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Returning in this audiophile passion I have bought two Carver amps , a TFM45 and a TFM25, in a "Only for spare parts "condition .... The 25 start runing easy after recap and relay clean , but the 45...... After some extra time (on year) I finally repair it. the failure appears after some months . Changing all output transistor and insulation pads finally don't fail any more. Really I enjoy it so much

I’m Don in Georgia. I own a set of Amazing Loudspeakers, 2 TFM-45 power amps and a CT-17 PreAmp and tuner. I bought them all new back in 1987. I still use them often and have them paired with a Thorens 320 Mark III turntable a nakamichi CR3A cassette deck and Denon CD player, Sony CD changer, Sony DVD. I look forward to collaborating with the group here to keep up with Carver products and services.

I had my complete system stolen and now I’m starting over. Just purchased a M1.5t and need it upgraded. Anyone who can send me phone number of someone who does the opt2 upgrade pls send it to me. Thanks, Chris text me at XXX-XXX-XXXX or just reply to the message

I'm New to this Forum and just wanted to say hi. I own 2 Carver MXR-130's, one of which was bought in the 80's. Looking forward to reading interesting opinions and ideas.

My name is Ron, and I grew up in a family Television & Stereo Sales and service, business until the closing 15 years ago. Having been in the business since I was young, I have seen and owned alot of different makes and models of receivers, and amplifiers. I had purchased a Sunfire Grand Cinema amp and processor, and was enjoying the awesome sounds from them until my shop was burgularized 5 years ago. At that time of my loss, I purchased another amp and processer, but the amp had a humming sound from it, so I ended up putting them in storage, until now. I have recently purchased 2 more Sunfire amps and one of these ended up not turning on, but I can at least say that I am once again enjoying the sound I get from my the other amp that works and the processer that i had in storage. What brought me here is I am in the search for service manuals for the 2 amps I need to repair. I do have Sams Photos facts from volume one, so if anybody is looking for television manuals, it is possible, that I can dig them out. Thank you all. Ron

Hello all! Picked up the vintage audio bug during the pandemic. Buying, selling, recently started repairing, and enjoying. The 2 pieces I've kept and won't give up are a TFM-35, and TFM-35X. The 35X powers a pair Klipsch Forte 2's in my living room. And the 35 runs some Polk RTA-15TL's in the garage. I don't want to turn this post into a Help Me post, but I had an issue with the 35 that cooked one of the TL's, so I'll be learning a new skill or 2 (replacing voice coils, and tracking down and replacing output transistors) Anyway, glad to be here!

Hey now - happy weekend everyone! Vintage everything - audio, boats, cars, tools, etc. for me. My C-2, M-500t, and TX-2 were purchased in 1984. Sources include [all mint]: (a) Yamaha Dual Cassette ~ KX-W952, (b) Sony DAT ~ DTC59ES, (c) Pioneer CD Player ~ PDR-W39, (d) Nakamichi Cassette Player ~ 682ZX, (e) Nakamichi Cassette Player ~ Dragon, and a (f) Pioneer Open Reel ~ RT-909. My music taste is old school: Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, Santana, Steely Dan, Stones, etc. This relevant because of the range in acceptable quality - especially collecting, making, and trading Grateful Dead tapes in the 70s. Sources for shows back in the real bootleg days were hard to come by, so in 1978 when we were living in the SAE house and SNL was at it's prime - we were happy with anything new to us. Previously, I had a Sony D-7 with microphones wired into a hat worn backwards - it would get smuggled into shows - leaving me with great audience tapes (until it wasn't programmed properly at Rocky Grass and I ran it over with my truck...but I digress). I'm not a taper in the Grateful Dead sense. Those folks got special tickets to bring their gear in to the shows, had a special section, and often were rewarded with soundboard patches. Anyway, I've redone a basement room and setting it all up after a couple years of moving and have a couple question: Can anyone tell me how to go about incorporating Atlantic Technologies AW-5, and Polk Audio PSW-111 subwoofers with the C-1? The first tape deck acquired was a Pioneer 707 back in 1978. It wasn't used much before my kid sister was killed in an auto accident just before Christmas - and I gave it to a friend to store - which he has all these years. My daughter is now 40 and it was going to be a present for her - but the deck disappeared from the UPS Store #4526 in Lenoir, TN. We have a receipt and a shipping label, but it never made it into the system, and I suspect was an inside job. It's insured, but that's irrelevant. Please be on the look out, and pass this around if you think appropriate. I'd like it back. So that's it for me now - back to hooking it all up - thanks for the vine. MT

Runing 1975, after my last class in the university, I decided to walk along Corrientes Av. in Buenos Aires down town, just to have a break before return to may house ... Hided in the street noice , I could detect a very good sound coming from a record store , Once inside I can enjoy a wonderfull deep bass, clear saxophone solo and incredible presence for all the musicians .Incredible sound, the LP was "Mr Magic" by Grover Washington Jr. After some short time I fall in love with the album and take one with me . For sure the first thing that I done arrived at home was to play the disc in my decent gear Audinac (Local audio equipement manufacturer) HOWEVER !!!!!!!..... The saxofon musician must be in the toilette right now?,,,,,the drumer drinking a bier ? ,and all the others looking a football game.....? Where did I lost my magic sound??? The record is the same ...must be some part in my audio chain?.... Looking for answers in the Shop I saw: Garrard 401 whit shure M91ED Mc Intosh Amp. Two Tannoy Gold coax. in a Karlson box.....sooo.....nothing to do........ After that I never stop looking for new equipment

For the longest time I knew Hugh Grant as the kitschy rom-com actor, and I never gave him much thought (except for Love, Actually - the most guy-watchable rom-com of all time). However - I saw him in last year’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre with Jason Statham, and I have to say, Hugh Grant flat out stole the show. His dialogue and delivery were marvelous, and he played the creepy billionaire perv perfectly. Then, my son drags me to see Heretic the other night, and again, I’m treated to a master-class performance by Hugh Grant. The movie itself is pretty mid, but Grant’s performance was spectacular. I now find myself optimistically anticipating his next role, and wondering WHY he waited until so late in his career to treat us to this level of acting…? https://youtu.be/7g-vhmIEvX0?si=Ff6g469XDneB__Hx https://youtu.be/jpWUOxRozZg?si=HlgOe7_h_OHZ0kVu

...although, many never learn...

Hi Everyone, I am new to this site when hope I landed to the right place for Carver matter and have been reading some valuable posts & info about Carver amplifiers that I have one particular C-500 model. It's been quite some time since I had it but never had connected to any system until recently when interconnected it with the preamp. It sounded great for no more/less 5 minutes then the Left-Channel started with cracking sound intermittently distorted then completely silent. By checking the 3 fuses, the AC line is good while the Left-Channel fuse was already burned!....At that point the R-Channel was still functioning but I didn't have time to check further around early 2022... Last week, turned it on and heard a a light pop which is the R-Channel fuse!.... Fast forward, I checked the power transistors and it seems to be at least one if not more is/are shorted!... I would like to see if I could learn from anyone who has experiences with C-500 repair and I have some questions below if anyone could help? 1- What is the proprietary code name of the Power Trans Motorola C1000 (7952) equivalent to Motorola's conventional # MJ15024? 2- What source could I purchase the transistors nowadays with reliable (original) trans 3- In some post I read, someone mentioned to replace all 20....while my C-500 has 16x C1000 and 4x RCA410 (7916), what does that mean? Appreciated!

BobTFM35 Thank you and I will search based on the info you provided about the upgrade.

Hi AndrewJohn Thank you and I will search based on the info you provided. Have a great weekend!

Hi new to the site, have had a CT-7 with a PM175 since '86 or so... recently acquired 2 PM-350's. The PM-l75 will go to Nellion for upgrades as it pushes my Klipsh KP-201's with l&r subs just fine!

Just picked up a pair of Carver Amazing Platinum speakers at auction. One works. The other tests open across the ribbon. Im hoping it might be a repairable solder joint/break somewhere simple but before disassembling I thought I would seek guidance from someone who has done this before. Im not interested in investing any money. If the ribbon cant be fixed I will sell the set. First thing I would like to check are the connections to the PCB top and bottom. Is it as simple as loosening the bolts along the ribbon housing?

Status update. I found a small crack in the ribbon and tried to use silver conductive paint but it did not seem to work. My second attempt using aluminum foil worked. We removed and glued all the magnets back in. It looks like the magnets had previously been removed and the polarity was incorrect for a number of them. We built a rig and somehow did not damage the ribbon when putting it back together. It worked! Next up. One of the tweeters is much quieter than the other. The repaired ribbon is much brighter and louder/brighter than the other. It may be the amp is under powered, the caps need to be changed, or there is a fault in the untouched ribbon. As time allows I will put a meter on the untouched ribbon. Beyond that, changing caps is possible, replacing the amp is not due to budget concerns. Thoughts, comments, suggestions always welcome.

Claire Martin:

Thank you! Three years is tough to beat especially with my setup although for sure I will be a bit more careful this time 😇. I reached out to Greg. Thanks again.

I think everyone here that owns a piece of Sunfire gear would like the schematics. If you do pull the amp think about the following. Since you are on the West Coast you have an EXCELLENT Carver service center just above you in the state of Washington. This makes your shipping bill less than what it would cost me to send my two amps from the East Coast. I have done it and would not hesitate to do it again. One of the good things, and you would have to get varification from him, is the warranty. He provides One(1) year not the typical shops 90 days. I would reach out to; https://carveraudiorepair.com/index.html The second place to contact would be here and ask questions. Greg services a wide variety of audio amplifiers as you will see in this link. He is hands down the best. https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/repairs/general-amplifier-preamp-receiver-repair-r24/ Look at this page and pick any amp and scan down to where he tells you what the warranty is. https://nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/carver/carver-amplifiers/ Three (3) years, that's how confident he is. And good. My son and I have had many Carver, Sunfire, and Phase Linear pieces done by both. Wish you well!

LOOK OUT!!! "Curves Ahead"

I was surfing the web the other night and had this pop up. Never was much of a fan of the original, but this gal’s voice just blew me away. Incredible rendition…

Thanks, I was mistaken the Atlantic sub was 212 SB.

Jazmin Ghent, Dr. Jaz was released on August 15, 2024. Dr. Jazmin Ghent is an award-winning international jazz saxophonist and educator. Over her brief career, she has become a decorated leader for the new generation of jazz, R&B, and gospel. Jazmin’s start in the jazz industry was the Show Your Talent competition aboard the Smooth Jazz Cruise (2014). You can read the rest of the review here... Not much else I could find on the net as far as reviews go, but if you like sax driven smooth jazz in the same flavor as David Sanborn, you will most likely love this album, and all five of Dr. Ghent's albums.

Welcome, @Dallas797, so glad you found us. At the seminal days of Carver Corp (post Phase Linear), Bob modeled this amp after the PL-400, with additional row of transistors. Like other designs, Bob Carver used existing parts - many of which were for automotive applications. By now, some of these are no longer available, so it becomes a task of finding more recent replacements that fit the purpose. there is a thread on c1000 on DIY Audio..., https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/replacement-transistors-for-long-tailed-pair-please.326664/ A little more googling, might turn up more discussions. Another source would be to go to White Oak Phase Linear, as they provide full upgrade kits to the Phase Linear precursor to this amp..., just google WOPL. I'm short of time at the moment, or I'd look a bit more for you. And, someone here might also have the answer.

Use the SEARCH feature of the site, or browse the forum for speakers (scroll down on home page)..., I'm not sure, but I am guessing someone had a project they documented and shared what glue they used for this purpose. One thing, if you pull the ribbons to get access to the solder connection, good. just don't disassemble the ribbon assembly. that will lead to disaster, as the magnets are under tension, and without the jig that @sea has, you'll never get them back together. good luck, and we LOVE pictures - post picks of your project, when you can, and that solder connection - others may be able to help more with pictures.

Welcome to the Carver Site! Amazing that you have had your Carver gear since 1987. I couldn't afford Carver gear back then (Poor college student).. but, always wanted it. Now, I can't get enough (you'll read about OCCD "obsessive Carver collecting disorder" here on this site. I am afflicted. ). You'll find lots of like-minded and helpful folks on this site.

Boney James, Slow Burn was released on October 18, 2024. "Garlanded smooth sax maestro, BONEY JAMES has just released this new album – his 19th as leader. His coterie of dedicated fans will be delighted with the ten tracker as too will anyone who appreciates classy, melodic smooth jazz with a soulful undertow." You can read the rest of the review here...

Went to my local Record store and scored this album. It was from an estate purchase of a gentleman's jazz collection. Was blown away to see first pressings in such good condition. Got this one for $10.95 the balance of the collection was $60 and above. Can only find one song from the album,

ELO One Summer Dream

Yeah, thanks. So still not back from George Meyer AV in LA. Tech is very competent and got the amp section working (he said he had never seen one this bad LOL) but the input stuff is acting up. I would love a set of schematics. GMAV is excellent but maybe it's time I pulled it from them and gave it to a specialist- ugh. Just trying not to ship it. The owner was stunned that it was the amp that I was bringing in. He said they always get the speakers driven by a 600 brought to them with their cones blown out. Polks: 1 Sunfire 600: 0 LOL.

Next step...... Stop doing chores, stop shaving and get a wild-eye look going. Then, start collecting speakers. You got this.

Humble Pie Gov't Mule

"Comparison is the thief of joy". - T. Roosevelt (though.... origination of this quote is debated).

I worked on one of these for a friend. It was formerly Bill D's amp. There were wrong value resistors stuffed in one channel around the bias trim pot. I suggest checking all part values against schematic. We replaced all output transistors, but I don't have records what we used.

Marion Meadows, Just Doing Me was released on Oct 25, 2024. "Just Doing Me, Marion’s most intimate and heartfelt album to date, takes the listener on a sensuous journey through a soundscape of brilliant original compositions and masterful improvisations." You can read the rest of the review here...

Rei Narita, Shoot for The Moon was released on Nov 10, 2024, "Rei Narita is often called Asia’s foremost pioneer of Smooth Jazz, but he merits specific comparisons that reflect his melodic excitement and rhythmic energy. The wildly prolific artist, who has released an astounding 20-plus singles over the past three years, may remind you of adventurous genre greats like David Benoit and Brian Culbertson. The sparkle, fire, groove and dynamic improvisations on his latest ambitious, well-titled single “Shoot for the Moon” expresses the artist's intention to create a new type of music that has evolved from Smooth Jazz... Pushing the musical envelope, or shooting for the moon in this case." https://www.smoothjazz.com/jazzblasts/jetstream/49822/rei-narita

@Dallas797, be sure to come back here, and post what you found, and where. There aren't very many threads on the c-500 amp, and your experience may help others. We LOVE pictures, share some of your gear if you can 😉

I wish I could do that, maybe later. On my way to the gym for leg day. The goal for today is to squat 270 lbs for a set of 60 reps. Longer term is to do 270 (or more) for a set of 70. Some caveats, I can't do barbell squats because of arthritic shoulders, so this is on a machine. 270 lbs on the machine feels like 225 on a barbell. For my 51st brithday, I squatted 225 for a set of 51, and I'd like to do something comparable for my upcoming 70th. I've only got about a couple of months to go. 🤞🤞🤞

Those two tracks are really good!! Lights turned down low with a good drink in hand just chilling out. Sweet!

Lynn Cannon, Euphoria was released on April 12, 2024. "Following years of playing shows in local clubs and special events, Lynn started recording original contemporary Jazz music during the fall of 1998, which has evolved into his debut CD, Smooth Sailing, followed by Walk In The Park in ‘2001. Further gems of the past are his albums Working It (2002), Let’s Go (2021), Layin’ It Down! (2022) and Just Chillin’ (2023). His new album is Euphoria! (2024)." You can read the rest of the bio here... Another one that I can find very little about other than Mr. Cannon's short bio... Mr. Cannon is a great jazz pianist. I'm enjoying this album a great deal.

@Dallas797 Welcome to the Carver site!! I am no expert on this amp nor any other for that matter. In looking at the service manual that is available here on the Carver Site I can possibly see why that poster mentioned to replace all 20. The RCA410 comes before the C1000's, so it might have some control over the four, so replacement might be necessary. That one looks to be some sort of gate keeper or gate driver for the other four in the line. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. Here is a picture of the back of the C500 showing the items and hopefully what you have on yours, I don't have any cross reference on what to replace those items with. I would reach out to Greg here Carver Amplifiers - Services - Nelion Audio to see if he can restore this amp. I hope someone comes along to better help in the repair of your unit and give you guidance. Wish you well with the repair of your unit.

Welcome!! Looking forward to seeing pictures of your speakers, as @AndrewJohn suggested.

Welcome!

Billie Holiday, Solitude (album)

I found that the solder connection on the ribbon is open but the ribbon is okay. If I can resolder the connection it should/may work. I am moving slowly and carefully which is not my nature. I am trying to figure out how to access the end of the ribbon without damaging it. Anyone have any suggestions on what type of glue would be used for the fiber board surrounding the ribbon? The old glue has dried out.

Welcome, @danfree, glad you found TheCarverSite! You'll want to reach out to @sea, a member here, who does ribbon repair. Bob Carver has authorized and approved his technique and materials. Taking apart the ribbon is not a DIY task, it will never get put back together without the proper jig as the magnets will not position properly. Sorry to break it to you, but you will likely have to spend some money if you want to hear these in all their glory. Working, they sell in the $750+ range, fully restored with fully restored ribbons in both speakers, they can go for much more. But it takes investment. One thing you might do, is watch for a ribbon on Ebay, from a set that someone is parting out. Still, hang around here, and let us know what you do next. Glad you found us.

I have the same amp and yes it is wonderful in many ways. HOWEVER, "in for minor repairs" is frightening. I bought mine used and broken because it sat in a reputable repair shop for almost a year for "minor repairs". Most shop cannot work on these things. They can certainly make them worse. Consider getting it to Greg here (nelion audio). This is not a plug for Greg. It is a rescue mission for a fallen soldier that needs a specialist.