Still waiting on @FMalitz to provide an update on his engineering department's review of the issue.
At some point, I'll just call Music Direct.
Owners of Carver Crimson 275 -Caution/Warning--Potential Increased Risk of Electric Shock
What's going on?: If you own a Carver Crimson 275 amplifier there is a real potential that your amplifier does not have a proper chassis grounding scheme inside. There is a type of grounding system involved, but the third prong of the IEC socket (the actual electrical socket on the inside of the amplifier) is left wide open on my amplifier and and at least one other amp that I have virtually confirmed (not firsthand--only through another owner).
What does this mean?: If one of the hookup wires carrying power/B+ came loose from its soldered weld and touched either the chassis or something conductive to the chassis and the user then touched the chassis/unit with the power on they could get a significant electric shock. There are some seriously high voltages in this tube amp (like many amps of its topology) and the result could be lethal.
Carver Corporation's Response to Status on Grounding: I have notified Frank Malitz of the Carver Corporation about this problem. He responded to me in writing saying the following, exact quotation, nothing more or less:
"the design is under review with engineering and I'll contact you tomorrow." (F. Malitz)
In the interim, users may be at an increased risk of shock and bodily harm. I would encourage you to check with an electronics expert or the Carver Corporation for further guidance, as I'm not qualified to say more than there's no confirmed chassis ground in the unit that I have and at least one other unit.
Finally, unless you are qualified in working with high voltages do not open your unit to check for the ground wire running to the ground prong on the IEC. Please note that doing so with or without a chassis ground should only be done by someone experienced with electronics--i.e. caps must be discharged and care taken to cause an issue. Seek professional help.
I'm just a music lover and hobbyist. I'm merely relaying this information out of concern for the safety of fellow humans. I'm not an expert and perhaps an expert will rule out this identified potential increased risk as non-existent. For now, I can say that it is my opinion that there is a real reason to believe that grounding scheme might be deficient and I will not be using my amp until this is sorted out.
I'll report any response from the Carver Corporation as soon as I hear back. For now, my amp will sit unplugged.
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I’ve always been a big fan of Bob Carver. Maybe there was a mistake made maybe not. All consumer-electronics need to have her UL approval. I don’t understand how some of the guys on this forum are taking the screws to Good ole Bob.
it’s funny how this subject never comes up when we’re talking about the latest power cord from some dude in his basement that claims it brings out more highs in the soundstage. Also I just wandered do fuses need to be UL approved? How many of you guys don’t think twice about sticking a fuse that you have no idea who manufactured it or tested it for safety all because some goofball says it’s moves out the soundstage. This really bums me out. What did Bob do to deserve this? |
@raysmtb1 What Bob did to deserve the attention is apparently exactly what he failed to do...oversee a product that has his name on it and could very well prove to be deadly to the consumer. This has not happened so far, at least that we are aware of, BUT the OP is trying to expose a potentially deadly fault in Bob’s design..and as such, IMO, it needs to be disclosed. PERHAPS Bob will be pleased to realize this potential issue and instruct his manufacturer to remedy the problem, or if there is no issue to rebut the issue and clear the air. Either way, perhaps Bob ( or one of his crew) will be more than pleased to have the opportunity to correct a potential disaster in the making...or not?? |
@carlsbad The amp came from the distributor with a loose screw rattling around. Say that screw rolled against the power switch and rested against the chassis, which is 100% plausible, now you have a chassis at 120V and you would be relying on having interconnect cables connected to the 275 in order to provide a path to trip your circuit breaker. |
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