RangerTim

Turns out the large panels immediately behind the mains interfered with the soundstage so I’m back to using the wall mounted mmgw’s for center speakers again. Still waiting for another Carver amp to show up on CL to power the surrounds. I may get the M-400 cube repaired (again) to use, but it is more problematic to balance the output with no attenuators. Very happy with the new Magnepan and they integrate well with the other four panels. Not sure what to do with the old pair of MGIIA’s. Can’t bear the thought of selling!

Having a blast putting the new Magneplanar 1.7i's into the HT system has been a trip. I was using MMGW speakers as centers and surrounds but have subbed-in my MGIIa's for the center now. That frees up a pair of MMGW's for surround backs. Not sure I really want to do that because the system is pretty darn immersive as it is. Plus, I don't want to push my wife any farther down the wife acceptance factor path. Since I added the Carver amplifier to the sub instead of the plate amp it has made a phenomenal difference. This sub (HSU STF-1) does a really nice job anchoring the bass and is much faster with the Carver TFM-6CB. Plenty of power since it is bridged and quiet as a mouse when idle. I wish I had two of these subs for a matched pair. I'm sure that would balance the room much better. I now have it under the TV about halfway between the fronts. Not ideal since it leads to rumble from the nearby turntable. Nothing worse than fuzzy low end from feedback. Of course it would help if I replaced the worn out feet on the vintage Pioneer TT, but I am having a time deciding on suitable replacements. I would like to pre-out my centers and the surrounds as well, so I'm keeping an eye out for more amps in the local area. If I could score another four channels of amplification I would be in heaven! I never realized that high power this clean would make such a difference in how this old sub performs. From now on I will not be tempted to use any of these cheap plate amps that come with subs. Ripping the one out of the Hsu has been better than replacing the whole sub. I am not a bass head by any means but the Hsu meshes perfectly crossed over at 40Hz into the large Maggies. I did sweeps with test tracks and can't even hear the notch. That says to me I have the sub located where it needs to be. The 1.7i speakers have plenty of bass for most music, but I need the sub for a few later recordings and movies. How many of you all use the Audyssey or Dirac tunings? I found I get better results using my own ancient Radio Shack dB meter and ears to balance channels. I don't really care for the "Mult-EQ" results either. Mostly ends up brutalizing the beautiful mids that the Maggies have, plus accentuating the bass and treble. I much prefer the stock flat eq of the AVR. At some point I will need to move to another AVR and will want to have more presets for overall setup for switching between movies and serious stereo listening. Specific needs include: 1) The ability to switch the AVR amplifiers off for exclusive pre-out use. I would get a dedicated AV preamp but they are just too much money. 2) Two sub outs with independent control. This will become important later after I build my own pair of sealed subs. Retirement is a gift! 3) 4 ohm compatible. 4) Not butt-ugly with zillions of front panel buttons and lights. 5) Ability to have overall presets like I said above. 6) Phono preamp. I don't want another small box for the limited LP use I have. 7) 7.2 Channels of processing, whether I choose to have surround backs or Atmos or whatever. 😎 At least one pass through for 8K material. Stupid auto correct insists on making this emoticon instead of an 8 with Parenthesis. I see the Marantz Cinema 7s as a likely candidate, especially in silver. I hate how everything these days is black. And it is very affordable. I usually buy after the models are about two years old, often sourcing refurbs. I have loved the sound of my Marantz SR-6008, but it is a bit long in the tooth and mucks up the 4K pass-through. Anyway, just needed to talk about my audio Jones for a bit. Wife is gone on a business trip and it's my first week of retirement, so I'm trying to adjust. Nice to finally have the opportunity to shoot astro pictures without having to suffer through the next day at work. Thanks for listening! Tim P.S. Listening to some classic Jean luc Ponty and Jazz Crusaders. In a good place these days. Hope the world hangs together for a while... P.P.S. When did the audio world start calling room frequency peaks "modes" instead of "nodes?" I've been away too long!

Here is my bizarre system, but it works really well for me. Carver TFM-6CB driving a Hsu Sub (early STF model). The amp is bridged and run directly to the sub driver. Plate amps are terrible. Adcom GFA-555 driving the Magnepan 1.7i's for fronts. Marantz SR6008 receiver driving a pair of Magnepan MGIIA's (mono in series) for centers. Immediately behind them (not shown) are a pair of MMGW's on the wall that may soon to be repurposed as surround backs. The Marantz also drives another pair of MMGW's for surrounds. The Marantz runs the Adcom and Carver from the pre-outs. I use the Audyssey settings for movies but the "Pure Direct" stereo mode for listening. Pioneer PL-518 turntable with Shure M91ED cartridge. Apple TV 4K feeding a Sony 85" LED and linked to the Marantz via HDMI Some Denon DVD player, not sure of the model, and a speaker selector by Adcom. I sometimes host listening sessions with other speakers and like to A/B them. I recently bought the MG1.7i's to replace the IIA's but wanted to try the old 1985 era speakers as centers just for grins. Of course they are still wonderful and my wife is even thinking we should keep them instead of selling them off. Yes, I am a Maggie zealot and have been since I first heard them. As a retired professional musician they make me feel like I am right in the middle of the performance. The Hsu sub has always disappointed me in the past when using the built-in plate amplifier. I have been through three of those abominations before finally pulling the amp, closing the back and powering it with my Carver M-400 bridged. When the cube started misbehaving I found the TFM-6CB locally for an unbelievable low price and it has made the sub absolutely sing. It now integrates beautifully with the MG1.7i's and fills out the last octave with solid fundamentals. It is crossed at 40 Hz and also used with LFE for movies. What I used to think were excursion limit noises were really clipping sounds, and the latest Carver has put that problem to bed. The amp is super quiet and powerful, especially for its size and weight. While not a true audiophile with tube amps and multi thousand dollar cables and interconnects, I do love the sound of my system and believe it acquits itself nicely with 90 percent of what I play through it. When I was young there was a 3 year period I spent in pro sound touring and soaking up everything I could about audio. Much of the concepts are still valid and there is quite a bit of vintage equipment that belies its age (the Adcom is a beast and VERY detailed). What little Caver gear I have I appreciate. I intend to eventually get the cube repaired and will integrate it into my system again probably as a center channel amp. The Marantz name gets a bad rap from some forums but I have had a good experience with mine. It drives the MMGW's and the MGIIA's perfectly at six and 10 ohms respectively. Movies at my house are fantastic with the all Magnepan system. I plan on building a pair of sealed subs to replace the Hsu to deliver a bit more punch to the LFE. However I really enjoy how well the Hsu plays with the 1.7's for stereo listening - streaming music is engrossing and fun. If anything, the system reveals poor recording quality which can detract from enjoyment of some classics. I tend to search for the best recordings and rarely listen to live albums anymore. It is not important to me that I have the latest and greatest gear. What I have pleases me and that is my journey, not someone else's. My plans for impending retirement include designing and building some box speakers for friends and relatives, keeping an eye out for vintage gear at bargain prices, learning a bit of electronics basics, and getting my chops back on my horn. Of course I will be watching and posting on this forum as well. Reading these pages helps pass the time when winding down from the day. Thanks for being here and providing this outlet for conversation! Tim

Too much music, not enough time! Today it’s Matt Bianco “Matt’s Mood,” Mark Egan “About Now,” and Don Grolnick “Hearts and Numbers.” The first and last are old favorites, the Egan release I discovered recently. He was on some of Pat Metheny’s stuff when they were relatively young. Don Grolnick recorded some of the best sounding jazz (?) albums of the period before he passed from cancer. Be sure to hear the third track “Pools” on “Hearts.” It has some great transients from just about every instrument. The piano solo is incredible. Grolnick’s record “Medianoche” has some of the best Latin percussion mix; I use both albums to test speakers often. I twisted my knee and am laid-up on the couch, so all I can do is listen to music and tinker with speaker placement and tuning. What a life! Looking forward to checking out some of the stuff listed by y’all. The first half of my life I spent performing and now I am content to listen.

It is really pleasant to get so many folks saying hello! I intend to track this forum during my “audio reawakening.” Thank you for your kind words. It is difficult to find an internet site that has members that treat each other with respect. If I ever fail to be charitable or humble please call me out. I’ll post pics of my sort of odd system when I perceive the limits on my account are lifted.

Don Grusin Bill Sharpe "Trans Atlantica" and Alfredo Rodriguez "Coral Way."

I have this amp and it is a powerhouse. Quiet and clean, I have yet to light the “Overhead Exhausted” LEDs. I have it bridged running my sub and love its tight bottom end. Those plate amps they sell on the back of subs are junk; I always thought my sub was “bottoming out” from too much excursion. Turns out it was clipping! Since pulling the plate amp from the sub and running the Carver with it, it has been super solid. I need to find more of these amps to power my center and surrounds! The Marantz AVR gets compressed at movie volumes even being rated at 150 watts into 6 ohms. I hope my Carver lasts forever!

Wow! A forum just for Carverphiles! Who knew? Glad to find a place to share feedback on things Carver and audio in general. I will soon be retired in a couple weeks and sites like this will provide me with plenty of company while my non-audiophile better half is still working. Looking forward to visiting and reading the posts. Original Carver M-400 Cube (my first Carver gear many years ago when they appeared on the scene). Repaired once and now is in bad shape again. CT-25.1 AV Preamp (not in use) TFM-6CB amplifier driving my HSU sub (bridged) I’ve always liked Carver gear and at one point used some Carver amps for pro touring as a sound tech. Well, of to the forum to do some reading! Tim