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Hello all! As the title says, I am a new member, but I've owned a few Carver amps before. In fact, I started off my audiophile journey with Carver equipment. When I was 19 years old, I worked for Best Buy installing car stereos in the early 90s. Back then, I thought Infinity and Bose were as good as it gets for high end audio. Then one day, I strolled into a small audio shop when I had some time to kill. Most small electronics shops I'd been to prior to this sold cheap stereo equipment like Magnavox, Emerson, or some other terrible brand. This shop was very different. It had an almost regal feel to it, and the music I was hearing when I opened the door was light years better than anything I'd experienced before. I was drawn to a particular section of the shop where the haunting melody of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game was floating in the air. What I heard was truly three dimensional sound, out of a pair of speakers for the first time. When I looked to see what equipment was able to perform this magic, I was taken aback by the beautiful warm glow of two VA meters before noticing the words "Carver" and "TFM-35x". That amp would eventually become the foundation of my first "real" audio system. I didn't make that much at Best Buy, so I put it on layaway until I was finally able to pay it off and bring it home. I started off with Polk speakers, and I don't recall the model, and while they sounded good, they weren't that memorable looking back. I soon won the favor of the owner of that small audio store, and he made me an incredible deal where he would sell me a pair of Martin Logan Aerius at a crazy low price in exchange for me letting him use my Best Buy discount. This is when the Carver truly showed off its chops. I was in heaven. Carver will always hold a special place in my heart because it was what led me to experience truly amazing sound. I'm very thankful that I took the time to visit that shop. Fast forward to why I am here today.. I just picked up an M-400t for an incredibly low price. I'm hoping to restore it to its full glory. One of the channels isn't working, so I'll start by investigating that. From there, I'll likely move on to replacing all of the aged parts (recap, etc). Looking forward to being a part of the community. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even pick up an old TFM-35x. Those gauges are still a piece of art if you ask me.

Mirador, Mirador was released today, September 19, 2025. "Instinctive side-project from Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka doubles down on the good stuff in MIRADOR’s classic rock bolt from the blue. ... the whole myth and folklore attached to rock’s genesis – that made Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka want to walk this dusty road alongside his friend, Englishman Chris Turpin of alt. folk duo Ida Mae. That, plus the opportunity to simply let rip on his six-string without compromise." You can read the rest of the review here...

Bask, The Turning was released on August 22, 2025. "The Turning is defined by its peaks and valleys, never melodramatically swinging for awkward climactic moments. Instead, everything flows seamlessly in a confidently performed display of heavy psychedelia that's full of surprises. The album is passionate, soul searching, driven with purpose and a sense of adventure that doesn't involve pointless wandering. Their rock-based template is augmented with a tapestry that weaves heavy metal, even Tampa Bay death metal, along with bluegrass, folk and country. BASK is truly one of a kind. Sure, influences can be heard, assumed and even self-professed, but as a collective, BASK doesn't rip off any band, subgenre nor style. "The Turning" is a true exploration of sound, story and self." You can read the rest of the review here...

Buddy Guy, Ain't Done Witt The Blues was released on July 30, 2025. "The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Guy kicks off the lead up to his new album with the release of new single “How Blues Is That?’ featuring legendary Eagles’ guitarist, Joe Walsh and co-written with Grammy Award winning producer/songwriter Tom Hambridge and Richard Fleming. Amid the track, Buddy’s leading bold and affirming vocals give recall to his life and journey, while fervently building in tandem with Rob McNelley’s slick electric guitar and growing tickles of Kevin McKendree’s piano chords." You can read the rest of the review here... "From his home-base Nashville, producer/writer/drummer Hambridge has assembled a top notch team of musicians for this project. Besides superstar guests, Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and the Blind Boys of Alabama, the album includes superb session artists Max Abams on saxophone, Kevin McKendree and Mike Rojas on keys, Steve Patrick on trumpet, Glen Worf on Bass and Rob McNelley with additional guitar. And if that power-packed lineup wasn’t enough, the album also includes former Jeff Beck bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, and Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers on B3 and Wurlitzer." You can read that review here...