Leaderboard

G'day all. Repaired a few Carvers over the many many years ago without schematics,and always wondered how some of them ticked. Testing PM 1.5 into 4 Ω was done by going to a charity shop , buying used electric kettles (jugs) adjusting them around till I measured about 3.8 -3.9 Ω filling them with water plugged into a 6 way power board as a dummy load. Still use a similar arrangement for some of the Sub Bins and heads that I rebuild, (2 ohm parallel voice coils, really, are you serious)? So , why am I here? to read other peoples stories and get some manuals to muse over and go, ah ha, of course bob. Rgds John

I have a couple of PM 1400s and PM 950s that are slowly starting to stop working. One of my PM 1400s doesn't appear to power on (i'll have to check it again now that I know about the protection circuit). One of my PM-950s has clip protection going off on Channel 2 much earlier than Channel 1. I'm hoping to get either one or both repaired but given that I'm in a remote area of Hawaii, I may have to do it myself. I don't see much info available on these models, can anyone give me guidance on where to start? Are parts even available if I need them? mahalo nui loa

My god this is my coworkers.....

Greetings from Raleigh-Durham area. I repair vintage HiFi as a hobby. Few years ago I repaired a MXR-130 and loved the innovative technology used in the PS and FM stereo noise reduction design. Recently bought a Carver MXR-2000 that has loud hum in power transformer with -69vdc and +69vdc rails measuring at -/+99 volts on both. TRIAC was replaced with no change. All Zener diodes voltages ZD801 through ZD805 are normal. Appears that voltage monitoring circuit may be driving TRIAC to 100% duty cycle. I see design uses optocoupler to provide signal to control drive to the Q801 through Q804 to determine switch on/off time to the TRIAC to maintain the +/-69VDC. Is it safe to remove the TRIAC so I can power up rig to T/S the regulator circuitry? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Mark

Bob Baldwin, Brazil Chill

We have a ridiculous safety manager where I work that would do just that, and then spend the next couple of hours writing a company wide email wanting every manager, supervisor, shop lead to stress the importance of it at their next employee meetings.

Carmen McRae, Just A Little Lovin'

First of all, Welcome to the Forum! Not sure of your electronics ability or even if you want to troubleshoot the gear yourself. Check in the document archive on this site for a service manual or schematics. If you cannot find them here, try Hifi Engine. If you dont have an account there, it can be problematic to obtain service data. Perhaps a Carver Site member can be helpful in that regard. I am speaking generically here, approach each device differently as they have different issues. Make no assumption of root cause. There is nobody on the internet that can say "Replace C10 and Q20" problem solved. Begin with some basic test equipment such as a multi meter. The PM1400 that wont power on, check the power supplies, rail voltages, etc. Step through logically, take copious notes and pictures. You can probably ship your device to the mainland if absolutely needed. Parts for vintage gear is always a question of availability. Capacitors can usually be substituted. Semiconductors, depending on what they are can be sub'ed as well. Semiconductors usually dont cause the main problem unless an amp has been abused, output shorted, etc, but its not out the question that the device failed. Be watchful for manufacture specific special purpose IC devices that are no longer produced. If special parts go bad, then you are on the hunt for a donor to pull the chips from. Sourcing replacement parts from Mouser.com can be useful. There are other suppliers as well, Google the device you want to replace. The best advice I can give, is to relax. Dont rush. Dont be impatient for a quick fix. If your amp recently failed, buy one that can play in your system while you fix the good stuff. At this point you may be thinking, "This guy is off the rails, nothing he said will get my "device" fixed". --- Welcome to the world of Vintage Gear! You will be fine. Use an approach of logic, troubleshooting, or sending out for repair. As Clint Eastwood would have said "A man's got to know his limitations"

Someone forwarded this to me..., I can relate..., "Expert mode"...

The Animals Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (LIVE The Ed Sullivan Show)

"A slow and mysterious but eventually...a composed spell…a world flush with wonderment and puzzle and mystery."

Counting Crows Time And Time Again (LIVE Richmond Virginia July 11 2010)

Went to see Blazing Saddles at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. To top it off Mel Brooks came out for a Q&A afterwards. An amazing evening!

I don't care if people don't like or do like, Rambo movies. I for one, like them, and am looking forward to the next one, with this concept trailer..., some say the role get's handed off to rotating actors..., a la James Bond? The point being that audiences are not yet done with Rambo, and their desire for another in the series - even if Stallone wants to get out of the franchise..., or is too old for it, or..., Time gets everything, eventually.

Welcome @JRBARNES. So glad you found us. and, you are welcome!!, glad we could all collectively help drive you to refresh your gear... and, by the way, we LOVE pictures. Show us your gear..., and if you recorded your refresh, share your story... 😉 Start a thread in the appropriate forum (amp, preamp, etc.)

First being a consumer of audio products myself before being a dealer and later a partner with Bob, I've seen it all. I had no idea how deep seated the snakes were in audio. Honestly, you couldn't make it up. This is not a rant. It's just advice to consider when spending your money and seeking the best for you. Most often, people of means to buy these limited production products, did not gain their wealth by spending foolishly and value is still appreciated. Having owned an aerospace manufacturing company for decades and accustomed to one of the most regulated industries on earth, audio is truly a wild west of conflicting information and deception for a consumer to attempt to navigate in order to spend their money wisely. IMHO this is really sad and consumers deserve better. It's destructive to the niche market for these products for both companies and consumers, IMHO. This post is not meant to discourage people from entering the hobby, but more as a guild to hopefully save consumers the frustration and expense that comes with being educated by industry snakes and lab rats. If a company won't let you audition their audio product without restocking fees, I suggest you walk away. Don't fall into the BS of listening for chocolate in a wire or the premise that a designer chasing specs like SINAD provides a higher quality listening experience. There is no free lunch in audio design. Some of the best measuring products come and go like the wind. More often than not, companies get great reviews in the pay to play world of food flavor adjectives, hear by number and sci-fi physics, only to fail in the actual market when compared directly to others making music. You have likely noticed the brand of the month in audio publications. Every month there is a new brand that is a game changer with either an improved number or richer chocolate, to prevent the consumer from finding contentment and to keep buying more, chasing an illusion of improved audio based in words and charts of very limited value to the customer in making their decision. What are the snakes? Snakes are products with no basis in science. The list is long. Companies actually invent products and create a market for problems that don't actually exist. This is really sad. Physicist and real engineers, like those from regulated industries in which snake oil is called aerospace fraud, with lives a stake, are laughing at the snakes in the industry, I can assure you. This is damaging to a great industry made up of mostly passionate people busting their butts to deliver a more pleasing experience and overall value for the customers they are loyal to. Snakes do not care about the customer, they want the customers money and do as little as possible to provide actual value to the customer. If the company is telling you what you will hear, and not offering a trial offer without needing a restocking fee from you. Think about it before spending your hard earned cash. Talk is cheap. Make them earn your money without risk to you. Sonic results talk. Tell the BS to walk. What are lab rats? Lab rats are at the other end of the spectrum. These are those claiming to have truth and standing in judgment based on simplistic numbers as a representation of customer value. The lab rats steer customers based on absurd claims and ranking of products, claiming that a number like SINAD further below audibility equals a better value for the customer. Numbers don't lie right? Recommending or discouraging customer purchases with this entirely erroneous perspective, is possibly more damaging to the hobby than the snakes. The value to the consumer is less than worthless. So what can a consumer do to get beyond the extremist at both ends of this spectrum disorder? Hear for yourself. Don't believe any salesman selling science fiction physics or a guy playing a BS game of SINAD of 120 will sound better than 100, and taking a poll based on followers who read his numbers.. Don't follow, lead. If the SINAD game was audio reality, they would show up at audio shows and put everyone else to shame. Here again, if a lab rat is trying to tell you what you will hear based on a numbers game, don't believe them until you hear for yourself. They are no more credible than the snakes, just a different angle on their game of leveraging misunderstanding. In no way am I saying believe me, if fact I'm saying don't believe me. What I am saying, is hear audio for yourself. Audio and hearing are inseparable. Fundamentally, you can not read about it with enough relevance to make a good decision. If you can't hear a product without a restocking fee, the company already knows they have trouble competing in the cold hard realty of the customers system in their home driving a wide variety of loudspeakers. We call it The Carver Amplifier Challenge. Step right up snakes and lab rats. We have a trap set for both of you that offers the customer 100% satisfaction by helping consumers sort through this maze of misinformation. Regardless of the brand they choose to purchase, a happy customer will result from the value offered by one outstanding designer or another. The customer and industry will be better off. Honestly, lets save the consumers the endless confusion and let them hear audio products for themselves at home, without taking money from them if they choose another brand. $799 or $24,999, don't charge them 10-15% to experience your product at home making music compared to ours. This industry has been in contraction for more than 30 years. Putting the customer first, may slow the contraction of the hobby from within caused by both the extremist snakes and lab rat deception. Make companies waive their restocking fee in writing so you can hear the truth for yourself without losing money. I've been working with the owner (Bob Carver himself) just over 2 years now. We do not play games with the customers money. A good competition driving loudspeakers in the customers home is fair enough. This educates the customers by experience, being of far more value than the confusion being sold by both the snakes and the lab rats. Jim Clark Director of Operations Bob Carver LLC.. CEO BC Audio LLC.. 4563 Hydraulic Rd Rockford, IL, 61109 jim@bobcarvercorp.com

The nearest cat gets swooped up for a dance...the transfer of tenderness.

What a voice

Sweet Dreams soundtrack (Patsy Cline)

welcome!

Aloha kakahiaka and Welcome to the Carver Site. In the manuals section of the site, you will find only one of the two service manuals that you are looking for. It will be the PM 1400, the 950 is not listed. Carver Manuals - TheCarversite!

Foreigner Urgent

John Coltrane, Coltrane Plays The Blues

Sadly, I think the mother died, recently..., April of 2022.

John Coltrane Quartet, Crescent

Hello to everyone ,I would like say Thank you to everyone here , it is because of you I have a modded , recapped and working Carver C1 and TFM15CB. Thanks

Greetings thecarversite members! I had joined about ten years ago when I was busy restoring my dad's old MXR-130 reciever and needed technical advice. My account was likely deactivated due to non- use as life situations changed pretty dramatically for me then. But I'm back and so is my focus on my home audio equipment! John from Massachusetts.

Welcome!

Hello all. I recently acquired some carver gear. An M500t amp and a TFM 35 amp. Looking for some direction on the M500. I understand it’s a dual voltage unit using low and high voltages on the rails. My issue is the relay doesn’t close upon power up. I’m leaning toward the op amp or something in that circuit. All the rectifiers check out good but I’m only getting around 30v on the low V side. Not the 40v it’s showing in the manual. The relay is good as I have supplied 24v to the coil to test it. I know these amps are different than most I’ve worked on but I’m ready to tackle this one. Thanks in advance for any input and I look forward to interacting with all of you. Cheers.

Welcome to the site!! Nice post on the 15cb meter repair.

TP3 or TP4 to ground is 5.1vdc. TP1,2 to ground is 100mvdc. I checked all of the outputs and they test fine. I’m thinking another transistor on the board ?

If you have 5.1V between TP3 and TP4 ....... your amp is on fire.

For all the Dukes of Carversite...

yup. I first would look at the ratings to see which one my parents would allow me to see, then I would ask/beg them to take my brothers and me. Looking at this page, I remember them taking us to Return of the Jedi, Superman III, and War Games.

So... My daughter decided to surprise us with a visit home from college over the weekend. She has a list of "old" films she wanted to watch with me. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - she immediately noticed the 500t in his bedroom scene. American Psycho - "Dad - don't you have that stack set up in the spare bedroom?" My job as a parent is complete - kids who actually notice their dad's hobby.

Seeing @AndrewJohn's suggestion of Spaghetti Westerns got me thinking about some of the classic ones, but then I thought, no, this is one of the few movies I will always tune in, if it happens to be playing: This is a perfect example of how "nobody is safe" from the hilarious barbs of Mel Brooks' humour. It's also a movie that could never be made in this day and age - it's as far from politically correct as you can get, but Brooks targets everyone equally. Every time I watch it, there's something new that I see to laugh at. A guilty pleasure, to say the least.

Oldie but a goodie!

I have a long list of these - (I’m probably going to embarrass myself here!) Road House Aliens Lethal Weapon (1 and 2) Kill Bill (1 and 2) Smokey and the Bandit (1 only) Cannonball Run Predator Commando