Leaderboard

First and foremost, what a fantastic site! I'm a longtime Carver fan. I actually joined in 2016 after acquiring a TFM-15 and a CT27v combo, both not working. I'm a former US Navy Electronics Technician (1980-1990) and repairing vintage audio equipment is one of my hobbies (I also repair/restore pinball machines and pressed steel toys (think Tonka, Marx, Wyandotte, etc). Through this site I was able to repair the TFM and CT27 and currently have them in my shop. I also have PM900 that I brought back to life. Back then I was given a set of Magnepan MG1's which were not working. I rebuilt those and they also reside in my shop. I posted in another thread about a couple of days ago about getting a M-1.0t and C-1 combo which I'm sending to Nelion to work their magic on, although I'm tempted to do the BillD mod myself. Anyway, just wanted to circle back and introduce myself. Thanks for a great place to chat about good products from a company that pushed the boundaries. I look forward to the discussion. Respectfully, Phil

Long time owner of a M500 amp, I just got not one but two TX-11 tuners.

Bought my mom a pair of 2.5s a couple yrs ago. Sound very nice with a Pioneer receiver I had. Of course around Christmas she was also in need of a turntable. Off went my other Pioneer.

It occurs to me that NHT (Now Hear This) speakers have quite a following here amongst the Carver faithful. There is certainly quite a bit of NHT information and opinion/experience scattered about the pages of The Carversite. Hoping to start a topic here to consolidate some of this lore and foster discussion. My own NHT journey started with a lowly pair of 2.5 (2nd from the left in the group photo below). I think Tim ( @PhilDent ) was with me for the “Great Speaker Shootout” of 2019. These lowly little NHTs with a 1” tweeter, 6.5” mid and 8” ported side-firing woofer Flat-out beat Infinity Kappa 9, Polk SDA SRS 1.2 (fully modded), Legacy Focus 20/20, Polk LS70, Klipsch RF7, B&W 805, and Carver ALIII. We were stunned. I mean really, it was difficult (to say the least) to believe. This particular, and my first pair of NHT speakers happened upon me by chance. I was picking up a Carver M500t that was advertised on the local classifieds in Missoula MT. When I showed up to buy the amplifier, I learned from the woman selling it that it was part of her husband’s system - sadly he had just passed away. I was buying the amplifier for $300. She asked if I was interested in the rest of the gear - an AMC preamp, Sony 5-disc cd carousel, and the NHT 2.5 pair. I said “sure - how much? “ She said “just take it all”, as she was moving to a retirement home, and had no need of any of it, as the home forbade anything other than counter-top radios. She even had all the boxes (including the speaker boxes). As I loaded up and drove away, conscious struck, and I hit the ATM for an addition $200 and took it to her. She teared-up and said she was going to miss sitting and listening to music with her husband, and thanked me profusely for the additional funds. I like to think that my “good deed” helped lay the groundwork for my happy relationship with NHT speakers. More to come….

Bob Dylan Hurricane

Welcome! I personally would hold off just due to cost, and considering there is a ton of stuff out there. For $550, you can start the investment in a power amp.

I'm into a pair of 2.5i's but they are attached to my wife's system, so I don't get to futz with them much, they are Mains, in a 7.1 system for her rom-com movie watching. I am still on the hunt for the 3.3's. I come across listings for 2.9's, but with out income, I keep telling myself to hold out - knowing that Murphy is waiting in the wings, so catch me with my audio funds depleted..., then 3 pairs of 3.3's will pop up. LoL. I still search. I have a question OK, for the NHT experts here, @Daddyjt..., since the NHT flagship 3.3's were launched in the 1990's, is anyone noticing any breakdown of drivers? surrounds, crossovers now that these fabulous speakers are approaching 30 years old? It's hard to notice slow degradation..., but if the crossovers were refreshed, did it change dramatically? What about surrounds? I'm curious as they don't look easily DIY'able to re-foam. Thanks for any insights.

Welcome to the Carver Site! I have had two Carver receivers, neither had been updated, but I loved them both.... I feel like the Carver receivers are very underrated.

Good stories. I bought my 2.5i a bunch of years ago from a guy who didn't have room for them in his new home. Mint condition, great price. We listened to various artists in his living room before I packed them up .... some of his music, some of mine. I could tell that he didn't want to part with them, but the bungalow style home had no permanent place for them. Also have 2 pairs of 1.5 bookshelves. Sycamore colored ones are on my desk/bench, black set is part of a 2.1 system I put together for my daughter. Includes a m400 amp. The 1.5 are sealed, same tweeter and mid as the 2.5, but no 8" driver.

Hey Mark, the glowing praise that you and several others lathered on NHT 2.5, 2.5i, and 2.9's is what got my attention. When an almost perfect pair of 3.3's popped up less than 3 hours away from me, I had to go give them a listen. I told the seller that I wanted to give them a listen first, and he said fine, but I'd have to bring my own amp, pre, and source. I took either a C-1 or C-11 (Ci-1 I think), an M1.0t, and an oppo 103 along with Dark Side of the Moon, Brothers in Arms, and a couple of other cds. The seller had the speakers set up facing the garage door, and at least 15 feet from either side wall. We hooked up the gear that I brought, powered it up, and put Dark Side of the Moon in the oppo. I hit the play button, and we sat in a couple of kitchen chairs about 15 feet in front of the speakers. I was absolutely floored by the sound stage, the accuracy of the music, and the bass without a sub. The look on the seller's face was almost like one of his children was moving out. I then got up, walked over to the pre, and hit the SH button. I turned around to walk back to the chair, and the seller was looking from side to side. I grinned knowing what he was hearing. I got back to my seat, and noticed that not only had the sound stage widened, it also had depth. These speakers, the placement, the source material, and Sonic Holography was magical together. We listened to a couple of more songs, and I got up to change CDs. Once I turned the volume down, the seller said, "I'm not so sure that I want to sell them now." I must have shown on my face what I was thinking, because he followed that up very quickly with, "Just kidding, I offered, and I'm pretty sure that you're taking them home." I thought, "one way or another," but I said, "Yes, I believe I am." These speakers are fantastic, and I may be using them in a less than perfect situation. I can improve that when I get an NHT M7 center. The Klipsch center that I'm currently using doesn't blend as well with the NHTs as I'd like, and it was the same with the Amazing Platinum ribbons. The SVS SB3000 pair works well with the NHTs. I just need to find an M7 at a good price. NHT still offers them, but I've read the wait is several weeks. There was a seller on ebay that was selling NIB at $200 under NHTs price. Of course they're gone now. He claimed he stocked up when NHT first offered them at a promo price.

Welcome Rick!!!! Great to have you. My MXR2000 was the mainstay in my system for 38 years. Still have it and still love it.

Hard to say..., it's a balance of what your budget is, and your interest in that peice. All in all, that's a nice unit. If restored, as you indicate, it could be priced right. YMMV as we are all different. Not hugely out of the realm of realism. Think of it this way, you might come across an unrestored unit in mint cosmetic condition for around 200-300 bucks. To get it worked on, recapped, and adjusted, along with any service bulletins..., likely another 300 bucks..., that makes the math work for you. Good luck! And, let us know what you end up doing!

Hi Rick and welcome! The MXR is a very nice receiver, although it sounds to me like $550 is probably getting close to full retail. These decisions are always a bit subjective and would vary based on your risk tolerance for vintage equipment and budget, but if it is local and you can demo it and are happy, then go for it. If it were me, I'd want to ask the seller who did the service. If it were a Carver specialty shop like Nelion or Carver Audio Repair and I could see the paperwork, I'd be perfectly happy going ahead with the purchase. if it were a local repair, I'd want to see the paperwork including the post-service test results showing that the system at least meets the original specs for inputs, tuner, & power output. It's easy to say something is 'recapped' but that in and of itself doesn't mean anything in terms of audio performance. Anyway, hope this might help a bit. Good luck with it!