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Glad to be here, new member from Virginia. Recently got interested in Carver and have acquired several units: C1 pre - I would like to recap this soon M1.0t - Hopefully the MKII opt 2 is in order M500t - Also hoping to do the MKII A set of ALIIIs I'm planning on bi-amping the ALIIIs with the M500t running the ribbons and the M1.0t running the subs. Any advice/recommendations?

Greetings! I recently learned about this site while browsing YouTube videos relating to repair/restoration of vintage Carver amplifiers. I myself am a "vintage" electronic engineer and former owner of an audio retail store (August Systems) and an electronic repair shop (Audio-Video Service Center) located in East Central Illinois. During my retail career I was a Carver dealer and authorized service center. Those parts of my career began in the 1970's and extended into the late 1990's. These day's I'm semi-retired but still restoring/repairing vintage audio gear for my friends and family. This includes Carver and Phase Linear products. My experience is that nearly all vintage Carver/ Phase Linear products can be restored and enjoyed for many years. As a Carversite member I hope to be able to provide assistance to those who are repairing/restoring Carver gear. Here's my personal contribution to Carver history: Only two products were available during the very first year of the "Carver" brand name: These were the C-4000 "sonic holography" preamp and its companion C-500 power amplifier. These items were updated/modernized versions of Bob Carver's previous Phase-Linear 4000 preamp and 400 power amplifier. They looked and sounded great. But except for the addition of the "sonic holography" feature to the C-4000, their circuit designs were still fairly conventional. The real excitement happened about a year later with the initial release of Bob Carver's M-400 "cube" power amplifier: 200Wpc in an unbelievably small and lightweight box. As a young audio engineer I was entranced by the brilliant circuit design of the M-400. It contained two ingenious (but extremely logical) improvements compared to traditional solid-state power amplifiers: 1) The "magnetic field" power supply circuit: The primary winding of the main power transformer was supplied by an active triac circuit which reduced the conduction angle from full cycles of incoming mains AC to much shorter "pulses" controlled by the triac. Under the "no-signal" condition the pulses of AC feeding the power transformer primary were only a few msec in duration. As more power was demanded the triac conduction angle increased to maintain a regulated DC output voltage from the secondaries of the power transformer. Both the primary and secondary windings of the main power transformer required a much lower inductance compared to a "standard" 60Hz power transformer. This reduced the size/weight of the "magnetic field" power transformer to about 1/3 of a "conventional" 60Hz power transformer with the same ratings. 2) The 3-step "commutating" DC +/- rail voltages applied to the audio output stage. This greatly increases the power efficiency of the amplifier when driving loudspeakers with typical music audio signals. Audio signals have a very high "peak-to-average" power ratio. This can be as high as 20dB. The average power output is often <10W, but when a musical peak comes along >200W will be required for a few msec. Traditional solid-state power amplifiers apply the full B+ voltage (+/-75V DC for 200Wpc) at all times to the collectors of the output transistors. But during "normal" listening < 20% of this voltage and power is being fed into the loudspeakers. The remainder is dissipated in the form of heat by the output transistors. This is why conventional high-power solid-state amplifiers require such massive heatsinks. In contrast the Carver M-400 has additional +/-25V and +/-50V DC power supply rails. A system of diodes and "commutating" transistors varies the collector voltage applied to the main output stage from +/-25V up to the full +/-75V, rising just high enough to prevent clipping. Most of the time, while listening to music, only the +/-25V power supplies are active. This reduces output transistor power dissipation of by a factor of about 8 times. In other words, much less power is wasted in the form of heat. This is why the M-400 doesn't require large heatsinks for the output transistors: The aluminum case itself provides a sufficient heatsink surface area. Each later model Carver amplifier after the M-400 improved the efficiency and audio quality. To the best of my knowledge nearly all of Carver's later solid-state amplifier designs were improved and scaled-up versions of the circuit design first introduced in the M-400. Best regards, Elecdonia

As Andrew stated, that amp will drive any <$1000 speaker system with ease. It would even drive Infinity Kappa 9, although not at what I call “room pressurizing” levels. If you want to hear a set of speakers that do really well at what the 901s don’t do well, try some vintage Polks, or even some vintage Klipsch. The 901s excel at imaging, but suffer a bit in the bass and treble ranges. Polk and Klipsch do both very well, and sub $1,000 options abound. Be warned though, vintage Polks can be a rabbit hole...

The Cars Dangerous Type (Music Video)

The Fixx Stand Or Fall

Hello Elecdonia, and welcome to thecarversite.com. We're glad you're hear. There is a lot of information here, much technical know how, and a pretty good bunch of folks that are happy to help. That's an impressive pedigree! It's great to have you onboard, and I look forward to reading your posts. Once you get to Novice status, please consider uploading some pics of your gear in the Members Systems area. We all like pics of all kinds of audio gear. In the meantime, kick your shoes off, turn up the music, and welcome aboard.

Welcome @Elecdonia, glad you are here. What Audio Gear to you run, these days? Interesting you mention the C-500. I am attached to mine, with the later 4000t preamp driving it.

It's always great when someone who was involved with Carver, back in the day, joins - especially when they are active in looking after gear, still. You'l find lots of kindred spirits, here, along with a mixed bag of other nutcases, like myself. All of us share a love for great audio, with a particular interest in the creations of Bob Carver.

@Sk1Bum I've got a friend who has done the BillD mod on his C1 and it sounds great! Definitely the route I will go

Hello Innovatejlb, and welcome to thecarversite.com. We're glad you're hear. There is a lot of information here, much technical know how, and a pretty good bunch of folks that are happy to help. A very nice set of Carver gear, and that is what I call jumping into the deep end of the pool. The mkII upgrades for the amps will transform them from great to stellar. For the C-1, I highly recommend the BillD upgrade along with the recap. The BillD C-1 with those amps running your ALIIIs should sound phenomenal. Once you get to Novice status, please consider uploading some pics of your gear in the Members Systems area. We all like pics of all kinds of audio gear. In the meantime, kick your shoes off, turn up the music, and welcome aboard.

A lot of Steely Dan songs can fall into the Creepy, or at least Disturbing realm. Two Against Nature has some real winners: Gaslightiing Abbie and Cousin Dupree out to be enough to rattle one's comfort zone quite thoroughly. Or go dig into the means of Kid Charlemagne and The Royal Scam for some fun.

I'm just bumpin that picture. Beautiful.

Sorry Daddyjt - you are WAY too straight & sober, and not into mysticism enough to understand Jon Anderson lyrics. 😀😀

Are you sure that's not about an old man trying to get a night's sleep?

Does anyone know WTF the lyrics to Roundabout by Yes mean?? "Roundabout" I'll be the roundabout The words will make you out 'n' out I spend the day your way Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley The music dance and sing They make the children really ring I spend the day your way Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley In and around the lake Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you I will remember you Your silhouette will charge the view Of distant atmosphere Call it morning driving thru the sound and even in the valley In and around the lake Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you Along the drifting cloud the eagle searching down on the land Catching the swirling wind the sailor sees the rim of the land The eagle's dancing wings create as weather spins out of hand Go closer hold the land feel partly no more than grains of sand We stand to lose all time a thousand answers by in our hand Next to your deeper fears we stand surrounded by million years I'll be the roundabout The words will make you out 'n' out I'll be the roundabout The words will make you out 'n' out In and around the lake Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there Twenty four before my love and I'll be there I'll be the roundabout The words will make you out 'n' out You spend the day your way Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley In and around the lake Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there One mile over we'll be there and we'll see you Ten true summers we'll be there and laughing too Twenty four before my love you'll see I'll be there with you