Bob Carver LLC Black Beauty Review

Chachas, I find your remarks about Bob ill-informed and nasty, to the point of personal attack. If you were an audio designer of some productivity, may be you can give a credible opinion about Bob's designs. As far as I can tell, you have no experience in designing, marketing, and manufacturing any product in audio. Despite the gimmicky names for some of his designs (and who hasn't used gimmick in high end), Bob made products that most could afford and competed with products that were far more costly.

Some of his designs are legendary (eg, Carver Silver Seven tube amp and Phase Linear, the first high power amp for consumer audio). Some are not so legendary. One of his designs I didn't care for (ie, Amazing Ribbon speaker back in the day), but have to admit it was in poor show room with unfamiliar electronics. However, he is one of the very few legends in audio who will actually talk to you on the phone about audio in general and help you trouble shoot your system, even if the problem has nothing to do with his product. As far as I can tell, there is no high end audiofest dedicated to one designer other than Bob (Carverfest). From what I understand, he is there every year to meet his fans and actually has sessions where you can build one of his amps from scratch with his help. That seems pretty darn rare in high end. The only other designer who comes close is Nelson Pass in this regard.

Most high end designers sit in their ivory towers, rarely to be seen, let alone be able to contact on the phone, unless they have a new product to sell. I have never met Bob in person, but have talked to him over the phone and found him to be genuine and almost like a kid in a candy store when it comes to audio. He'll talk audio to anyone with a body temperature.

Thanks to responses hear and elsewhere I decided to drink the Kool-Aid and got a great deal on some brand new black 180s from Underwoodwally.
All I can say is if you think your speakers have you locked into using solid state these tube amps can probably bridge that gap and have you enjoying second harmonic relaxing music of which there is no substitute.
They can power difficult loads with solid all point to point wiring no crimped spade plugs, cool running, easy biasing, adjustable feedback, no BS casework, hand made in the USA, with a transferable seven year warrantee, and they're designed by the team of Bob Farinelli, Tim de Paravicini, and Bob Carver.

These amplifiers are the real deal without any silly flash or bling. as for being a flash-in-the-pan only time will tell. Correct me if I'm wrong, Bob Carver still provides service to most all of the products he has produced.

Bob Farinelli has nothing to do with the actual circuitry.

all of the current tube amps do not hold a candle to the king: the conrad johnson mv 125. this was a classic.

no amp that i have heard, and i have heard many, come close to the classic tube sound of the mv 125.

i have been to many ces and other shows.

the only company that is of some interest to me is wavelength..

i would consider most tube amps, closer to solid state. i would not buy current audio research, vtl or conrad johnson.

Mrtennis, while I applaud your enthusiasm for MV125, you do realize that is your opinion of what a tube amp should sound like. Others will have entirely different view. I know the classic CJ sound, very lush and seductive but colored compared to most contemporary tube amps. I enjoy that type of sound as well, but not all the time.