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Hello fellow Carverites. My name is Conrad and I've owned Carver audio equipment since 1988. My audio equipment was placed in storage in 1995 as problems started to appear with the pre amp and power amp and I didn't have time to spend trouble shooting. I retired in 2021 and decided to take it out of storage and get it back in operation. My audio system consists of: -C1 pre-amp which I refurbished in 2022 with the BillD mod. Sounds great. -M1.5t power amp which I re-capped and tuned in 2022. Sounds great and is my main amplifier. -PM1.5 power amp which I found at a pawn shop, I re-capped and tuned in 2024. The amp was in decent shape but had an intermittant right channel caused by several cold solder joints. This is my back up amp to the M1.5t. -TX 11a tuner. I haven't re-capped as it still operates well and sounds great. -TL-3300 CD player which I am starting the re-cap process as the left audio channel has intermittant low-level crackling. -KEF 104/2 speakers which I re-capped the crossovers with capacitors from Falcon Audio in the UK. Replaced the donuts of the woofers as they had deteriated. Cleaned and refreshed the ferrofluid in the tweeters as they had stopped working due to the 36 year old ferrofluid. -Speaker cables are clones of Nordost Vahalla cables which I built myself In 2023. -Turntable is an Oracle Alexandria MK III in gloss black with a Sumiko tonearm and Dyna Vector DV-20x2 MC cartridge. The turntable suspension was rebuilt with OEM components along with a new belt and a new DV cartridge installed in 2023. -Phono stage is a MOON 110LP which was pre-owned but not abused. My music is rock, jazz, blues from vinyl and CDs. I apologize for being so long winded, my background is that of an electronic engineering technologist from nearly 40 years ago. In my early years while in college, I worked as a bench technician for a TV and Stereo shop. After I graduated from college I worked as an electrician / electronic technologist at a large steel plant. I left there in '91 to pursue a different career until retirement. I'll post photos of the audio system once I'm able to. P.S. I downloaded the service manual for the TL-3300 CD player and noticed the schematic and other pages are missing from the PDF file. I wonder if any one has noticed this and my have a complete service manual. Thanks for reading, I look forward to chatting with you. Regards, Conrad.

Hello, all Bought decent Carver components ca. 40 years ago and enjoyed them for many years. Stuff has been out of use for a decade or more and needs refurb. I've joined here to research the options for refurbishment.. 2x MT 1.0 amps C-1 Preamp TX-11a tuner Amazing Loudspeakers (30 inch ribbon version) Links to repair shops/people wanted! -Gregor

Been following Carver for more than 40 years. Completely modded an M200t ten years ago..... Which still plays superb. Next is a PT-2400.

OK, that is my cue. Does a C-9 sound better than itself after recapping? I like to think of it this way. It will sound like it did when new and not so much like 40 years later. There are times when I believe that a rebuilt unit sounds better than an original, but I will say that seems to be more about some sort of synergy rather than a guarantee. The real question that I put out there is why would you use RCA jacks for a signal connection when you could upgrade considerably for another $20? The recap itself is also inexpensive at maybe $10-13 dollars. Actually pretty much of a guess there, but not over $15. There are a lot of other upgrades that can be done as such, but on one hand, I don't think that there is a large difference in sound. OTOH it still only costs maybe another $60 or something. In the end, I ask, doesn't it make sense to spend maybe $110 and get a unit rebuilt to last another 40 years? I could go on, but that is pretty much what I want to get across here. It isn't a very big investment in the audio hobby for this service. And if your good with a soldering iron, most of it could be done by yourself. I would even talk you through it. Welcome to the site

Old school meets new school. I wanted to use the WiiM Ultra as a global EQ Processor, to route any C1 source audio through the WiiM to take advantage of the graphic and parametric EQ that is in the WiiM. Old school in thought, and knowing the C1 has a so-called External Processor (aka, another tape loop) to route audio. In short, the WiiM Ultra has Input and Output RCA, just like any old-school EQ. Use it as such! Insert the WiiM into the External Processor loop. Then, the WiiM can be used as normal, UN-EQ'd source if you will. But if the SOURCE on the WiiM is RCA, then any sound source on the C1 will route. Use the EQ! Purists scoff! I dont care. My hearing is far from purists these days. I am looking for flexibility, to use what the WiiM has to offer. You choose!

Welcome @Gregor1234 to the Carver site!! For the first two items on your list I would use Nelion Audio General overall list https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/ For the C-1 https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/carver/carverpreamps/carver-c-1c-11-restore-and-bill-d-upgrades-r5/ For the 1.0 amps https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/carver/carver-amplifiers/carver-m-10t-mkii-opt002-restore-and-upgrade-r3/ After reading about what he can do with the C-1 and amps you will know that you have the correct person for your equipment. For the other two items I'm sure others will have suggestions. When you contact Greg @Nahash5150 ask about the tuner and speakers. Again Welcome!!

More pics

hello all and thanks, happy to be here. I just acquired my first Carver piece, an M500.

Hi Folks! Happy to be onboard. Thought I would sign up for manuals and other docs... decided to stay for the conversation(s). Current owner of: HR742 (Currently shelved due to poor solder in output stage.) CT-3 Preamp/Tuner and just acquired a TFM 6-c amplifier. Love the Sonic Holography soundstage. Viva Two-channel audio! Cheers! Tux

Greetings fellow Carver enthusiasts! I am pleased to find you and look forward to discussing anything Carver. I am a Carver owner since 1992. I have the Amazing Silver editions powered by the TFM45 with signal processing by the ECS-U and/or the C9. I reside in Clermont Florida and Franklin, NC. I am retired. My equipment was soured from a Carver dealer in Miami, Florida in September of 1992. For those in the know, that was the year South Florida was impacted by hurricane Andrew. Needless to say, it was a mutually rewarding transaction for both the dealer and myself all things considered. My equipment has been refreshed (caps, etc. on the amp and foam surrounds on the woofers) except the C9 and the ECS-U. For those in the know, I am curious if there is any detectable difference in the audio and/or presentation from a refreshed C9 as compared to my factory original? I much prefer the C9’s holographic presentation to that of the ECS-U. I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Schuitema (sky-ta-ma)

This is a hoot.

Surrender - Perry Como (#11 Top 30 List 1946)

Hazy Bong remix “The Vodoo Child”

Today is the 50 year anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Something I learned just today after watching a documentary - this recording was not a first take, it was the first time the band had ever played it. They tried recording more sessions but none were as good as this one, so this is what we have today. The only take, first time ever played by these guys! btw - it is still unknown how the ship went down.

Melody Gardot Summertime

The Old Lamplighter - Sammy Kaye (#18 Top 30 Hits 1947)

Hello and welcome to TCS! I too have been using a streamer lately and have found that I’m not playing my CD’s anymore. My streamer of choice is the WiiM Ultra and I love it. I also use a Topping E30 DAC. Tidal is so convenient and recommends artists I probably would have never found by myself. Again, welcome to the site.

Welcome! How will it sound compared to new condition in 1992? A recapped one should sound exactly the same. How will a restored version compare to a unrestored 1992 original? There's always the question whether the caps have deteriorated enough to the point they affect the sound. You won't know until you replace them. pulling them from the circuit and testing on a meter is required to find out, and by that point you might as well just replace them. The good thing- as mentioned above- is the C-9 is easy enough to work on and the parts count is small. it's not like you are trying to recap a multi channel receiver with a gazillion inputs. Grab the soldering iron and have some fun.

My daily dose. The Rippingtons, Curves Ahead (album)

King Cole Trio - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (#25 Top 30 1947

Thought I'd swing to some James Carter!!

John Coltrane, Blue Train (album)

Oops, that's the leadoff song. Here's another

Oh What It Seemed To Be - Frank Sinatra (#10 Top 30 1946)

So last month, after the latest discogs (dischogs?) update borked the Android app (and didnt do the website much in the way of favors either), I began a quest to create my own music curation library. Creating the database is the easy part, as is downloading my discogs library and filtering out the important features (artist name, title, year of release and a few other things). I have the DB populated and the install somewhat working and I can do a lot of work from the linux/OSX command-line interface (CLI). But now the fun begins! My ultimate goal is make this a standalone application that resides on either a desktop or a home network server. My OS of choice is Debian Linux but the install works on Linux (all flavors), Apple OS, and my Windows 10 VM. The fun part begins now: Coding the front-end! The idea is to have this run from a browser (pick a browser, any browser) and allow the user to upload records in single/batch mode, make edits to an entry and display the data based on search parameters. The fun part will be the API. The tricky part, and this is where I could use some feedback, creating something that can be accessible to the outside world. I would ultimately like to design it so that people can use this tool from their own network! This would require configuring their home network/desktop/whatever to allow outside access over a secure connection. It wouldn't tie into discogs, other than the initial data retrieval of your recordings. This is will simply show the curation of music that a given user has. It WILL NOT be located on a central server somewhere (no more sluggish behavior while trying to access discogs back-end). Just a simple application that allows you to make changes to your 'inventory'. No silly "Is this a specific pressing? Is it made of yellow vinyl vs black?" sort of nonsense. Just a way to track your inventory in a quick, simple browser interface on your home network (or perhaps your ISP if you have access to a and can utilize either MariaDB, MySQL or SQLite). The best thing is, it is open source and anyone will be able to download it make changes to improve the usability, accuracy, access speed. I suppose what I am looking for here is - would anyone be interested in using a tool like this, knowing you would have to be a part-time DB Admin? The good news is, the data involved would be somewhat small (it isn't like you are managing financial records where you can see upwards of 1.5M entries in a 24 hr period - trust me, it is a bloody pain in the ass). Thoughts? Ideas? Good idea or total rubbish?

My daily dose: The Rippingtons, Moonlighting (album)

The Rippingtons, Fountain Of Youth (album)

You are so correct!!!

Playlist tonight is, Topaz Kilimanjaro Life in the Tropics Moonlighting Tourist in Paradise

Surprisingly, I got a response from Andi Howard. "Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons have retired so no touring unfortunately . You can still purchase Rippingtons catalogue on Amazon" I told Andi that I was looking for SACD, but I guess (s)he thought I was asking about CDs.

Saturday In The Park - Chicago V Album

Do a REW analysis then the Wiim I would think. But what would I know as I use a DriveRack PA2 with the C1 for balancing out my room.

Pretty cool, actually. I usually have some kind of EQ hooked up through that C1 external processor loop, though I rarely do any "EQ'ing". I generally keep things as flat as possible... (else I start second guessing myself and what I'm actually hearing, then I get pulled down a rabbit hole and spend hours trying to optimize). But, I like to know I have the EQ capability if I need it. And, as I have noted several times on this site, I do like to watch the bouncing lights :). Does the Wiim work as an analyzer, too?....... ie, can you optimize EQ settings for the room using a placed microphone, etc?

Santana Flor De Luna

Excellent use of the WiiM's flexibility.

Acoustic Alchemy, American/English (album)

The Rippingtons, Brave New World (album)

Amy Macdonald - Mr Rock n Roll

Ahhhhh...The 70's...

5 is good too. The album he did with Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido is great. Clapton's tribute to JJ Cale

Richard Elliot, Straight Up Down (album)

3rd Force, Gentle Force (album)

My usual recipy. Update Caps to Elna Silmic II, Nichicon, change all resistors to non-inductive, double PSU capacity , updated rectifiers, new RCA's + screw speaker connectors, cables PTFE copper/silver , resolder tracks/components with 2% Ag solder, new power socket. After this update the clip indicator nearly NEVER light up when pushed the max.....;-)

Pink Floyd just released this 25 min single ahead of their 50th anniversary album next month

My daily dose of The Rippingtons. True Stories (album)

First band I ever saw in person...

A little PF to start the day...(1968)