2. amps-preamps
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Are Carver amps worth a damn?

i have a system which I use for both home theatre (70%) and for music. It is comprised of a Theta data basic transport, a Nakamashi cr-2 tape deck, a Marantz AV-550 preamp /tuner, a panasonic dvd player and a proscan vcr. For amplification I have been using 2 Carver TFM-35's and a TFM-15 for the surrounds. I have an unpowered sub so I get 1 channel of 250w to the front 3 and the sub, and 100wpc to the surrounds. For speakers I am using Definitives all the way around. Are the amps my current weak link in this system?
gsxer
beemer
444 posts
 
In a word, yes. for a short money improvement buy used Hafler XL-600, DH500, 9500, or 9505.
sluggo
21 posts
 
carvers seem apt in your system. hard to tell what's the weakest link; none of 'em are of any strength. i'd burn it all & start from scratch. haflers will get you almost to mid-fi but i wouldn't count on it.
thestryder
10 posts
 
Sluggo take your Aiwa desktop "system" and jump in a pool. Oh and please make sure your Aiwa is plugged in. Gsxer your amps may well be the weak link in your system. The easiest way to find out is to demo something else and live with it for a while (if possible). I used to own Definitives and I had great luck with Rotel and NAD. Both are moderatly priced and can be found used quite often. I have owned both the Rotel RB-991 and the NAD 218THX. Both sounded good with the Definitives. Good luck. Thestryder
trelja
3,223 posts
 
I think your amps are on par with the rest of your system. It seems to be a nice budget system. To move up, you will need to replace each piece, one by one, until you have a system of the next(or higher) level. Carver amps are OK, not great, but serviceable. And in a HT system, they are fine. The step up to their Lightstar/Sunfire products is a big one, if you have brand loyalty. But, if I was upgrading, I would explore everything to see what I liked, and go from there.
sedond
1,387 posts
 
the receiver is the weakest link, imho - no way to get good *audio* out of a home-theatre setup. get a good audio-only preamp. if ya *have* to have a home-theatre setup w/yer audio set-up, get a preamp that allows one input to default to that input's controls, & plug yer h-t into *that*. linn, vtl, & sonic frontiers are three companies that make preamps that can do this, there may be others. also, no such thing as a hi-fi cassette deck, at *any* price. even the nak dragon is mid-fi... doug
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