amplifier

By all accounts the Carver Crimson 275 is a very good sounding amplifier. They should have just marketed as a low-moderate power tube amplifier with high quality sound that would a terrific match with appropriate easy load impedance speakers. What’s wrong with that tactic ?

There’s certainly a market niche for this type of amplifier. Put emphasis on watt quality as opposed to watt quantity.  It seems so silly and unethical to claim a power rating it apparently is not simply capable of achieving. An otherwise good sounding amplifier that unfortunately becomes fodder for the measurement crowd to pick apart and ridicule. A very avoidable situation.

Charles

+1 @charles1dad 

@charles1dad --You've nailed it again.  

There would be nothing wrong with saying, Carver Corporation challenges you to see how few quality watts will make your speakers sing your favorite music.  Less is more! In fact, Carver Corporation recommends you try the Crimson 275 first (over the mono blocks of higher power), as many customers find that's all they need. 

And then give the testimonials about KEF Blades, etc. sounding wonderful. 

quick report

i just had my amp in for a check (some tube noise and transformer hum) at wyred 4 sound - w4s is the exclusive contract manufacturer for these crimson amps

had a friendly chat with their senior tech who worked on my amp - i know the w4s guys reasonably well, like them, have several pieces of their gear (digital, power supply, class d amps), w4s is a good company, well designed well built, good sounding high value gear, good reputation, and straight shooters in my book

i was told that based on their bench experience, the crimson amp can make 75w driving one channel... (didn’t ask for frequency range spec, sorry), can’t in both channels though (’more like 60 thru both channels’), but this isn’t due to the output transformers as limiting factor, but rather, the power transformer, which can’t quite deliver the juice for 75 wpc

asked how such a small light tube amp makes that kind of power, was told that the reason is the kt120’s are pretty strong, plus ’the neat feedback circuit employed from the output, holds the distortion in check, other guys don’t do this, we were kinda surprised it can do that through those small output transformers...’

so that is what i learned... perhaps frank m, after consulting with bob carver himself will chime in again, say more

for me, i own the amp, bought it used on a lark to try, like it quite alot, drives my spendors and harbeths very nicely, sounds great, runs pretty cool, is small, light, easy to move around... so i’ll be keeping it in my stable of amps - yes, the power output spec may well be overstated by the seller ... oh well, i’ve done a lot worse :)

Nobody so far thats independent of Carver affiliation, is getting even 60 watts per channel. Yes they should have used a bigger power supply and maybe gotten a realistic 20 wpc. That would have been possibly a decent marketable product. But hey, if you only run one channel without half the frequencies that matter, it could be a wonderful center channel home theater amp.

For potential customers that use efficient speakers I’m sure it does sound great. Lots have attested to that. But what about the other half who have in-efficient speakers who wanted to pair them with a well selected amp? Carver knew they’d lose half the potential buyers, so they lied. Now half the people who bought them are not seeing the full potential of their sound..

I listen on average around 76-82 db in a 26 x 40-ish room with 13’ ceilings. Even at those db’s, I can easily hear the difference in a 100 watt per channel from a 200 watt per channel. I can hear the difference between one power supply and two power supplies with the same wattage. The Carvers that I almost bought, would have been a disaster.