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Well engineered SACDs through my oppo 105, 4000t, The Greg, Dennis, & Bruce tube buffer, an M500t mkII, and my Martin Logan's sounds incredible. MOFI 1Step 45s through an Ortofon 2M black, Pioneer PL 530, 4000t, M500t mkII, and my Martin Logan's sounds even better, but it's not a fair comparison. I have cryo-engineered 1" thick cables between the turntable and the 4000t. The oppo only has 0.75" XLR to RCA running to the 4000t. /just kidding For my ears, and my rig, it all depends on the quality of the recording.

Got my first Carver on my bench hoping i could make it sing again😄 (Carver A - 760X) Currently waiting On MJL output transistors , mpsa's , mosfet drivers. Some of the TO - 92 packages was toast aswell , but thinking to sub with ksc / ksa TO - 126. Thanks for letting me in 😀

Jim, never bet against a Carver product!

Hi all! My name is Forrest and I am a new member to the forum. I am new to the Carver world and just acquired my first piece - an MXR 130. I am an avid tinkerer and love working on vintage audio equipment. This piece needs a bit of work to function, but I want to take some time to delve into the forums before creating a new thread on an issue that has already been discussed. Anyhow, it is nice to meet all of you and I can’t wait to invest in this community! Cheers, Forrest

One argument from vinyl lovers is that vinyl is superior because it has never gone through an analog to digital conversion and therefore it sounds better since it is purely analog. I find this argument compelling. I think it is possible that the A to D and D to A processes might affect the recorded sound in a way which they dislike. However, this argument falls apart when the fact of the matter is that many “audiophile” records have been produced from a digital master.

Welcome to The Carver Site!

With amps I'm more interested in the underlying technology and quality of the components that make up the unit. The costs are what they are. If you give a good design team good quality stuff to work with, it seems you will get a good result (most times). With preamps in particular, I've had a few disappointments where the specs didn't match the real-world experience. I specifically remember a supposedly super high-end Phillips AH-572 that had specs that looked so good plus it had really cool touch controls. But when I finally saved up enough to buy it, I wondered if I was using the same unit I had seen reviewed in multiple magazines. Phooey. Sold it off not long after getting it.

Everyone needs a Digital Time Lens for serious CD playing.

I was stationed in Keflavik Iceland at the time. We came across with our F15’s to engage in some training missions with the Norwegian F16’s. We had a blast there … I hope to make it back there some day to be able to be more of a tourist and travel across the country.

Will do - should be a fun project.

Hi Scrappy. I actually live in Bodø 😀

I have some early released CDs (1980s) that sound absolutely horrible and very fatiguing whereas my vinyl counterparts sound better. Some of those CDs were re-released and remastered, with some of them HDCD. (I have HDCD players). They sound significantly better. I can say the same for my vinyl records. Some sound lousy compared to CDs. Some remastered vinyl sounds better then CDs. I feel it's a toss up in some cases and depends on the sound engineer, remixed remaster in both formats. Overall, I think a well mixed, well engineered, CD sound better than vinyl. Vinyl is more fun to me.

When building my first DHT (3S4 tube) from BottleHead, I was so surprised that for about $130+ a bunch of other parts, you could build something that sounded way better than many more expensive units out there. The specs sucked if you were so inclined to read them. I built several more and sold each one to a very satisfied customer, one customer at a time. Several years later, I discovered yet another DHT (SP1 tube) made by Korg, and the result was pretty much the same. Specs sucked, sound was unbelievable. It is important to note that I have built two different designs for this SP1 tube, and the deciding factor is not the specs in each case but rather how the circuit itself is implemented. Yes, one sounds better than the other even though it is designed around the same tube. Same dirty specs but the difference being either using an IC or discreet transistors. Another difference is the power supply itself. One uses double the voltage and happens to be the better sounding unit to my ears. One more note: Each designer realized that the sound could be varied by means of an adjustment pot for the tube, resulting in quite a difference in sound. It increased or decreased different harmonics, either second or third order in relation to each other. The sweet spot is up to you. I usually leave it at a certain setting, resulting in the least amount of THD distortion (which is still close to 1%).

That's my ears' favorite combination, too, Jim, assuming a competent recording and music that I enjoy. 👍

I’ve been pondering this question lately, and remembered that my original Carver gear is the ONLY gear I ever bought without listening to it first! (A C-1 and a m1.0t.) Honestly, I bought them purely on Bob’s reputation - based in numerous articles I’d read up to that time. And have never regretted it. Now, let me back up to when I cut my teeth in this hobby - during the “Receiver Wars” of the late ‘70s. In the barracks at NAS Barbers Point, HI, there were numerous systems scattered through many of the rooms. One receiver in particular that caught me ear was the 1977 Sansui 9090db. Beautiful piece of gear, wonderful sound. Specifications matching most of its’ competitors- 120 watts/channel, at .05% THD iirc. By the time I was selected to go overseas, where I would shop for my dream system, a few things had changed. Sansui came out with the ‘G’ series of receivers, boasting a frequency response of 0 (DC) to 50 kHz. Increased power outputs and the top two models were built on two chassis that could be separated to fit on smaller shelves. Damn impressive pieces of kit, with their new, bright silver and gold face plates, large volume control and tuning knobs, etc. huge ‘wow’ factor. My beloved 9090db was no longer available. So I checked out Sansui’s latest offerings. I found them to be lifeless, sterile sounding. And I was only 19 at the time. (I acquired one many years later and still found the same to be true. No soul to be found here.) As my search continued, I fell in love with and bought a Kenwood Model Eleven III which I still have. All this is a typically long winded way to say ya GOTTA LISTEN! Those who know, know. And those who don’t know, will learn. If they are lucky…

Well, Maybe sometimes and other times not. Depends on the recording quality and your equipment. But that being said, I prefer them both over streaming.

Technically? No Mastered? Maybe

At this very moment I would have to say that a select few CDs played on my CD player with newly installed 6DJ8 Amperex Bugleboys, made in Holland, sounds the best. Still like spinning and enjoy listening to a good vinyl album.

I'm a bit late to respond but it was great to finally meet the Bob-father and Steve Iskalis and reconnect with Greg and Jenny, Lee and Deb, and Jim and Lerma. Hoping to meet up with Andrew in the near future. Here are a few more pix for y'all!