AndrewJohn

It was my understanding of the historical folklore that the Carver Knight Shadow subwoofer and the C-1000 receiver were both really Sunfire products..., with Carver Corp. labeling, as a last ditch final-days effort to resurrect Carver Corp, before bankruptcy... I have both, the C-1000 is on the shelf now - and I found it pretty nice, if you can live with an HDMI converter for video. If the price is right, it's a fun thing to experience, and one may actually like it. as for servicing..., pretty much all 30+ year old Carver (and other) vintage gear has its unique servicing/refreshing needs..., that enterprising OCCD hobbyists always find a way. Curious to ask, if Greg @Nahash5150, has had the cover off the one he mentioned he has in his shop, or another unit, and his opinion on whether the C-1000 can be serviced/refreshed?

Welcome, @TStevens, glad you found us! We share your thinking. Post some pictures of your system when you can.

I'm not sure what your budget it..., but the only real comparison for your own ears, is going to be to try out each configuration. no way to try them all out..., let your instincts drive you on your own unique path. I have a C-1000 and used it for a few years as a receiver/preamp for my HT system. I enjoyed it, both with its internal amps, and with pre-outs to other Carver amps. I played around with it a lot. If connecting to other HDMI components, you'll need to use an HDMI to Component converter for display in and out..., The C-1000 pre-dates HDMI so it doesn't have any of those inputs/outputs. That's not an impossible hurdle to overcome for TV/Video - and it's not important at all, if you are using the C-1000 for only surround audio or only 2-channel audio. The C-1000 has a remote that you'll want to get, as IIRC, there are some functions that are only accessible by the remote. I could be wrong about that. I have also used a Carver H-9AV and the Carver DPL-33 and the DPL-20 surround processor configuration. I like these a lot too. It's different, unique, and fun. All I can say, though, is my experience may not match yours. And I've put 20 years into OCCD to collect, try, and refine down to what I want in my "main system." YMMV.

Welcome @byroc, glad you found us!

That is fixable..., don't throw it away.

Weclome to TheCarverSite. Glad you found us. That setup is nice! Seems there is something going on in them, that could be fixed. A refresh from some techs may have missed something that was borderline a few years ago, that now has reared its head now. Hard to say. Welcome !

Welcome. Glad you found us!

I believe I have found the ultimate pair of speakers..., located just where @Robshould go and pick them up. I've heard their little brother, the 4430, at a friends house..., ooh, boy, I'm not a big JBL fan, but these are sweet sounding. These JBL 4435's will blow away anything..., because with the baby-bottom tweeters and dual drivers..., well, they really "move some air"... Located in Holly, MI, just a few miles from you, @Rob. I'm sure a pair of M4.0t's set up as monoblocks will keep your neighbors visiting your front door! 😉 (Send them away unless they bring a good bottle of bourbon to give you, and are willing to listen and "enjoy the music." Rob, if you pick them up, I will come visit. 😉 Just let me know when is a good time for the audition. I'll bring some Buffalo Trace. LoL. You will not be disappointed ! Marketplace - JBL 4435 Studio Monitor Loudspeakers | Facebook

I agree with @4krow, all those "componentized" antenna's you see that look like obelisks, or other table-top accoutrement are junk - and a frustrating waste of money that become clutter on your table or stereo rack. Save your money..., they cost more than a real antenna, and the time you spend frustrated is better spent running a wire from your highest closet, your attic, or your crawlspace. AM antenna's are just a wire loop. If you need one in the Bay Area..., there are a number of DIY suggestions on Youtube for running a copper loop in places, like around your house along the edge of the foundation..., or ?? I assume that the cigar-shaped AM antenna attached to the back of your 900 receiver, is missing? Broken? Typically, that can do a good enough job for AM reception in a metropolitan area like the Bay Area. The 900 comes with one that is shaped like a rectangle, about 2x5 inches and swings out so you can align it for better reception. The picture below is from the manual... (often, people remove these, and they get lost). It is on a pivot that swings out, if yo ulook closely, on the left of the rectangular object you can see the pivot point. Worse-case, sometimes the pivot mount is unscrewed and removed (it's just a peice of plastic)..., that makes replacing the OEM that much harder. You can get a replacement on Ebay, and there are many versions of this..., just let it hang off the back of your receiver. Here's a link to one on Ebay, now: AM Loop Antenna | eBay It looks like this, and is snap-on/snap-off on that hinge on the right in the picture for positioning for best reception. After market versions of this look like this, and can be found at Goodwill in the "wire and junk" section of electronics for a few bucks, or on Ebay, with shipping... YouTube is your friend for both FM and AM. For FM, however, I used to live in Marin, and had one of these in my crawl space / ceiling in my ranch home. It did a great job in the Bay Area to bring in station from all over Northern CA. I installed it again here where I live in the midwest and wrote a thread on it on the forum. Here's my thread - Lots of pictures, and discussion on FM signal amplification from your antenna to your receiver: There's also a number of posts here on the forum on building a "Copper Cactus" FM antenna - out of copper pipe from home Depot. I don't have one, (yet), but am convinced this would be Top of the Line for DIY, as members here have posted about it in detail. One of those threads is here - also lots of pictures, and references to other sources on the Copper Cattus..., (Google that, and you'll find a LOT of information): If nothing else, these threads provide a lot of background to support you in your quest. Let us know with a post what direction you go. And your results..., with pictures, of course 😉

You are in Michigan, right? (enabler, I am... )

Welcome to the site, @RedLunar47. Lots of good content here..., archived for years!

Welcome @Gastabazonk, glad you found us! You will have a lot to read !! Looking forward to learning what else you have in you set-up. I have a 705X, on the shelf, but need to put it in service sometime.

This one hits home..., both the original song by Trent Reznor, and the cover performance. Johnny Cash does Nine Inch Nails. Probably, many can relate ...

Welcome @Mathieu, glad you found us. When you can, please also post a picture of your current gear ! we love pictures ! 😉

Welcome, @Chipfrommaine. Glad you found us.

Here's one to keep the controversy going.. 😉 Big Fat Cables start at about 10:30. ...at least he recommends some ~$50 fat cables on Amazon..., over the $5000 cables... LoL. Oooh, Pretty Sexy... (I mean the power cable at the Amazon link..., for $35. 😉 )

Welcome to the site, @Technic1500. Glad you found us.

Welcome to the site, @timmyjim. Glad you found us. The "SEARCH" at the top right is your friend to help find things. It's my favorite go-to part of the site to find what I need.

Welcome, Fred @waybomb. Glad you found us. Hmmm, occasionally, some people have gear to sell here. Not sure what could come up, amps, preamps, etc..., but you never know.

Welcome @Mikeh33. Glad you found us. This IS the place for a wealth of information..., that' for sure! Nice amp, good plan (sending it to Nelion)... I'd get a C-1..., have it BillD modded, and use it as a baseline to compare ANYTHING else you try for a preamp. Just a suggestion.

Hey Lee, When I encounter this..., (not on pandora, but in other parallel examples of licensing restrictions on content I am seeking) ..., I log on using my VPN, and pretend I live in Germany, or Sweden, or? Often, in cases like these, but not always, the content available varies by differences and nuances in licensing laws from country to country. In other words, Tidal originated in Sweden/Norway, where thinking about digital rights is slightly different. Access Tidal via VPN can sometimes present different content. Another interesting possibility..., is to look into P2P sharing using Emule. Way more than I can share on that..., and I'm not an expert, and there is some religion around how it's used, and abused..., but the Emule project has evolved in the last 20 years (based on the Edonkey original incarnation)... But finding esoteric, hard to find, or can't get it on Tidal/Qobuz tracks is often found from a P2P access. If you find the artist and track, and in the format that you are looking for, adding it to your hard disk drive for your own personal index of music becomes possible. If you are not familiar with Emule..., best to read up on it in Wikipedia, then go from there, if it is interesting to you (or another reader of this post). eMule - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMule . ...again, I'm not an expert on either of these - just some minor experience to satisfy my curiosity, from time to time.

Welcome @mikehd glad you found us.

Do you use the Laptop's DAC? or do you run it out a USB port, through an external DAC, then to your preamp? What I have read is that cost-cutting makes the laptop makers put a fairly low-end DAC in laptops and PCs. but if you are playing the music out the USB port to an external DAC, that greatly enhances the sound from a PC - and, really only uses the laptop as a digital storage and server component - not really in the audio chain. That's not to say there aren't some laptops and PCs with great DACs..., only repeating what I have read. And of course, if it sounds good to you, then that's all that matters!! 😉

And, timely..., Our buddy Paul has been posting on the same/similar topic(s), the past two weeks...,

And, don't forget all the other variables in the reproduction chain to produce through our amps and speakers..., those recorded sounds... Everyone's actual "experience" is likely different, with all these variables from beginning to end..., (at least how I see it...)