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The rebuild of my HT after the flood of 2023 was just recently completed a couple months ago. As I was rebuilding it anyway, I decided it was a good time to transition to a 4K Atmos 7.2.4 setup, from my previous 1080p 7.1 setup. As part of this change, virtually all of my components changed - in fact, only my trusty Oppo 105D made the cut to the new system (playing FLAC and DVDA, which the 4k Atmos Panasonic won’t play). I also pulled the Velodyne DD18, and added 2x SVS SB4000 subs. This is where the headaches started. Headache #1 - In order to get the Marantz SR6015 receiver to apply the Audyssey calibration to the subs correctly, the main speakers must be set to “small” - even though my RF7 mains are more than capable of playing down to 40hz. Headache #2 - Integrating two subs is a royal PITA. do you tune them together or separate? Do you make adjustments in the Marantz, or in the EQ suite of each sub via the mobile App? Headache #3 - what frequencies do you boost for the “punch” of movies, and then how do you restore some sense of fidelity for music listening? As a solution to all of these headaches, I purchased a Velodyne SMS-1 on the local classifieds. Anyone that has used one of Velodyne’s DD series subs has experienced the electronic tuning interface. It’s a brilliant system that feeds a sweep tone (and on-screen GUI) into an input of your pre/receiver, then utilizes a microphone to measure the sweep tone, displays the results on screen and allows a plethora of adjustments via an 8 band parametric EQ. The SMS-1 takes this electronics suite and puts it in a stand-alone component that goes in the equipment rack (mine is on top of the power conditioner on the left). Well…. Even with the SMS-1, I wasn’t getting anywhere near the bass response I wanted. My frequency graph looked more like a hockey player smile than anything resembling a straight line, and I had no “punch” or “impact”. So I decided to move my Velodyne DD18 into the room (back left corner), bringing me to 3 subs in a 17’ X 13’ room. The DD18 has its own electronics suite, so I just fed it from one of the “through” outputs of the SMS-1. I set the DD18 low pass at 45hz - just looking for it to fill in the lowest of the Lows. I was still not getting what I wanted, when it hit me - phasing. I have the Klipsch RF7 mains playing down to 60hz, the SVS pair playing up to 80hz, and the DD18 playing below 45hz. So I switched the SVS pair 180 degrees out of phase. Boom - everything fell into place. I now have a VERY flat bass curve. I “think” that the SVS pair is now cancelling out any overlap they have with the RF7 mains, and the DD18 is cancelling out its overlap with the SVS pair. another benefit of the SMS-1 is SIX (6) presets. So for movies, I have a couple settings with various bumps at 40hz, 50hz and 60hz, and for music a couple that are pretty flat. heres the curve (I didn’t take a shot of the pre-phase shift, but trust me - it was BAD…

Well, better late than never> I am a new member to the site, having just joined within the last two weeks. My name is Joe and I have been a ardent Carver fan for, well, as long as Bob Carver has been designing. I always liked his work with Phase Linear and sold his equipment in a past life as an audio salesperson. I currently have both a Carver tl3200 CD player and a Carver c-3 Preamp connected to my system (although I swamp the Carver with a Bryston MC-1 preamp). Once I accumulate the required number of points, i can post my system for the group.

After almost 25 years of not buying any home audio gear, I have jumped in with both feet. Just purchased a new to me, Carver M500T amp and C2 Preamplifier. They arrived yesterday, Going to swap out the old Denon AVR later today. Im running a great pair of B&W 686 but I plan to get more substantial speakers soon. Looking forward to the forum. Cheers Chris Newfoundland, Canada

Returning in this audiophile passion I have bought two Carver amps , a TFM45 and a TFM25, in a "Only for spare parts "condition .... The 25 start runing easy after recap and relay clean , but the 45...... After some extra time (on year) I finally repair it. the failure appears after some months . Changing all output transistor and insulation pads finally don't fail any more. Really I enjoy it so much

Thanks for adding me to the group. I am a long time Carver owner. Bought my first Carver in the early 90s, a TFM-25. Since then I have had a HR-752, and currently have a M1.0t, M1.5t, Sunfire Cinema Grand, CT-24, CT-7, and a C5.

About 15 years ago I ran out of space in the five (5) bookcases I was using for CD/DVD storage. I figured there had to be a better way, and after a bit of thinking, I came up with it. On-wall, only 6” deep, adjustable shelf height, and inexpensive and easy to build. With the expansion of my library into 4k discs, I am adding a 60”x42” chunk of the shelving In my current media room (6’ X 8’ walk in closet). I thought I’d document the construction process here, for anyone that may wish for a similar storage solution. The system itself consists of 1”x2” mounting rails (x2), and 6” strips of 3/4” oak plywood with screen molding to cover the edge for the vertical supports and the individual shelves. I’ve included a few photos below from my original build, but I’ll do a thorough step-by-step with the current build.

Good Day to all; Just joined up a few weeks ago. Introducing myself as the Old Man (and I am). I've had Carver gear for a long time now, since it was new as a matter of fact. Started buying the gear when I got out of the Air Force in 74. One of my friends had an amp and I really liked the sound of his system. I own a few now. Ive got a C500, with a C4000 preamp. I also have a M200t on the bench right now doing some repairs to it (Thanks for the manuals!) I have a AVR100 that I love for my TV room with a DTL-200 player. Collect Vinyls and have a decent Rega P3 turntable. My C500 drives Polk ES60 column Speakers and Klipsch RP8000 for surround. Not the best of the best but better than these old ears can discern. Bit of a Jazz buff and a classical nerd so I need something decent. I just wanted to ring out to everyone here and say HI!

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.

Hi all newbie from Yosemite National Park (South entrance). I am an aerospace machinist (CNC & Manual) I make parts for the current rockets going to Mars and the moon. Not space X, for Nasa, Lockheed, JPL etc. Just had a Carver TFM-35 restored by Nelion Audio. Using it with a Denon AV receiver, Heathkit AP1800 preamp, the TFM-35 amplifier. Through Polk Audio LS-70's. I have two Klipsch La Scalas I plan to try out just havent hooked them up yet. Hope to learn a bit from this site. Thanks for having me. Don H.

I had a wonderful experience this week I'd like to share. The story starts out badly...... earlier this week, as I was moving gear around (which I do way more frequently than I should, probably) I accidentally knocked my turntable off a table sending it crashing to the floor. The dust cover smashed into several pieces, the counterweight on the tone arm was broken off as was the cuing arm and several other bits. I was as heartbroken as I was angry at my clumsiness. I loved this turntable. It was a '80's Technics SL-D2, completely refurbished. It looked like the day it came out of the factory. I bought it from a guy, Carl, who refurbishes Technics turntables. He does terrific work. I didn't know if the turntable could be fixed. So, I contacted Carl. After I quickly described the tragedy, Carl told me that, even if it could be fixed, I'd be better off buying a replacement turntable because it would cost less. So, I I found another Technics in a local shop and bought it. Got it home, added my cartridge, and it played just fine. But, I wasn't happy. I realized what was missing was the refurbishment... the comfort of knowing that the gear was working 100% to spec. So, I contacted Carl again and asked if he would refurbish this replacement turntable, and he gave me a very fair price to do so. I drove it down to SC yesterday and got a glimpse of Carl's workshop. It reminded me of @Nahash5150's Nelion workshop....racks of turntables, and turntable parts, 90% Technics brand, test equipment, etc. Carl told me about how he can't find some replacement parts but has a guy who 3D prints pieces for him. He quickly showed me all the tests he runs. I spent an hour just shooting the breeze with him.... he was great. I asked him a lot of questions and he dispelled a lot of "myths" about turntables... a real down to earth guy. The whole experience made me very appreciative of all the experts I know for my gear... like the folks here on the CS for Carver gear. If you're ever in the need of Technics Turntable work, here's the place I recommend: https://turntablesbycth.com/

Good morning Carver enthusiasts. Glad to have stumbled upon this forum and I look forward to learning from the folks within the community. Little bit about my Carver experiences: while deployed in Sinop, Turkey in 1990, I was able to procure several Carver pieces through the PX to include a TFM-42 Amplifier, CT-6 Preamp and SD/A-350 CD player. Loved the sound of the equipment and loved the quality of Carver product. Fast forward to April 27, 2011 and that is the day I lost all of my equipment to a tornado that hit our house in Alabama. For years, I have thought about trying to replace the lost equipment but it wasn't until late that I really started to look seriously. I was able to find a restored TFM-15CB amp and now looking for a PSC-60 or CT-6 preamp and SD/A-350 cd player. When not looking for replacement parts, I enjoy riding my 2003 Honda RC-51. Glad to be part of the forum and look forward to discussions on equipment and learning from some of the most experienced Carver folks out there.

Hi, I owned an M-1.0t back in the 80s and I just acquired C-1, M-400a, and SD/A-350 for my workshop. Looking forward to better sound! Cheers, Bob

Hi, I’m BT. I have been wondering for a long time if anyone else still owns Carver components. Now I find that this site exists and am looking forward to reading and exchanging info about Carver. in the early 1990s, I wanted to seriously upgrade my system and read about Carver. I purchased the C5 Preamp and the TFM125 Amp. They still work great. Through the years I ended up with less and less audio source components: my Beogram turntable was sold as I sold my vinyl due to lack of space. I sold my Harmon Kardon cassette deck since I didn’t use it much. My original DBX CD player flaked out on me and the repair attempted on it also failed. For a while, I connected audio output from a Panasonic DVR/DVD player but I ended up selling it as well. The last source was pulling audio from my BluRay player but since it’s hooked up to an AV receiver that has ARC, every time I turn it on, the receiver and TV turn on as well. Even after I turn them off, they sometimes turn on again! My Carver components have been sitting idle for quite some time as have my DBX Soundfield 10 speakers. The room has been our video room dominated by a 5.1 system audio system so my Carvers have been silent… I finally decided to purchase a new CD player and that will be the new source of audio for my Carver/DBX system. I will be getting the player shortly and can’t wait to hear true sound again! I will report on how it all sounds soon.

Hello and thanks for the membership. Glad to be here. Question - TFM-35 / has anyone replaced the bulbs for the power meters? Mine burned out - not sure if it's one bulb for both? I just picked up a CM-1090 Integrated Amp today as well. Regards! Todd

I am a hobbyist in vintage audio gear. I have been a fan of Carver since the first time I saw an ad for an M-400. I was a teen during the horsepower wars, so a dollar a watt was pretty cool. I have a few pieces of carver gear. HR-772, HR752, TFM-15CB, one M-400, and one M-400a. I spent 34 years fixing auto manufacturing equipment in the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana before retiring in 2023. Pretty much everything from soup to nuts in that time. I currently have the M-400a in pieces on my workbench, so that is why I am here now. It is a 15 dollar estate sale item, and it has issues. The left channel board has two very burnt resistors. It has been apart before. It may have some newer caps, and the transistors were slathered with about a pound of compound. I have only disassembled and cleaned so far. So, thanks for all the info in advance, and on with the fun!

I’m Don in Georgia. I own a set of Amazing Loudspeakers, 2 TFM-45 power amps and a CT-17 PreAmp and tuner. I bought them all new back in 1987. I still use them often and have them paired with a Thorens 320 Mark III turntable a nakamichi CR3A cassette deck and Denon CD player, Sony CD changer, Sony DVD. I look forward to collaborating with the group here to keep up with Carver products and services.

Not sure if I m doing this right but here goes! Yes I have a c-1 pre amp purchased new in the 80’s, a TX-11a tuner, and two M-1.0t amplifiers. All purchased new in 80’s. A few days ago I purchased an SD/A 390t reference tube cd changer from eBay. My nakamichi rx-505 is currently being serviced by a local retired sound engineer. Henk audio and video. My speakers are pioneer S1010’s which were refoamed last year by Finn Henk at Henk audio and video. To sum it up all of my equipment except the cd changer were purchased new at about the same time in the 80’s.

Next is cutting the individual shelves. In my case, I want 42” overall width, so subtracting the 3/4” (x2) for the side panels gives me 40.5”. Cut and build a couple more shelves than you think you’ll need! You already have everything out - just make a couple extras, as you never know what your future needs will be. You’ll thank me later. Also cut your 1”x2” to the overall width (42” for this one) and all the screen molding for the exposed edges. There are a couple different ways to mount the screen molding to the edges. Glue and clamp, clue and finish nail (with nail-set and wood putty), or glue and pin nail with an air nailer - this is the method I use.

Once went to school as a mechanical engineer but claim to know nothing. Neighbor growing up in the 80s was a ww2 bomber mech who had a TV repair shop on Burnside (Portland) and was acquainted with Mr. Carver as he would occasionally work on Phase Linear equipment. Just found a NIB 7.1 Theater Grand receiver at a Vegas thrift store! No joke it really was NIB unopened!

I have an MXR-150 among other pieces of equipment I'm at the tail end of restoring. I received the unit from people who were like my second parents after the husband passed away. Would love to chat with any old head techs out there!

A little about me, I discovered Carver in the late 80’s while working for a local audio retailer. Been hooked ever since and have always kept Carver products as a result. Excited to find this site!

Howdy from the land of -39 in the wintertime. (OK, it only happened once this year.) Carver Receiver owner (the first one)...really need to have someone make it work again. Back in the day, dorm audio champion with ADS speakers.

Hi All!!! First time on the site. Owner of my first Sunfire amplifier, Symphonic Reference Amplifier, used of course! The amp is driving the panels of Martin Logan Quest Z speakers. I worked as an audiophile salesman from the late 70s thru the mid 80s and am now a retired field metering technician specializing in 3 phase industrial and commercial services.

Hey, new to the site, long time audio enthusiasts, actually started when I was in the military way back in 1978. I know, rocks don’t live that long right. Well I just purchased my first 400a and I thought this would be a great place to be in.

Hello! New to the site. Hoping to find some help and support on repairing some carver gear. I have a TFM 15 I'm currently refurbing. I have a C1 I hope to do the Bill D mods on soon! Looking forward to chatting!

Hello, I’m a audio hack and looking for information on a project amp. Carver tfm 15cb. Paul

My name is Ron, and I grew up in a family Television & Stereo Sales and service, business until the closing 15 years ago. Having been in the business since I was young, I have seen and owned alot of different makes and models of receivers, and amplifiers. I had purchased a Sunfire Grand Cinema amp and processor, and was enjoying the awesome sounds from them until my shop was burgularized 5 years ago. At that time of my loss, I purchased another amp and processer, but the amp had a humming sound from it, so I ended up putting them in storage, until now. I have recently purchased 2 more Sunfire amps and one of these ended up not turning on, but I can at least say that I am once again enjoying the sound I get from my the other amp that works and the processer that i had in storage. What brought me here is I am in the search for service manuals for the 2 amps I need to repair. I do have Sams Photos facts from volume one, so if anybody is looking for television manuals, it is possible, that I can dig them out. Thank you all. Ron

Hello. Thanks for the group add. I'm a Gen X'er that has finally decided to bring my Boomer father's Carver stereo system back to life.

Hello Carver community. I am new to these amps and I want to learn more about them. I would like to do some repair and restoration work on these amps and I'd love to learn more from the pro's.

Hello from Aggie land TX. Coming from 2 M400t bridged. C1 Pre amp. Picked up a used TFM 15 as a porch amp, worked for two weeks and now i believed to have the dreaded relay issue. Have a guy i believe can bring it back to life. 😀

The completed frame is quite light, allowing it to be positioned and mounted to the wall. Take care to make sure it is both level AND square when mounting! Once it is mounted, populate the shelves to the desired height. One of the only potential annoyances with this system is this: If a shelf is positioned such that the 1”x2” wall support is contacting the upper half of your media, it will allow for the bottom portion of your media to push in farther than the top, where it is contacting the 1”x2”. In this case, simply cut a spare 1x2 to the width of your shelf and lay it at the bottom/back of the shelf, so that the media contacts a 1x2 on the top and bottom. This shelf is for my growing 4k collection (and Atmos music). You can see below, my old 4k storage (far right of frame) was almost full. On the new shelving, I’m only about 1/2 full. Oh, and I already use one (1) of the two (2) extra shelves I built;-)

With sanding done, SWEEP UP YOUR WORK AREA! This will minimize kicking up dust and particles during the finishing process. I like to hit all surfaces with the air compressor to blow off as much dust as possible. This also gets dust out of the grain, which will really make the grain stand out when stained/finished. After the compressor treatment, a tac cloth is a good idea, right before finishing. For this project, I’m not using a stain, just a satin polyurethane finish. For a project like this, I just use a foam brush and toss it when done. Long strokes with the grain, and careful to avoid drips/sags… 24 hours (depending on temp/humidity - but if ANY tac remains, WAIT!) later, a good rubbing with semi-coarse steel wool is essential to smooth the wood down. DO NOT use steel wool if using a water-based finish!! After steel wool, tac cloth again and another coat of polyurethane.

Hello, glad to join the site. I still have my TFM-45 and a pair of AL iii that I bought new in the last century ('90s) . Still love em!

Hello all! Joined last year but finally getting around to introducing myself and spending more time on this forum. I discovered and fell in love with Bob Carver's equipment in University (late '90's, so VERY late to the game). My first introduction was my first proper HT system I bought myself in my first house. There was a a JVC RX-8000VBK receiver powering an AR Stature series 5.1 set-up with S50 fronts, SC2 centre and S20 surrounds on stands. My first Sunfire product was a True Subwoofer II paired with this set-up. First time I'd heard a reasonable soundstage and thundering bass. The Subwoofer eventually blew-up but I wasn't deterred. Built my next house, but started planning for my audio set-ups. Before taking possession of the new home, I started collecting the pieces for a 7.2.4 HT set-up. Picked up a used Cinema Seven to run the primary 7 speakers. 3 x new Sunfire CRW-3C speakers run vertically for my LCR. 2 x new Sunfire CRM-2BIP for surrounds. 2 x new Sunfire HRS-12 subwoofers. 6 x Klipsch CDT-2800-C II for in-ceiling ATMOS and rear speakers. Last, A Marantz SR7010 for the brains and to power the ATMOS speakers. Built the house, incorporating the wiring and built-in spaces for in-wall speakers. Meanwhile, I'd planned to have a dedicated 2 channel set-up in my living room instead of a tv. I actually called it the 'Critical Listening Room' on the floorpans. So, I started searching for a Sunfire Classic Tube Pre-Amp (with phono and remote) and a Sunfire 300 x 2 Stereo amp in the used market. Took time, and was very lucky on the pre-amp, but found both. Tied these to a new Sunfire CRM-2 set matched with a SubRosa 2700W on the wall subwoofer. Finally, was able to find the matching stands for the CRM-2 speakers in the used market. That's my story.

Had a good friend from our church that knows I run a speaker manufacturing business, so he asked me to help him with his stereo system which he described as 'sounding thin'. He had a nice silver-faced Onkyo receiver and some beautiful Ohm C2 speakers. The C2s are a 10" ported design and were marketed by Ohm as a bookshelf speaker. After about 2 seconds of listening, I told him what the problem was. I'll probably service the crossover at the same time I have the woofer out. Should be a fun project. I have listened to these before and they have a nice, warm sound. Not the best imaging, but OK. They need lots of power.

I have an mxr 130. I've owned it since 1985 when I purchased it new. I was just 23 years old and this was my first big purchase out of college and working my first real job. Anyway, I blew it up in 1988 and I replaced the c2527 transistors (as far as I can remember) myself. I quickly blew those transistors again, so I took it to a shop to have them fix it. Which they did, and it blew up again. So I took it back and they fixed it again. It lasted 2+ decades after that and now has blown up again. I'm assuming the same thing has happened again as the fuse blows everytime I turn it on. Which is what happened all the previous times it blew up. Anyway, I'm finally getting back to fixing it again. I found this site and figured it would be a good resource for me once I start digging in to fix it.

i have built a new theatre system with 1 tfm75 running 2 ea 500lb 21 inch subs in front. 2 ea 500 lb rear subs with 2 ea 15 in drivers each. they are driven with a silver 9t each. i am running a 5.4 system using an marantz av10 processor. all speakers are carver mk4 ribbons with the 12 in drivers not hooked up. there are 2 ribbons at all 4 corners. the rear ribbons have an 9t on each. the front ribbont are run by a parasound jc5 stereo amp.. the center ch is an horizontal ribbon run by an 9t. i hand made all 4 sub cabinets my self . they are built by predrilling, glueing, clamping, screwing every single step. 2 layers of 1 inch mdf and 2x4 frameing and extensive bracing. these cabinets do not resonate. 7 ea 9t amps,, a tfm75, and a jc5 for power. a song 8k-85 inch tv and sony 4k blueray player. all interconnects are the best i could find. my room is 11 feet high by 35x43. iam not rich. i do not have a kitchen or wash machine. i do laundry in town. my pashion is audio. thanks for reading. i will send pics from vermont when i get to that level. i have been to the carver get togethers 8n n carolina in the past. my name is Terry.

Hi new to the site, have had a CT-7 with a PM175 since '86 or so... recently acquired 2 PM-350's. The PM-l75 will go to Nellion for upgrades as it pushes my Klipsh KP-201's with l&r subs just fine!

I hope I did this right by starting a New Topic to introduce myself. I have a Carver 4000 pre-amp that my late husband and I have owned since approx 1983. He had kept it in condition and has sent it in for repairs at least once over those years. Now I have an issue with the power switch (button) and need some input and direction on how to fix it or get it fixed. I look forward to the expertise on this site. I miss listening to our album collection since the power switch went bad. Thanks, Teresa

Hi, Im new to the forum. I actually got referred here by Grok of all things. I have been looking for a service manual for a CT-26v pre amp and had zero success, so I decided to let Grok search the net for anything and it actually referred me here. I have a Carver m1.5t that has been fried for the past 20 years that I have just now got back up and running. I also have a Carver CT-26v preamp that is working well. I like to have service manuals for what I own. I enjoy looking over them and trying to understand them. Are there any service manuals available for the Ct-26v? Thanks.

I have a Sunfire d-10 that makes a humming sound when power is turned on. It does still produce sound given to it by the receiver but continues with the hum.

For those experiencing issues with the bias setting on the RAM285, the issue is likely with the burn-in effect of the circuit and transformer winding that powers the bias circuit. Many Bob Carver Corp amplifiers experience this trouble. Common complaints are: - The bias does not adjust high enough. - The bias does not adjust low enough. - The meter is not working. Unfortunately, there is no DIY fix for this. The RAM285 has extremely unfriendly serviceability. The PCB hides most components and is multilayered. Reworking the circuit board requires technical experience and proper tools. Moreover, the trouble has common causes but it may also be related to other less common troubles, so the amplifier should be fully tested to verify what the real trouble is. Please inquire with us to get your RAM285 serviced if it is experiencing any trouble.

I've been working on my new-to-me HR-772 receiver, and I could use some help. I picked up the receiver from FB marketplace for $120, which I think is a steal, but it has a couple of problems. I noticed that when I would turn up the volume the sound would get "thin", also, that the remote control would not work. I looked at the main caps and saw that they were bulging a bit, so I replaced them along with all of the other caps on the main board with hi quality caps. Here's where the problem began. Now when I turn it on, it goes in to protection mode after about 5 seconds. In that time, I can verify that the remote control works, but now the entire system goes into standby/protection mode. Does anyone know the proper voltages that should be expected out of each of the main transformer leeds, and after each power supply filter caps? I think I might be getting too much voltage out of the transformer, but it may be something I did. If anyone has any advice or information they can share about their experience, I'd be very grateful. Thanks

I have been browsing thru the site for some time now. It is indeed very helpful! Back in 1988 while in the Army I discovered Carver equipment at the PX. Loved it yet couldn't afford it back then. I have gotten a few pieces of equipment now and I am overjoyed lol. With my M-500t I am wishing to find silver handles for it. No luck on ebay ect. If anyone has a set and wants to sell I would appreciate it.

Hello from the Iowa flat country. I'm a lifelong audio enthusiast and musician with a passion for technology. I also enjoy woodworking and restoring vintage HiFi speakers and furniture. I also do customized speaker systems and wild one of a kind enclosures. Thanks for having me on your forum, and I hope to learn whatever I can about all things Carver. Thank you for your time!

Well. If a little (or a lot) is good, then a whole lot more is great. Right? In the case of bass in my HT, the answer is a resounding YES! I had my 2nd Velodyne DD18 just sitting around collecting dust. It got wet in the flood about a year and a half ago, and to be honest I was afraid to plug it in. With some of the proceeds from selling my 2nd pair of Silver 9ts, I sent the plate amp off to EBC in New Jersey. They are reasonable ($400) for plate amp repair/refresh, and do great work. Even if it wasn’t damaged, the amp is getting on past the 30 year old mark, and due for some attention. Well, I got the amp back a couple days ago, so today was the day. Had a bit of a panic and detour that I’ll detail in another thread, but after some ingenuity I got it up and running. I now have a 7.4.4 HT system, with two SVS SB4000 and TWO Velodyne DD18. Don’t get me wrong, the SVS are very nice and stout subs, but the Velodyne DD series…. They are on a whole different level. An 18” Kevlar cone (that’s just about 255sq inches) with a TWO INCH peak to peak excursion, and a 1,500 class D amp… they move some air. By comparison, the SVS uses a 13” driver (133sq inches) with a 1.25” excursion. playing Top Gun Maverick, Lord of the Rings (the underground battle) and Days Of Thunder (all on 4k), I’m in bass heaven. The two Velodyne subs are kind of hidden behind the seating, but they make their presence known when called upon….

Hi all, New member here, but I've owned this stack of Carver gear for a little over 20 years! I originally bought a M1.0t and C-1 from a local repair shop that repaired them and the customer never paid for the repairs. Picked em both up for $100. What a steal! Not long after, I added an M1.5t to the list. They spent several years in various configurations of speakers, subs, 2-channel and surround duty. At some point, I picked up a pair of JBL L7 and an Acurus A250 amp Add in life events, house moves, and other things, and these toys got put on a shelf in a closet for about 10 years. I recently decided it was time to clean out the closets and sell off the stuff I wasn't using, so I dusted off these amps and plugged them in to check operation. POP! went the fuses on both! surprise- the caps failed while sitting on the shelf. As an electrical engineer and fan of DIY, I decided to attempt to repair these things myself-- BEFORE learning about this site and Nelion I started digging around and found recap kits on ebay, so I ordered what I could for both the M1.0t and M1.5t. After doing a fair amount of reading, I've learned I bought parts from a seller with a poor reputation, so I'm sorry to the guys who's efforts were stolen- I screwed up out of ignorance! I started on the M1.0t since the single large board looked easier to access all of the terminals, and the service manual was easier to read! Getting the old multi-caps out of was a bit of a pain, but I was able to replace them and recap the rest of the board in a couple evenings and recheck the bias. The M1.0t was relatively easy to repair and it sounds wonderful again! They drive these big JBLs with a nice punch, and the warm sound is much nicer than the Acurus which seems a bit sterile in comparison. Last week, I started in on the M1.5t, and it needed a lot more help. Previous repairs were sketchy with different size caps on both sides of the 50/80V rails and just glued on top of the old failed capacitors! It also appeared to have been owned by a smoker prior to me as the inside was covered in something sticky and then dust accumulated on it. I decided a full cleaning would be appropriate for this one, and removing the amp cards from the chassis would make it easier to get to everything for cleaning and access the capacitors for replacement. NOW for the tech question! I've gotten all of that done and followed the service manual to set voltage and bias (122V at the +120V rail, and 4mV across the big resistor).. unfortunately, the amp is idling a bit hot- it's drawing ~1.1A at idle and a fair amount of heat is originating from the center of the chassis looks like Q5 and Q6 on the right channel when I sweep my thermal camera across the chassis. Also, the two large 1/2watt resistors on the lower edge of the power supply board are quite hot- the board around them was already discolored when I opened the chassis, so I removed them from the board and checked resistance- they meet published spec (3.8k and 6k I think?). I don't have a ton of tools perform a full load test and measure distortion, but I was able to drive the thing with 1k sine wave into some 5ohm power resistors to about 20V P-P. The waveform looked nice and clean. With that, I hooked it up to my speakers and ran some low volume music through them. everything sounds great, maybe a bit more "dry" than the M1.0t, but the clarity and imaging is all there. so maybe its characteristic sound is just a bit more dry? I let it run for quite a while at low volume and the entire chassis is warm to the touch- maybe 120F. This has me concerned that the high idle current is a problem. Do I simply adjust the bias voltage and current a bit lower- like 1-2mV, or do I do some more digging? unfortunately my cheap $20 oscilloscope only has 50V max voltage, so I can't poke around too much with it. I'd love any advice you guys can provide to try to finish this project up. Trying to figure out the layout of this forum-- will upload some pics when I can figure it out. (I no longer have a web host to upload and link files, but only see a way to link photos here)

Hello Everyone- My day job is scientist helping doctors and nurses treat blood cancer patients. Enjoying music of all kinds is my relaxation. I grew up in the 70's my trusty Pioneer SX-424 and EPI Microtower 2's which I still have. My friends had better, AR-3a, AR turntable, EPI 100, 9090, etc so I knew there was better out there. Always had fascination with electronics and through work learned to build analog circuits from a PhD electrical engineer. In the last 10 years or so was able to build out a workbench at home, start small, and still today with humility I continue to learn. My last success was restoration of a 1960 Harmon-Kardon FA10 Sonata mono tube receiver. Not into high dollar stuff, just quality units I have come across and carefully restored. My main system is simple, based around an Alesis RA-300, Altec Lansing 1432A EQ and DLK 4's that cost me maybe $200 and a lot of quality time. Anyway, a TFM-45 fell into my lap that probably just has bad solder joints but it is such a nice piece (although someone "restored" it 6 years ago). Having had a Phase Linear 400 at one time, I'm a sucker for rack mount amps with big VU meters so I was hoping to get some help from the experts on this beautiful Carver!

This looks like a great site! I bought my first piece of Carver gear back in 1982 and have always been a fan. I currently have a C1 preamp, TX11a tuner, m500t and m1.0t amps for my normal system. On my spares rack I have two MXR -130’s (one is dead), C9 hologram generator, TX1-11 ACC FM decoder, and a DTL200 CD player (dead). I plan to try to fix the dead receiver and potentially do some upgrades on other gear. Looking forward to using this site!

I'm happy to join this group! Hello I'm Eric