I'm going to guess that at least a few of you folks know about this, but I just read it for the first time. I think this is amazing.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/carver-challenge
http://www.stereophile.com/content/carver-challenge
The Carver Challange
- Thread starter Pure_Brew
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In my late teens/early 20's I used to lust after the Carver systems and the 15" CV speakers they were always mated with in the store. Spent a lot of time reading about them and checking them out in the "brick & mortar's" back in the day. A very cool rig that was almost accessible for a young man not making a lot of cash.
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Ed told me a Carver story last weekend that pretty much assures that the snob hi-end audiophile will continue to be separated from their money in ghastly amounts.
At a Carverfest a few years ago a gentlemen singled out Bob to talk about an amp of the gentleman's that had defied all attempts to fix it, even the manufacture. IIRC it was around an 8,000.00 amp. Bob told him he cou;ld fix it for 2800.00, and guaranteed it. He proceeded to fix it and the gentlemen loved it. A little time goes by and Bob starts getting nasty post exchanges from this guy on a forum. No beef with the amp or how it sounded, but had a particular problem with some of the replacement caps Bob had used. They weren't shiny enough for this guy and this guy was on Bob like stink on shit. Some rust or corrosion sign was on em and Bob assured him it was a cosmetic issue not a process issue. It didn't end well, with Bob not frequenting this said forum very much anymore. Now , unlike some folks, I wouldn't care if Bob filled my chassis with mountain goat shit if it fixed something that was here-to-fore unfixable. Sheesh, some people's kids.
At a Carverfest a few years ago a gentlemen singled out Bob to talk about an amp of the gentleman's that had defied all attempts to fix it, even the manufacture. IIRC it was around an 8,000.00 amp. Bob told him he cou;ld fix it for 2800.00, and guaranteed it. He proceeded to fix it and the gentlemen loved it. A little time goes by and Bob starts getting nasty post exchanges from this guy on a forum. No beef with the amp or how it sounded, but had a particular problem with some of the replacement caps Bob had used. They weren't shiny enough for this guy and this guy was on Bob like stink on shit. Some rust or corrosion sign was on em and Bob assured him it was a cosmetic issue not a process issue. It didn't end well, with Bob not frequenting this said forum very much anymore. Now , unlike some folks, I wouldn't care if Bob filled my chassis with mountain goat shit if it fixed something that was here-to-fore unfixable. Sheesh, some people's kids.
I think the problem with "high end" audio has a lot to do with "first time" experiences. Like when you experience a movie that you've never seen before and loved it. You can't have that same experience again. If you watch it again and look for problems, you will likely find them and also notice things you didn't before. Music seems to follow the same path.
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To add to Joe's thread here is a recent interview with Bob Carver done by Brent Butterworth of Sound & Vision Magazine. I haven't met Bob C., but I have met Brent B. not long ago when we conducted a Cassette Deck Shootout at Innovative Audio.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2012/07/18/dropping-bob-carver
Nando.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2012/07/18/dropping-bob-carver
Nando.
Well, there is always that learning part which can be fun too. I know that things I would have found acceptable years ago have become unlistenable to me now. Happier then the person who buys whatever simple system and that's it, until the next decade or more? I doubt it. Not everybody frets about differences, like my wife. It's content first for her, the system is secondary. Not that she can't hear differences between things, she just doesn't care. I feel that way about video quality usually. Enjoying music and making comparisons are two different things. Ignorance is bliss.
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On the amp- Wow, talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth?
My only Carver experience was with the Sunfire. I really liked it a lot. A friend brought in a M1.5 I want to say, to compare and it was no contest. Might have been more about its power. Great sound and I would have loved to be able to afford it. The article certainly raises good conversation. You have to respect how talented a man he is at his craft.
My only Carver experience was with the Sunfire. I really liked it a lot. A friend brought in a M1.5 I want to say, to compare and it was no contest. Might have been more about its power. Great sound and I would have loved to be able to afford it. The article certainly raises good conversation. You have to respect how talented a man he is at his craft.
Lee, no arguing with Bob now....
BC: Because I love ’em! Because they glow in the dark! And because a tube amp gives you a wider and deeper soundstage that is more delicious and more enveloping.
BC: Because I love ’em! Because they glow in the dark! And because a tube amp gives you a wider and deeper soundstage that is more delicious and more enveloping.
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