WileysDad 0 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 My story... after delving into the theater realm back around 2k, my 2-channel system had been collecting dust in the den. Recently decided to get back into 2-channel audio. Well... it's a little more involved than that. The impetus was an old theater receiver (Technics SA-AX7/SH-AC500D) that I had sitting in a closet. Decided to put together a 2 channel system for my office. Picked up a pair of Polk Audio RTi12s at Fry's when they were on sale ($600/pr). Sounded like crap in the store, tho after a little investigating, discovered someone had jacked the treble WAY up on the receiver the were connected to, & one of the speakers was missing it's jumpers, so only mids/highs were functioning on that one. The drama wasn't over once I got them home & unpacked. Cosmetically, the Polks were perfect... but detected a buzz in the mids after firing them up. Of course, the store where I purchased had no more in stock, and I'd had bad luck with the other nearby store... so I contacted Polk directly. They informed me the speakers had a 5 year warranty. Emailed the speaker serial numbers & a copy of the receipt, and a few days later, 2 new mid drivers showed up on my doorstep. Sounded much better, tho the ole Technics wasn't doing them justice... and I had read that the Polks respond well to more power. So... that started me down a slippery slope. Since most of my listening in the office would be digital sources, picked up a Sony TA-E1000ESD digital preamp for $100 (WITH remote!) off of Craigslist. Then picked up a Yamaha M-45 power amp for the mids/highs & a Yamaha M-65 power amp for the bottom end. The difference in sound quality was quite stunning. Since my mid-80s vintage cd player (NAD 5340) had digital/coax out, put that into the system, tho I have to say, my Panasonic dvd player (with HDCD decoding) sounds better via optical/toslink. So... this whole sequence of events got me to thinking I should revive my 2 channel system that has been languishing in the den. Back in the mid 80s, I bought a Carver M-500t amp & C-1 preamp brand new (Sensuous Sound, Tampa, Florida). I ran them to a pair of Infinity RS-9b bookshelf speakers. My college roommate & I built a homemade subwoofer (dual 10s, in sealed enclosures) & used a Cerwin Vega passive crossover (110 Hz). The NAD 5340 was also added in the mid 80s (Kubans, Sarasota, FL), as was a Yamaha TX-900U tuner and Aiwa AD-F990 cassette deck. I was very happy with that system over the years, and it served me well into the late 90s. While living in Charlotte, NC, I stumbled onto a pair of Carver Amazing Platinums in the local rag (Creative Loafing). If memory serves, I picked them up for $1100 from the original owner, WITH the original boxes. Naturally, the M-500t wasn't quite up to the task, so I bought a second one off of Ebay & horizontally bi-amped them (I know... a mistake). Around 2k2, I had the ribbons rebuilt by Dave Sauter. Shortly thereafter, the 2 channel system was moved to the living room, to make room for the theater system in the family room. As a result, the 2-channel system has seen very little use since. Setting up the system in the office has re-energized me to revive my BETTER 2 channel system in the den. I have several options at this point. In addition to the C-1 and (2) M-500t's, I also recently acquired a C-4000t and (2) M-1.5t's (sucker for a good deal). Have debated running the M-500t's in mono configuration for the ribbons, and the M-1.5t's in mono configuration for the woofers. Or, I could do the MkII mods to the M-500t's & leave off the M-1.5t's. Or... could sell the M-1.5t's & buy two more M-500t's & have (4) M-500t's all in mono configuration. Geez, the M-500t's are getting hard to find in decent shape, and WITH the rack handles. Admittedly, the system still will not see a LOT of use... the 7.2 system in the living room gets the bulk of my listening, just because of the location. Nonetheless, it's time to resurrect the Carver system. I have cases of vinyl stored away, & want to use the Carver system to get back into it (once I purchase a new turntable). My last turntable was destroyed by the moving company (broke the counterweight clean off of the tonearm- no big deal, was a cheap Pioneer turntable from the early 80s). And once I finish this project, it'll likely be time to upgrade the living room theater system to 4K & ATMOS... always something on the horizon! Anyhow, that's my story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danowood 2,167 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Welcome to the site Wileysad, looks like you have been accustomed to great equipment from the start. Time to knock some dust off your equipment and enjoy some music and trips down memory lane. You will find out what OCCD is and how it affects our members here in the Carversite. We love pics too The M 500 is one of the many admired amps with many of the members, and soon you will find much info on it and the upgrades that have been done with it. the C-1 pre is also a favorite among many members and also has a BillD upgrade that makes the unit a fabulous choice. Enjoy the music.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showmodel 86 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Welcome Wileysdad. From your opening story it sounds like you have finally found your home on this site. Great people here and loads of technical information. Just remember....it's never really a problem when you can't quite figure out how to hook up 4 Carver amps to one pair of speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumbini 6,140 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Howdy Wileysdad, and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your story with us. FYI: The M-1.5(t) is NOT bridgeable but you can take advantage of power steering by using them in single channel mode as follows: Connect the left preamp output to the left OR right input of one amp and feed the left speaker woofers from the left OR right binding posts. Connect the right preamp output to the left OR right input of the other amp and feed the right speaker woofers from the left OR right binding posts. Here is an excerpt from the owner's manual: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WileysDad 0 Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 FYI: The M-1.5(t) is NOT bridgeable but you can take advantage of power steering by using them in single channel mode. To do this feed the left channel preamp output to one amp and feed the left speaker woofers from the left OR right binding posts. Feed the right channel preamp output to the other amp and feed the right speaker woofers from the left OR right binding posts Duly noted... and thank you! I picked up the 1.5t's mainly because they were a good deal. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with them yet. I WOULD like a quartet of M-500t for the Platinums, and may use the 1.5t sales proceeds to finance that pursuit. Or, I may use them... or I may just keep them for spares. I picked up one of the 1.5t for $150... not bad for a working amp, tho the cosmetics are a bit rough. The other one was a package deal... $400 for the C-4000t & M-1.5t... both in working order. A few cosmetic blemishes, but are not overly noticeable under ambient lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Pwr 765 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Welcome to the site WileysDad, glad you found us and decided to join in on the fun. Lots to see and read here, please don't by shy about asking questions, everyone here will be eager to help you. How about some pictures of your gear, we love audio porn. Also tell us what types of music and bands/artists you like to listen to. Enjoy the site, Blues Pwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMAT 1,842 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Welcome and glad to have you aboard. Post some pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWojo 542 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome aboard Wileysdad, I recently picked up a pair of clean M500T amps myself. Running them in the power steering mode at the moment, they sure look great stacked up. This place will have you spending money on stuff you never knew you needed but it sounds to me like your there already. Hang out, lots of friendly helpful folks on here. BillWojo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WileysDad 0 Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 I'll see what I can do about pics this weekend... the puppy keeps me SOOOOO busy right now... have some cleaning to do first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopter pilot doug 110 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingman 662 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome to the Carversite!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWT50 60 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome to the site. Great bunch of people who are here to help you with anything. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcl 3,173 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 That's a good introductory story, reminds us all of the days of visiting audio stores & coming away not empty handed. That proclivity has been replaced with OCCD and members are here to encourage you via knowledge, skill and generosity. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilmainer 137 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome aboard! I too have recently rediscovered my vinyl after a 16 + yr hiatus. I forgot how much the listening experience is about more than what I hear. I forgot how much I enjoy the feel, sight and even smell of the jacket cover. Anyone else stick their nose in the jacket and breathe in the dust and mold, and actually love it? I hope I never get caught doing that, lol. The folks on here are real kind, generous, and funny as hell too. Cheers - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kve777 6,677 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Have debated running the M-500t's in mono configuration for the ribbons, and the M-1.5t's in mono configuration for the woofers. Or, I could do the MkII mods to the M-500t's & leave off the M-1.5t's. Or... could sell the M-1.5t's & buy two more M-500t's & have (4) M-500t's all in mono configuration. FYI- The ribbons use more power than the woofers, so you want your bigger amps on the uppers. Or make them all equal. You really won't want bigger amps on the bottom unless you replace the stock woofers with the likes of Infinity Kappa Perfect 10.1 car subs. Opposite of 'normal' speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trav0810 586 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Greetings! Glad to have you on the site. Sounds like you have played with some nice gear. We are glad to have you and look forward to seeing some pics of your system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fill35U 1,845 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Welcome to theCarversite! What a predicament- so much gear, so many decisions... Looking forward to watching your systems grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumbini 6,140 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Have debated running the M-500t's in mono configuration for the ribbons, and the M-1.5t's in mono configuration for the woofers. Or, I could do the MkII mods to the M-500t's & leave off the M-1.5t's. Or... could sell the M-1.5t's & buy two more M-500t's & have (4) M-500t's all in mono configuration. FYI- The ribbons use more power than the woofers, so you want your bigger amps on the uppers. Or make them all equal. You really won't want bigger amps on the bottom unless you replace the stock woofers with the likes of Infinity Kappa Perfect 10.1 car subs. Opposite of 'normal' speakers. What Kevin said about the power ratio is true, but I think the ribbons will SOUND better driven by the M-500t's. (M-1.5t's are often described as being a bit harsh.) I would try it both ways and let your ears be the final arbiter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ar9Jim 6,056 Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Welcome.Hope you enjoy it here.The place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesMan57 1,308 Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you aboard...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagamore2007 71 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Welcome, great site with lots of talent & laughs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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