Carver C-1 and upgrades?

Thanks for all the feedback, gang. Now to decide if I really should spend the money or continue saving it for a bit longer. Both audio options are very good to excellent. So is saving.
 
Bob, also consider a Yamaha C-85 preamp.
I had to repair one of those Parasounds; what a nightmare. Yes, Curl designed it, but the mechanics were 100% Taiwan garbage. Really poor boar layout too.
 
The Yamaha C-2a is a classic and highly prized as well. Lots of bells and whistles to give you grief though.

I have one, should think about selling it, they are now fetching ~$1200 a copy (4x what I paid). Right now it is holding down my shelf.
 
nakdoc said:
Bob, also consider a Yamaha C-85 preamp.
I had to repair one of those Parasounds; what a nightmare. Yes, Curl designed it, but the mechanics were 100% Taiwan garbage. Really poor boar layout too.
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Yeah, I had an intermittent fuse issue on the HCA-1000 before Scott Grammer down here dug into it. Found a loose wire which fixed it fine but I figured while it was open that updating the PS caps would be worth the money. He commented it wasn't his favorite to work on. I knew about the Taiwan workmanship but the price was right when I found it used. So far it's been good other than the loose wire.

And thanks - I'll keep an eye out for a C-85. None on US Audio Mart at the moment.
 
Gepetto said:
The Yamaha C-2a is a classic and highly prized as well. Lots of bells and whistles to give you grief though.

I have one, should think about selling it, they are now fetching ~$1200 a copy (4x what I paid). Right now it is holding down my shelf.
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There's a C2-A on US Audio mart right now; it looks a bit worse for ear at $800. Still, that's a bit more than I'm looking to put into this project. At least in one transaction.
 
Welp, damn glad I didn't do anything. Tried hooking up the Parasound over the long weekend in its normal biamp configuration with the Exposure integrated amp and it's back to its old tricks of blowing fuses on startup. Damned if I'm gonna spend any more money fixing that situation. Time to just move it for parts...
 
In my various digging around for every sort of thing, I believe the Aragon Aurum to be a sleeper preamplifier.

It can still benefit from a beefed-up external power supply, but overall, it is looking excellent. Discrete, dual-mono, class-A with balanced output for the big amps. I think they even provided a remote for volume with it.
 
Well, they sound good and clean. No sound really. But both suffered from an accounting department. The good news is that there is plenty of room for improvement.
 
Bob Boyer said:
So I've got this Parasound HCA-1000 sitting around doing nothing and saw a C-1 in mint visual condition for sale for $300. Assuming it works as described, does that seem to be in the ballpark? If so, any thoughts on how it might interact with the Parasound (a John Curl design)?

And finally, since you seem to be the go-to C-1 guy, Perry , when do you think you'll have a bench set up, sir? If sooner rather than later, I'll PM you to talk details should I pull the trigger on this idea. Thanks in advance, everyone.
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If you decide on c-1 look up “devotedreader14” on ebay. He can do the BillD mod restore if you need phono or he can do his own build which all inputs sound better not just phono. He can add volume remote control and change leds/rca’s and electric cord socket. He is about half the cost of the other 2 known places and he is fast. None of that 6 month wait list.
 
The total BillD mod is a waste of time. Why change out EVERY resistor on the board? Some need it, most don't. The best mod is the Gold RCA replacement of the plastic fantastic Carver/PL RCA junk.
 
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