2. amps-preamps
  3. 181066-94162

Bob Carver tube amps

Hello, looking for Carver amp info the read out there is a little sketchy. Is that place still in business? And who is actually making the amps? Do the have a factory in the Pacific Northwest….I live in the Pacific Northwest so I could drive there if I had a problem.

I need a tube amp for my Klipsch speakers, you tube heads out there is this the brand I should buy or is there a better option?

I can still remember in the 70s when my father in law went to the factory and grabbed me a Phase Linear amp and preamp off the factory floor..I had more problems with that thing, once and a while it made a super load pop when you turned it on..

 

 

 

silverfoxvtx1800
jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

Great designer and engineer, very poor businessman. 

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cleeds
5,657 posts
 

Between Malitz and Clark, it's obvious this situation is a mess and that someone isn't telling the truth.

kota1
2,706 posts
 

I have had a GREAT experience with Carver and Sunfire products (and I still own them).

The Theater Grand 3 sounds great in both two channel and multichannel. Bob added his sonic holography circuit and also a feature called side axis (wide) channels and it has 4 subwoofer connections. This was way ahead of his time. You are just starting to see processors with 4 sub outs and once you get used to wide channels you can’t go back. Studies done by Tomlinson Holman (of THX fame) found wides to be more significant than height or rear channels. I also own a Carver A series amp (AV505) that was on TAS list of the 10 most significant amps of all time. Look how many reviewers at TAS have his products on their individual top 10 list. Genius is an understatement:

 

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 

I’m not sure how you can find what you found online and still consider Carver. He’s been a gimmick salesman for decades. If nothing else, look at the claimed power output to weight ratio of his recent tube amp lines, and compare to other brands. That speaks volumes (way-undersized transformers). There are other options, even in USA: Rogue, Quicksilver, ARC, Raven, VTA / Bob Latino. Maybe also look at English Acoustics. Audio Classics has a nice-looking VAC-made 9B. I’m sure I’m missing some great options. There are lots of great sounding vintage tube amps out there which are gems with a bit of TLC. Even those 60 year old tube amps won’t disgrace their tubes by using an under-sized transformer.

15 years ago I tried a Sunfire Signature 600 that was possibly the worst sounding hifi amp I’ve ever used. Not that it sounded outright wrong or awful - just that everything else I’ve tried in this hobby has sounded better.

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