Owners of Carver Crimson 275 -Caution/Warning--Potential Increased Risk of Electric Shock

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.

@raysmtb1, many of us respect Bob and love what he’s done for hifi. He’s a legend in my book. Go read my posts about this amp. You’ll see we’ve given him the benefit of many doubts. But anyone saying the lack of proper grounding on this amp is not a problem, is incorrect. There’s no room for accepting this grounding scheme as acceptable in 2022.

I used to take electricity less seriously than I do today. I’ve incidentally rubbed up against a beefy Lundhal power transformer. I’ve touched a 120v AC line. I cannot imagine what 300, 400, 500 or more volts would feel like. If an amp design has issues with ground loops, this is not the way to handle it.

Paulbottlehead is spot on here.

Also, maybe it’s not so bad that the meter and the big electrolytic caps on the DC restorer circuit are literally held in place with glue--with no mechanical bond. But that method coupled with heat and a terrible, or shall we say non-existent grounding scheme, makes it utterly foreseeable that the amp could result in injury.

I think if anyone makes a post that says this isn’t an issue or it’s being exaggerated should have to take a basic electronics test before posting. If you’re reading this post, please make your decisions on the side of caution. The voltages in tube amps are seriously high. Some caps can hold super high voltages hours after power is shutdown.

On a lighter note...Maybe the shocks I have taken have caused my hifi Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  :)

Death Amp for Cutie...🙄