Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted June 26, 2022 Posted June 26, 2022 (edited) Hello guys and gals, I hope you are all doing well and having a nice summer. Some questions have been asked about the differences between the Black Magic 25 and the now discontinued Crimson 275. This is Bob Carver Company, not a partnership building under license. Bob and Peggy own it, 100% of it, as it should be, imho.. As part of our agreement to manage Bob Carver Company, one of my conditions was, that Bob and Peggy must own the company entirely. No partners or investors (not even me). Guys that have been Carver fans as long as most of us know, when Bob owns the company, it does great things. Back to the Black Magic. Is it a 275 renamed the Black Magic? For the most part thats true, but not exactly. The Black Magic 25 uses EL-34 (pentode) power tubes only. The 275 uses KT (kinkless triode) types. UPDATE : After further testing, the Black Magic 25 can the EL-34 but also 6550, KT88 and KT120 tubes with excellent result. There were 275 components available to us, as work in progress after the builder had closed. They are Bobs designs. This also came at a time when KT120 tubes were unavailable at fair prices due to Russian sanctions. We modified the 275 chassis to mount the meter by screws, and added a mounting point for the power supply. We went to a standard satin black finish, due to very high rejection rates in Raven and Crimson coatings. This was a significant cost savings. Bob optimized the design for the multi-national produced EL-34 vacuum tubes. The power supply is the 75 watt design from the 275, so its relatively massive and the EL-34s sound fantastic, being very effortless and musical. The soundstage and imagining are 1st rate. The Black Magic grabs your attention and holds you there. A customer recently said the Black Magic 25 way better than his original vintage Black Magic 20 that was very popular more than a decade ago. In fact, the Black Magic sounds so good, its staying in the line up and parts were ordered for the next 100 units. We are proud of the Black Magic 25 and back it with a Satisfaction Guarantee. Customers having their own Carver Amplifier Challenge, against amplifiers of any price, does not deceive. The Black Magic is $1995. I've been running 87db/1w/1m, 6 ohm speakers (as shown) with great results. 4 ohm speakers are no issue. Here are some pictures. Note the rack in the picture is a revolving Ryno Rax crafted from solid hardwood. https://rynorax.com/ Thanks for your time, Jim Edited December 23, 2022 by Ar9Jim 3 2 1
Community Admin AndrewJohn 10,507 Posted June 26, 2022 Community Admin Posted June 26, 2022 Thanks for the update, Jim. I can't wait to hear these again..., Wasn't this the amp in the demo room at AXPONA a couple months ago? 2
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted June 26, 2022 Author Posted June 26, 2022 5 minutes ago, AndrewJohn said: Thanks for the update, Jim. I can't wait to hear these again..., Wasn't this the amp in the demo room at AXPONA a couple months ago? Hi AJ, Yes it was. People kept asking the price. When one of us said "nineteen fifty", they made us clarify that we were talking nineteen hundred, not thousand. That feels pretty awesome, I must say. Lee (Xavionics) replied several times, "we could add a zero" for a good laugh.. Really that good. People returned the following day just to make sure it was really that good. 2 1
xavionics 2,118 Posted June 27, 2022 Posted June 27, 2022 I’m happy to hear you are keeping the 225 in the lineup Jim! “The Little Amp That Could” is an impressive piece of gear! 1
Dennis47 981 Posted July 1, 2022 Posted July 1, 2022 Jim, Do you know who the manufacturer of the stock tubes will be? 1
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted July 2, 2022 Author Posted July 2, 2022 (edited) 22 hours ago, Dennis47 said: Jim, Do you know who the manufacturer of the stock tubes will be? Hi Dennis, The first run is Tung-Sol.. A customer was telling me Psvane were excellent and better sounding than the Tung-sol in a 275. It should be similar in a Black Magic. What are your thoughts? I heard some vintage 6550 RCAs in a 275 and they were great. Magnarider Ray bought them. Edited July 2, 2022 by Ar9Jim 1
Dennis47 981 Posted July 2, 2022 Posted July 2, 2022 (edited) Hey Jim, I think Tung-Sol are a good choice for the tubes. Might be nice to have a cost-plus option for Psvanes. I use vintage RCA 6550s in my 275 and agree...they sound outstanding. Bye the way...I love the look of the Black Magic 25. Edited July 2, 2022 by Dennis47 1 1
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted September 12, 2022 Author Posted September 12, 2022 The Black Magic 25 is an EL-34 only amplifier as of Sep 12 2022. The EL-34 is now making its maximum magic.. 1 1
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted October 30, 2022 Author Posted October 30, 2022 (edited) I have some updates to this thread as of 10-30-22. Bob has made further refinements to the Black Magic 25. This optimization has made it for use exclusively with EL-34 type vacuum tubes (KT types not allowed). The Black Magic 25 Stereo Tube Amplifier has now been released and is IN-STOCK. Made in USA.. $1995 bobcarvercorp.com. Click 'Buy Carver Direct'. Edited October 30, 2022 by Ar9Jim 1
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted November 2, 2022 Author Posted November 2, 2022 (edited) I've been running a prototype Black Magic 25 for a few months. Bob made further changes to optimize for the EL-34 pentode vacuum tubes. The EL-34 has been around since 1955, first produced by Mullard. They are available new today. In the new Black Magic 25 they sound wonderful and provide plenty of power for most applications. Time with these Tung-Sol EL-34s has me anxious to try rolling some brands. Its said that the EL-34 is the most popular audio tube in history. I can understand why the EL-34 so popular. Very musical.. Now I see them everywhere, like in this video. Edited November 2, 2022 by Ar9Jim 1
Ar9Jim 6,514 Posted December 23, 2022 Author Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) We have an update and good news. Last spring the Black Magic 25 was conceived. During the pandemic, the special 2 part crimson color paint for the crimson line was not available in a consistent, reliable manner. Color variations were unacceptable. The choice was made, to go with the satin black that is the exact match for the majority of black audio equipment on the market today. This baked finish is durable and very consistent. It also resulted in a cost reduction for the customer. The KT120 vacuum tubes, made by a USA company in Russia, became unavailable last spring and as of 12-20-22 have become unavailable again from the manufacturer. The lead times on orders are now unspecified. Using the powerful and plentiful EL-34 tubes, being made in multiply countries, continues to be a good choice during this war time disruption. The EL-34s using the oversized 75 watt power supply, has great headroom and dynamics. The presentation is effortless and dynamic, on par with amplifiers of higher power ratings when operating below its peak power limit. Using the EL-34s, the Black Magic 25 can more than double its power rating to 55 watts @ 1 kHz with less than 1% THD+N. The good news - The changes made to optimize for the EL-34 vacuum tubes, have had no negative effects when using 6550, KT88 and KT120 tubes. Customers can now enjoy a wider selection of tubes in the Black Magic 25. Edited December 24, 2022 by Ar9Jim 4
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