Amp suggestions for Carver Amazing Loudspeakers

[ismael223]

This is my first post so be gentle with me. I recently bought a pair of original Carver Amazing Loudspeakers. I thought my NAD 2200 would be able to power them but soon learned otherwise. I would like some suggestions for an amp than can bring these things to life. I am on a tight budget so I know my choices will be limited. I would like to keep it less than $500 used. I have considered a Carver M1.5t or TFM, Adcom GFA555, Acurus or Aragon. If I absolutely have to I may increase my budget to $750 but thats about as high as I can go.

I do have a couple of Ashly amps that put out over 600 watts rms into my 4 ohms but I think they are PA equipment and wont give me the most musical sound. I do like to listen to my music loud but I dont want distortion. All the reviews I have read said the Carver speakers need a lot of power.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[thaiviet]

I would suggest AudioSource AMP Three. to be honest, I was playing with your Carver 2 yrs ago. this amp should do the job. Happy listening!

[O'Shag]

Hi Ismael,

Believe it or not, the Carver amps work very well with the Amazings, which are power hungry monsters, but capable of excellent performance. One of my friends had the Amazings and I loved their sound. Soundstaging is great when set up right. Problem is they won;t sing without lots of power. The Carver amps, despite what some may say, provide excellent value for money on the used market. The magnetic Field technology is ingenious. They provide excellent, well-controlled bass, a decent soundstage (although not massive) have good PRaT and for the most part are grain free. The only drawback is a slight graininess in the very high frequencies where they are slightly compressed as compared to the best amps available today. My friend was powering the Amazings with some Carver pro amps rated at something like a thousand watts. When he cranked it up and low bass notes hit, the lights in his house would dim!! I would suggest that instead ofthe pro super high power amp, bi-amp (or tri-amp if the amazings have triamp capability and they probably do) using the TFM series such as the TFM-25 rated at 225 watts at 8 ohms and over 400 watts at 4 ohms. I used to own one of these amps, and I can tell you sincerely it is a great little amp. On the used market you could pick up three of these in excellent condition for about $1200 - a great value.

[Feanor]

Hi Ismael,

Believe it or not, the Carver amps work very well with the Amazings, which are power hungry monsters, but capable of excellent performance. One of my friends had the Amazings and I loved their sound. Soundstaging is great when set up right. Problem is they won;t sing without lots of power. The Carver amps, despite what some may say, provide excellent value for money on the used market. The magnetic Field technology is ingenious. ... I would suggest that instead ofthe pro super high power amp, bi-amp (or tri-amp if the amazings have triamp capability and they probably do) using the TFM series such as the TFM-25 rated at 225 watts at 8 ohms and over 400 watts at 4 ohms. I used to own one of these amps, and I can tell you sincerely it is a great little amp. On the used market you could pick up three of these in excellent condition for about $1200 - a great value.

'Shag,

Despite the number of Carver amps on eBay and even Audiogon, frank endorsements are hard to fine, but I'm willing to listen, since bargain audio is my thing. Adcom gets a pretty bad rap too, but I discovered that a least some models are pretty decent, e.g. the Adcom 555II which I owned for a while.

One problem with Carver is the 100 million different models, so I'm glad to hear a specific recommendation for the TFM-25.

[jocko_nc]

Congrats on those speakers, every time I have heard them I was really impressed. They are unique and quite a bargain for ribbon speakers.

I recall Carver had a specific amplifier that was meant to go with those speaker. Silver Seven or something? Scratch that, Silver Seven was an ultra high dollar model. I forget the model name, but they were generally sold together. It was an extremely powerful amp, beyond any of the other Carvers. That is what it took to driver those speakers to their full potential.

I'll look it up and try to find a link.

jocko

[ismael223]

Instead of immediately increasing my budget for something like a Krell integrated, I am going to try the "bargain" stuff first. I bought a Carver M1.5t on Ebay and guess what...is arrived DOA. Its at the shop and when we get an estimate the seller and I will have to settle on what to do- repair or refund.

I think the Adcom GFA-555 would be my next choice. I have my eyes open to see if I can pick one up at a good price. In the mean time, I have a couple of Ashly amps powering my Carvers. I am not familiar with these types of amps- meant more for PA applications. I just happen to have two laying around and the spec are impressive. Into my 4 ohm load I probably have about 600-700 watts going to each speaker. They sound ok. My NAD 2200 sounded better but it would shut down when turned up the volume. The Ashly amps have meters on them so I turned up the volume up to the point where the "clip" light was just about to turn on. Surprisingly, it was not as loud as I would expect from 600-700 watts. I guess I need more power... a nuclear reactor should do it.

That brings me to another question which I will post in a separate thread. What is the difference between pro audio amps and home audio amps?

[Feanor]

Instead of immediately increasing my budget for something like a Krell integrated, I am going to try the "bargain" stuff first. I bought a Carver M1.5t on Ebay and guess what...is arrived DOA. Its at the shop and when we get an estimate the seller and I will have to settle on what to do- repair or refund.

I think the Adcom GFA-555 would be my next choice. I have my eyes open to see if I can pick one up at a good price. In the mean time, I have a couple of Ashly amps powering my Carvers. I am not familiar with these types of amps- meant more for PA applications. I just happen to have two laying around and the spec are impressive. Into my 4 ohm load I probably have about 600-700 watts going to each speaker. They sound ok. My NAD 2200 sounded better but it would shut down when turned up the volume. The Ashly amps have meters on them so I turned up the volume up to the point where the "clip" light was just about to turn on. Surprisingly, it was not as loud as I would expect from 600-700 watts. I guess I need more power... a nuclear reactor should do it.

That brings me to another question which I will post in a separate thread. What is the difference between pro audio amps and home audio amps?

To bad about the Carver. Buying used is always a gamble, even if the seller supposedly offers a not-DOA guarantee. Personally when I sell I accurately and completely state the condition of the unit prior to shipment, but don't offer any sort of guarantee. In my case, it's because I'm most likely to ship from Canada to the US, and cross-boarder shipping is too big a hassle to be sending stuff forth and back.

If looking at Adcom GFP 555, try for the 555II instead: I can vouch for the latter being a nice-sounding amp but I haven't heard the former.

[Sedan Delivery]

If it were me,,save your money and wait for a high power/high current amp to come along, such as a Belles 350A reference,Odyssey Stratos mono extremes,,or some big parasounds. The carvers love power,IMHO

[O'Shag]

Feanor, The Carver amps are totally underrated and I think this is because many in the audio world were very jealous of Bob Carver. I have some 'exotic' amplifers, and my 'unassuming' and attractive TFM-25 holds its own. It does, as expected, get overshadowed overall by these very expensive behemoths, but I'll tell you this; the TFM-25 will beat the pants off most of the newer 'budget' (people outside the audio world would laugh at what we term budget) amps out there. Another really great aspect of this amp is its tremendous efficiency. It will cost very little to operate. One does have to be careful about buying on ebay and such. there are so many dishonest folks out there. Only buy from someone who has taken the time to photgraph the unit properly, who clearly has owned the unit and loves it - and who has a very good seller history. You should be able to pick one up for $350 - $400. Its really a great value as is the C-4000t which I also own.. In fact I own quite a few Carver pieces.