I have a Carver 900 receiver that went bad a few years ago. I found that Carver still services this 80's vintage unit & so sent it to them for repair. They repaired it at modest cost and had it back to me within a month. The unit works great!
I miss my M-1.0t mk II's and PM 1201's. My road rig consisted of a case with a pair of M-1.0t mk II's running a pair of 502b subs, and two PM 1201's running a couple of monitors and four PT 2400's running our four pole-mount Custom PPA15 800W PA enclosures. Was the closest you got to Tube sound with enormous power and clarity. Also had an optional outdoor kit with two more PT 2400's driving two pairs of AWCS-II SR tubes that my dad hacked to work way better than with the WSC controller, those things would rattle fillings out of your head 100ft away in a grass field, the sound pressure was nuts. My dad was a huge Carver fan and when his boss had bought a high-end boutique loudspeaker company back in the 90's, it came with an entire room full of about fifty M-1.0t's, M-1.5t's PM1200's/1201's PT-1800's and PT-2400's The PT-2400's were pre-production units and had some supply issues. I think my dad offered his boss $1000 for 12 varying units, the 2400's weren't working right and the 1800's kept blowing fuses, he put about $500 worth of component upgrades into them and then we beat the bag out of them for years. I toured with the kit for years with multiple bands, he did as well, in addition to DJ events. He still uses four of the same 2400's in his DJ/traveling PA sound-kit and he's in his 60's.
My favorite thing is a "Resto-mod". Like giving a 57 Chevy a modern Corvette drivetrain and suspension. You have a classic, that's even better and more reliable after a mod. Better parts= better performance.
Thanks very much for this video. Your thoughts on these Carver products was nice to hear. I recently bought a pair of Fortes and the guy threw in a Carver MXR-130. The synergy between the two is actually quite good. The amp also drives my Tekton Pendragons with ease. I do guitar and tube amp repair / set ups, upgrades, modifications, etc. as a profession, but don’t work on solid state too much. I really like the original sonic character of the amp, so I’m going to merely upgrade the electrolytics and anything else I see needing replacement. Thanks very much again. Your thoughts and experience is very much appreciated. Edit: I forgot to mention those dreadful binding posts will absolutely be changed
I had an MXR-130 with my modded Forte II's until I moved to 5.1 (two pair of forte II's). It was one of the best sounding receivers (to date). It also delivered the power it claimed, it wasn't some "faked" rating.
@@scottlowell493 Hey Scott 👋 Nice, man! Very cool to hear that. Yeah, the sonic signature of the MXR-130 definitely doesn’t sound like a typical class A/B power amp. It has a certain warmth and sounds almost tube like. It reminds me somewhat of my SE / SET amps. Also, lower powered 70’s Marantz like the 2215, 2220(B), 2230, etc., in tonality with that beautiful overall midrange warmth, and overall satisfying presentation. Marantz from that era which had higher wpc, lost some of the magic of the lower powered ones. It’s very similar to said amplifiers just with more power and slam without falling apart at lower volumes, but also maintaining its composure at higher SPL levels and dB’s. Sweet! What’s better than one pair of Fortes, is two pairs of Fortes, of course. Can I ask what type of sub you’re using and/or used? Certain subs just don’t have that seamless integration with certain speakers, namely higher sensitivity ones. What mods did you do to your Fortes? I’m upgrading the crossover parts in my l’s but not necessarily doing modifications. I guess I am by putting dynamat on the horns and driver and new binding posts… Thanks again, Scott! Great vid, man.
Currently have a Carver C-2 preamplifier and a Carver M-400 amplifier. A Rotel RP1100q turntable with a very nice Shure cartridge and stylus. Klipsch Heresy II speakers. To me, it sounds amazing.
I had the c2 with Klipsch forte 2 for a week. It was so obviously bad, I returned it and got a c1. It really mangled the sound. No, it wasn't defective, it was just made with junk parts for a budget. Too bad you lack the ability to hear that.
Great information, thanks. I sent my PM-1200 to Rolland Barr for a full refresh, definitely nostalgic product for me, that is why I went forward with the service. I also have a Soundcraftsmen A2502 that I'd like to recap.
I’ve had Rolland at hi tech audio service two of my carvers, he repaired and completely re-capped my receiver mxr 2000, (it wasn’t just an upgrade one of my channels completely went out so it needed full repair) I’m very pleased with the work and it sounds amazing. Now I’m waiting on m500t I can’t wait.
Note: when carver made his amp, he installed a series of variable potentiometers to dial in Bias. The mods simply install fixed resistors to set bias accurately.
I like carver products for the most part. I liken them to pioneer or any other consumer lvl audio. Every brand has its good and its bad products so I don't listen to the haters or fanboys. I have a couple TFM 35s and am pleased with the sound quality. I like the warm tube sound they give. Whats there to hate?
You definitely need to look at Carver as polarizing. Haters for example, likely heard one Carver product for a few minutes in a suspect system. So they paint ALL Carver products (even modded) as sounding like crap. They have never heard a modded unit, especially since there are many mods that are very different. Fan boys go overboard and lavish praise on the low end Carver stuff that wasn't very good to begin with. The truth is in the middle. Carver DID beat a roomful of press and audiophiles that couldn't tell the difference between his amp and a Mark Levinson. That tells you the power of blind testing over hype and hate. And Carver DID produce a few lemons and products that were mediocre at best.
I agree with@@scottlowell493 but if you want to stay with Bob Carver designed amps, I'd spend a little extra and try to find a Sunfire 2-Channel amp for even better sound. I've owned and/or compared Carver TFMs from the 6CB, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 using same preamp and speaker setup. Then I "upgraded" to the Sunfire amp and sold what TFM's I had because of its superior performance. With that said, TFM series are still great amps. I would recommend a TFM amp or a CM-1090 integrated amp if you are on a budget but trying to assemble an audiophile stereo system and prefer the Carver sound. I've found that the TFM 35 is the sweet spot on power and build quality for most listeners' needs. The 45, 55, and the very hard to find 75 are much more expensive and not worth the price they fetch when you could get a Sunfire amp in a similar price range.
Nicely done, appreciate the honest review. I have an Carver 2000 receiver and am debating what to do with it since it supports both moving magnet and moving coil phono inputs. Is this a better candidate for a refurb or is some sort of ‘upgrade’ available?
I'd have to ask Bob that one. The M1.5T seems to be one of the few that's nulled against a solid state amp. The M200T was never listed, but I bet .02 cents that it was either one of Bob's tube amps or maybe a Conrad Johnson. It's my understanding they are all class a/b. They are certainly not switching like D,T,H etc.
What do you think of the digital time lens stand alone unit ? I have one. Where should it go in the chain of streamer, DAC, pre,-amp and power amp ? Is it good to adjust dither ?
It's a self contained soft-eq for the midrange. It's like a mini parametric eq. It's in line like an eq. It was originally created to counter the horrible sounding cd's in the 80's that were very brittle sounding. These days? Unless you MUST have it, there are better, and more flexible EQ's out there like a Schiit audio loki.
I have an 806x 6 channel power amp that I can just barely hear some 60 Hz. hum if I'm within a foot of the speakers, been thinking of doing a recap of the audio chain myself.
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I have a Carver 900 receiver that went bad a few years ago. I found that Carver still services this 80's vintage unit & so sent it to them for repair. They repaired it at modest cost and had it back to me within a month. The unit works great!
Do you have a link to theirt site or email? Or just go on Google & search their email? Thing is, I live overseas too😢
I live in Canada and I had FANTASTIC warranty service!
I miss my M-1.0t mk II's and PM 1201's. My road rig consisted of a case with a pair of M-1.0t mk II's running a pair of 502b subs, and two PM 1201's running a couple of monitors and four PT 2400's running our four pole-mount Custom PPA15 800W PA enclosures. Was the closest you got to Tube sound with enormous power and clarity. Also had an optional outdoor kit with two more PT 2400's driving two pairs of AWCS-II SR tubes that my dad hacked to work way better than with the WSC controller, those things would rattle fillings out of your head 100ft away in a grass field, the sound pressure was nuts. My dad was a huge Carver fan and when his boss had bought a high-end boutique loudspeaker company back in the 90's, it came with an entire room full of about fifty M-1.0t's, M-1.5t's PM1200's/1201's PT-1800's and PT-2400's The PT-2400's were pre-production units and had some supply issues. I think my dad offered his boss $1000 for 12 varying units, the 2400's weren't working right and the 1800's kept blowing fuses, he put about $500 worth of component upgrades into them and then we beat the bag out of them for years. I toured with the kit for years with multiple bands, he did as well, in addition to DJ events. He still uses four of the same 2400's in his DJ/traveling PA sound-kit and he's in his 60's.
My favorite thing is a "Resto-mod". Like giving a 57 Chevy a modern Corvette drivetrain and suspension. You have a classic, that's even better and more reliable after a mod. Better parts= better performance.
I have a Carver M240 amp that I purchased as part of a system for my 84 Z28. It worked very well at driving my 12 inch subs.
I wondered how good the car amps were. thought they were cool in the day.
Thanks very much for this video. Your thoughts on these Carver products was nice to hear. I recently bought a pair of Fortes and the guy threw in a Carver MXR-130. The synergy between the two is actually quite good. The amp also drives my Tekton Pendragons with ease.
I do guitar and tube amp repair / set ups, upgrades, modifications, etc. as a profession, but don’t work on solid state too much. I really like the original sonic character of the amp, so I’m going to merely upgrade the electrolytics and anything else I see needing replacement.
Thanks very much again. Your thoughts and experience is very much appreciated.
Edit: I forgot to mention those dreadful binding posts will absolutely be changed
I had an MXR-130 with my modded Forte II's until I moved to 5.1 (two pair of forte II's). It was one of the best sounding receivers (to date). It also delivered the power it claimed, it wasn't some "faked" rating.
@@scottlowell493 Hey Scott 👋 Nice, man! Very cool to hear that. Yeah, the sonic signature of the MXR-130 definitely doesn’t sound like a typical class A/B power amp. It has a certain warmth and sounds almost tube like. It reminds me somewhat of my SE / SET amps. Also, lower powered 70’s Marantz like the 2215, 2220(B), 2230, etc., in tonality with that beautiful overall midrange warmth, and overall satisfying presentation. Marantz from that era which had higher wpc, lost some of the magic of the lower powered ones.
It’s very similar to said amplifiers just with more power and slam without falling apart at lower volumes, but also maintaining its composure at higher SPL levels and dB’s.
Sweet! What’s better than one pair of Fortes, is two pairs of Fortes, of course. Can I ask what type of sub you’re using and/or used? Certain subs just don’t have that seamless integration with certain speakers, namely higher sensitivity ones. What mods did you do to your Fortes? I’m upgrading the crossover parts in my l’s but not necessarily doing modifications. I guess I am by putting dynamat on the horns and driver and new binding posts…
Thanks again, Scott! Great vid, man.
I have a TFM35X on the way to High Tech Audio for a rebuild.They did a TFM15CB for me years ago and it sounds great.
Currently have a Carver C-2 preamplifier and a Carver M-400 amplifier. A Rotel RP1100q turntable with a very nice Shure cartridge and stylus. Klipsch Heresy II speakers. To me, it sounds amazing.
I had the c2 with Klipsch forte 2 for a week. It was so obviously bad, I returned it and got a c1. It really mangled the sound. No, it wasn't defective, it was just made with junk parts for a budget. Too bad you lack the ability to hear that.
Great information, thanks.
I sent my PM-1200 to Rolland Barr for a full refresh, definitely nostalgic product for me, that is why I went forward with the service. I also have a Soundcraftsmen A2502 that I'd like to recap.
I’ve had Rolland at hi tech audio service two of my carvers, he repaired and completely re-capped my receiver mxr 2000, (it wasn’t just an upgrade one of my channels completely went out so it needed full repair) I’m very pleased with the work and it sounds amazing. Now I’m waiting on m500t I can’t wait.
The M-500T is the best looking of the classic amps. I dig the VU meters. I'd have him put in blue led lights.
Note: when carver made his amp, he installed a series of variable potentiometers to dial in Bias. The mods simply install fixed resistors to set bias accurately.
Note: a Sunfire "load invariant". isn't just more stable and powerful, it's not made of lowest bidder parts than carver amps.
I like carver products for the most part. I liken them to pioneer or any other consumer lvl audio. Every brand has its good and its bad products so I don't listen to the haters or fanboys. I have a couple TFM 35s and am pleased with the sound quality. I like the warm tube sound they give. Whats there to hate?
You definitely need to look at Carver as polarizing. Haters for example, likely heard one Carver product for a few minutes in a suspect system. So they paint ALL Carver products (even modded) as sounding like crap. They have never heard a modded unit, especially since there are many mods that are very different. Fan boys go overboard and lavish praise on the low end Carver stuff that wasn't very good to begin with. The truth is in the middle. Carver DID beat a roomful of press and audiophiles that couldn't tell the difference between his amp and a Mark Levinson. That tells you the power of blind testing over hype and hate. And Carver DID produce a few lemons and products that were mediocre at best.
I have a Carver C1 preamp and carver tfm 45 amplifier upgraded and a carver m1.5t mkii upgrade from nelion audio speakers are elac uni-fi uf5 speakers
If I were to do this right now- I’d definitely start with the TFM. I’d have Neilion do all the mods, including driving low impedance.
I agree with@@scottlowell493 but if you want to stay with Bob Carver designed amps, I'd spend a little extra and try to find a Sunfire 2-Channel amp for even better sound. I've owned and/or compared Carver TFMs from the 6CB, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 using same preamp and speaker setup. Then I "upgraded" to the Sunfire amp and sold what TFM's I had because of its superior performance. With that said, TFM series are still great amps. I would recommend a TFM amp or a CM-1090 integrated amp if you are on a budget but trying to assemble an audiophile stereo system and prefer the Carver sound. I've found that the TFM 35 is the sweet spot on power and build quality for most listeners' needs. The 45, 55, and the very hard to find 75 are much more expensive and not worth the price they fetch when you could get a Sunfire amp in a similar price range.
I have a Tfm-45 as well, who did you get to service ?
The sunfire products are superior to carvers older amps. The load invariant alone solves every issue the old units had.
Nicely done, appreciate the honest review. I have an Carver 2000 receiver and am debating what to do with it since it supports both moving magnet and moving coil phono inputs. Is this a better candidate for a refurb or is some sort of ‘upgrade’ available?
The mod companies can answer that.
Very informative video. Do you know what the M 200-T was nulled against? Also, what is the topology of these amps? Class A/B, class D? Class H?
I'd have to ask Bob that one. The M1.5T seems to be one of the few that's nulled against a solid state amp. The M200T was never listed, but I bet .02 cents that it was either one of Bob's tube amps or maybe a Conrad Johnson. It's my understanding they are all class a/b. They are certainly not switching like D,T,H etc.
What do you think of the digital time lens stand alone unit ? I have one. Where should it go in the chain of streamer, DAC, pre,-amp and power amp ? Is it good to adjust dither ?
It's a self contained soft-eq for the midrange. It's like a mini parametric eq. It's in line like an eq. It was originally created to counter the horrible sounding cd's in the 80's that were very brittle sounding. These days? Unless you MUST have it, there are better, and more flexible EQ's out there like a Schiit audio loki.
I have an 806x 6 channel power amp that I can just barely hear some 60 Hz. hum if I'm within a foot of the speakers, been thinking of doing a recap of the audio chain myself.
You may find the issue is more than just degraded caps. Good luck.
I restorated pt1800