RangerTim 30 Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 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 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobTFM35 1,998 Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 @RangerTim Welcome to the site, and glad that you found your new home, and fun place to be for now and after your soon to be retired status. Enjoy browsing the site, and when you get to Novice status you will be able to post pictures of your gear. Everyone here enjoys seeing pictures. Again Welcome!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzman53 1,238 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Welcome Tim... and congrats on your retirement! Charlie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk1Bum 10,230 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Hi RangerTim, and welcome to thecarversite.com . We're glad you're hear. My first Carver piece was an M400t, and well, that blossomed a bit. We all love pics, so once you get to Novice status, consider uploading some pics in the Members Systems area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenith4me 1,422 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Welcome to TCS! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3M_Audio 1,341 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Welcome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Receiver2000 2,865 Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Welcome Tim, sounds like you found the right place!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Community Admin AndrewJohn 8,721 Posted May 29 Community Admin Share Posted May 29 Welcome @RangerTim, glad you found us. We love pictures..., show us your gear, when you get a minute. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt 2,049 Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Welcome to the Carver Site! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cring08 177 Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Welcome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTim 30 Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 4,530 Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Welcome to the club!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTim 30 Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 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 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Receiver2000 2,865 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I like what you said about " it pleases me and my journey". What else could you ask for. Thank you for sharing it with us. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobTFM35 1,998 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Thanks for sharing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xavionics 1,572 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Maggie MGIIa's in series for center channel - Holy crap, that's brilliant! Welcome! You'll fit in very well here...👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTim 30 Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 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! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Receiver2000 2,865 Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 All the audio issues can be resolved, now the WAF is an entirely different matter. Those are a couple of my favorite artists JLP and Crusaders. I blast that all the time as well as Joe Samples work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Community Admin AndrewJohn 8,721 Posted June 29 Community Admin Share Posted June 29 15 hours ago, RangerTim said: 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. Love the write-up, and learning from your experience. I use Audyssey in my Marantz AV receiver to get it close, but find I need to tweak it, especially the center channel where dialog is supposed to be channeled..., could just be my ears, but I like the tool, to get close..., then try to stay near what the Audyssey computed... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTim 30 Posted September 21 Author Share Posted September 21 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! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Receiver2000 2,865 Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Understand that. Hard to part with old friends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk1Bum 10,230 Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 On 6/16/2024 at 5:12 PM, RangerTim said: Marantz SR6008 receiver driving a pair of Magnepan MGIIA's (mono in series) for centers. That's cool. I recently started using a pair of 60" ribbons salvaged from a pair of Carver Amazing Platinum's. I used a Y connector to the M1.0t mkII opt002 amp, and then just connected one ribbon to left and and one to the right channels. It's a great improvement over the Klipsch RC 3 I've been using for at least 20 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyjt 8,747 Posted September 22 Share Posted September 22 What part of Idaho are you in? I live just north of SLC and travel most of southern Idaho for work… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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