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Thanks all, very good tips! I much appreciate it. I have since learned this does have a newer N14 stylus, but ME103 cartridge is the OEM, as mentioned by @3M_Audio. I think that's what the seller was talking about... that he had replaced the stylus with something he felt was superior. Well, I'll set it up tonight, grab some vinyl and give her a go. See what I've got on my hands. Again, appreciate the tips.

I have no experience with that Shure cartridge. My experience has been with the Stanton 681EEE, and the Ortofon 2M Bronze (very nice) and the Ortofon 2M Black (even nicer). The Ortofon 2M Bronze and Black share the same body, so the upgrade to Black just requires the upgraded stylus. I don't think the Stanton 681 EEE is available anymore, though replacement stylus are available.

Shure made tons of cartridges and an old cross reference sheet I have says the ME103 was, in fact, an OEM model. The replacement stylus is the N14 which is a .4x.7 elliptical tracking at 1.5 - 3 grams. I can't speak to the merits of that particular stylus, but I'd balance it up and put on some music and see what you think. Shure made some excellent cartridge/stylus setups - and of course some not so great. And I'm sure the stylus could use a cleaning - Discwasher used to make a nice stylus cleaner kit which included some cleaning fluid (which I think was just 50/50 alcohol and distilled water). I can't recall the model of the cleaning kit but some google work would probably locate it. I'm sure there is a modern equivalent. BTW, Shure has a very good support site and even has some pictures explaining stylus wear. Good stuff.

Very nice. I like that as much as Jean Luc Ponty.

Lindsey Stirling, Duality was released on June 14, 2024. "Violinist Lindsey Stirling describes her latest album, aptly titled “Duality,” as two albums in one. The idea behind this name is that the twelve tracks on “Duality” come from, as the American artist says, two very different sides of herself. The result is Stirling’s most versatile album in years, featuring a diverse range of musical influences from around the world on one hand, and Stirling’s well-known combination of violin playing and electronic music on the other." You can read the rest of the review here...

Thanks for the warm welcome! I still haven't found a repair solution for my Ultimate Receiver II and it looks like I may be upgrading to later gen Sunfire TGR-3. It's similar spec as the Ultimate Receiver II with HDMI ports. I'm expecting it will use the same remote IR codes so I don't have to reprogram that. This is a pic of my media room.

So, I continue to proliferate my collection of gear... Since I have two systems going these days, I have rationalized a need for a second turntable (the word "need" is getting misused in this context" I'm sure ) Found a minty Technics SL D2 (I already have one and I love it). But it has this cartridge stylus combo I've never heard of... I googled it and got some info. Apparently SHURE made cartridges for Technics back in the day. But I can't find any reviews or comparisons to other cartridges. The guy who sold me the turntable says it is a fantastic cartridge. I was going to click the Amazon button and buy myself an Ortofon Blue, like I have on my other TT....but, thought I'd check the sellers claims first. The unit is such pristine condition, I'm inclined to believe him. Of course, I'll hook it up and listen to it too... Anyone have any experience with these? Are they any good?

Hey ya'll! I just found this site and thought I'd join. I'm a long time Carver fan from way back Love the True subwoofer and Sunfire Ultimate Receiver. My media room is my favorite place to be. Will post a pic later.

Davidc Your best bet is mount the cartridge and set the proper tracking weight and see whether it will collaspse to the body. If it doesn’t then playing it will very quickly tell you if it’s good to go I have a lot of old low output moving coils and most used silicone suspension and most are still aok I did have this V15 MM model but didn’t remember the suspension composition BTW- consider the tip profile made back then more than likely superior to what is made today since that was the pinnacle of the cartridge making era

Sorry to hijack...I have two Shure V15 Type V ME cartridges. Last used probably 30 yrs ago. Can the rubber connecting the stylus to the cartidge go bad? Should I replace it automatically if I'm going to hook it up again? The stylus itself I know isn't worn out. Can replacement styli be trusted to be just as good as original?

Kurt Flavin, Six String Heart was released on May 21, 2024. "Guitarist Kurt Flavin has just released his new album Six String Heart (2024). He is known for his technical skill and versatility in various genres of music like country music and blues. He has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has performed with numerous bands and artists." That's the only review I can find. This album shows his technical skill with the guitar, and I find it enjoyable. I'll play it occasionally, probably when I'm looking over my albums, run across it, and go, "oh yeah, this guy's pretty good." He has a little bit of twang in his jazz licks, a little bit (or maybe more) rockabilly, and some impressive finger speed. I'll give this one a 7.5 on the Sk1Bum scale.

Hello, I came upon this site while looking for a manual and schematic for a TFM 6-cb. This looks like a great user group and I hope to learn from the experience of others here. I am in my late 60s and this is the first solid state amplifier that I have owned. My audio interests have previously been with tube gear. I really like tube amps for how easy they are to restore, modify, and also because they seem like magic. My main amplifier is a Fisher X202-b, and I also listen to 1 wpc SET that is home brewed/up-cycled from a 50’s console. These sound great, but I wanted to expand my horizons a bit. Last night I just plugged in my first intentionally solid-state amp. This is a Carver TFM 6cb, which I just purchased on eBay. I was happy to find that it worked great, and sounded great to my ears. I listen in an average size bedroom, as a civilized, volume for a married man. I listen to blues, classic rock, and some jazz. My tastes and budget for audio gear is not too far up the scale. My need for wattage is also not very extreme, obviously. I first listened to a Carver amp at a stereo store in Minnesota in the 80s. I was very impressed then at the sound, but really did not have the money to act at the time. I purchased my TFM 6-CB from EBay this week, mainly for the purpose of hearing how it might drive my Cambridge Audio Ensemble speaker system, which I have had for few years (another EBay purchase). My Fisher tube amp, which puts out 16 watts of savage tube power, will adequately drive these speakers, but does require me to turn the volume knob up a bit. The Cambridge audio speakers are known to require higher current. Tubes, I understand, are voltage amplifiers rather than current amplifiers. Carver amps were held to be a good current source for these speakers back in the day, or so I have read it. The speakers which I usually use for my tube amps are Epos M12s. These are not especially sensitive (86 db) but are very easy to drive. I did enjoy what I heard last night of the new amp, and it does seem to drive the Cambridge Audio speakers very easily. I do like the Ensemble system for how flexible it is, letting me put the speakers exactly where I want them to be. If this were a vintage tube amp, I would have replaced all of the electrolytic capacitors, possibly even before testing it. I am less familiar with the longevity of capacitors from the 80s and beyond. Since I don’t hear any problem and it seems to be running very cool, I wonder if I can get by safely without replacing all of the electrolytic’s. In any case, I would love to get a PDF users, manual and schematic, and wonder if they were available at this site. Thanks for listening.

Welcome @MikeTyler, glad you found us. Looking forward to learning more about your Carver Journey.

@MikeTyler Welcome to the Carver site!! Looking forward to seeing pictures of your gear. Once you reach the novice status you should be able to post pictures. Good luck with your Sunfire repair.

I have this amp and it is a powerhouse. Quiet and clean, I have yet to light the “Overhead Exhausted” LEDs. I have it bridged running my sub and love its tight bottom end. Those plate amps they sell on the back of subs are junk; I always thought my sub was “bottoming out” from too much excursion. Turns out it was clipping! Since pulling the plate amp from the sub and running the Carver with it, it has been super solid. I need to find more of these amps to power my center and surrounds! The Marantz AVR gets compressed at movie volumes even being rated at 150 watts into 6 ohms. I hope my Carver lasts forever!

I have continued to enjoy the TFM 6-CB through Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speakers. I did listen through my Epos speakers and it sounds great, but those seem to do their best with tubes (Fisher X202-b). Vice versa with the Cambridge, which really seem to want that extra current. I’m having a lot of fun convincing myself if all of the above is true. The TFM as I got it did have a small issue. One channel would be weak and scratchy for several minutes, and then it would warm up and be fine. A YouTube video showed this exact problem, along with a two-part repair series. That individual did an amazing job with restoration. He made a really educational video, replacing all the caps, the relay, and the transistor heat sink compound. Fortunately, mine responded to just a spritz of DeOxit on the input potentiometers, and now it seems perfect. Fingers are crossed for now.

Welcome George! I'm a fan of the TFM-6 amps, I have 3. I'm using one of them in a stack with an Adcom preamp in my bedroom system. The amp is simple and bullet proof. There are 2 versions, the TFM-6c and the TFM-6cb. The only difference between the c and cb if the ability of the cb to run it in bridged mode as a single 200 watt mono amp. The removable rack ears allow it to stack well with orher 17 inch gear (such as my Adcom GTP-450). Fitting the rack ears allows it to blend in with other Carver amps such as the TFM-25 or -35. Welcome aboard and enjoy the music!

Hello GeorgeC, and welcome aboard. You've found a like minded bunch with many of the same experiences. We're glad you're hear.

Welcome to the forum! From a solid state gear head just getting into tube amps the last 3 years, I like the tubes as well. As for solid state, my preference has been to refurbish all my own gear that I am going to keep and use. If you enjoy doing it yourself, great. If not, Nelion Audio is who I would recommend to service it. Glad you found the manuals and enjoy the bedtime reading........grin

Welcome @GeorgeC. Glad you found us. You will fit right in here. Lots of both SS and Tube discussions. As for manuals, I hope you found them by now - access from the top menu on the home page. Enjoy!

@GeorgeC Welcome to the Carver site! Do we have manuals? You bet we do!! You can find them here. https://thecarversite.com/carvermanuals/ Since its a new addition to your system I might give it a once over to check for any age related problems, like leaking or bulging caps, or previous owners attempts to fix things. Look forward to seeing pictures of your gear. Once you advance to Novice status and get a combination of 6 reactions in the form of thumbs up, love it, and that rocks, you should be able to post pictures. Once again, Welcome to The Carver Site!!

Welcome George. Manuals are available in the 'Manuals and Specsheets' pulldown at the top of the page. And regarding the caps, in my experience most of the small board caps do start generating a high resistance after a few decades and can therefore become problematic, but unless you're looking for a project I'd say just put on some more music and enjoy.