newbie- looking to pick some brains

[mike eckert 1]

TNRabbit----Think you for your TIMELY reply.  I got up this morning ready to take these beauties all apart.  Told the wife "by the time you come home, I'll be all finished".  Good thing I saw your reply.  I'm the kind of guy that if tight is good- tighter is better.  Anyway,  I've cleaned them all up with windex and elbow grease and have decided that I'll just check to make sure the screws aren't loose.  I see some spyder webs behind the oak panels but I can blow those out with some compressed air, gently.  I've wired up the ribbons and am listening to them right now at low volume. For now I'm powering them with a Pioneer SX-1050 (120wpc) and they sound good.  After a couple of hours I'll pump in more juice and listen for buzzy sounds.  I'll eventually try a Sony STR-V7 (150wpc) then the big 170wpc Fisher.

   On these units the ribbons are exposed along with the port in the woofer box, looks like there might be something missing.  The gentleman I got these from said he inherited them from a friend that died and he has never used them in 10 years.  They appear to be in nearly new condition and I can't find any signs of them ever being apart.  The foam on the woofers was intact but getting a little stiff with a couple of splits. I have gotten some foam fall out from behind the oak panels and will probably remove the oak panels to see if something needs to be replaced.  Well- Thanks again for everyones input, without it I would have probably destroyed these beautiful speakers.  Not sure if I'll mess with the crossovers at this time, after I get the woffers back and listen to them for a while, I'll decide.  MIKE

[TNRabbit 370]

The AL-IIIs are going to be a HARD load for those receivers. I will be surprised if you aren't able to coax them into shutdown with much volume. I ran one of RichP's souped-up Mk II M-500 amps into them & was easily able to shut it down.

 

The passive crossovers are responsible for @ 40-50% of the power they eat. I will NEVER go back to passive crossovers again~

 

Let me know about the woofers; I can recommend a great replacement & I think someone else on here has used a different replacement with good results.

 

Post a pic of the front of you speakers & I'll let you know if something is missing....

 

 

[TNRabbit 370]

FYI:

 

"Once I begin tightening screws how will I know when is enough and when is too much?"

 

 

Make TINY, 1/16th-1/8th adjustments to the screws nearest the buzz (& one above & one below if necessary). If you hear a loud "pop"....oh shit. The ribbons screws are the Philips head; the square head are for the ribbon attachment to the wings.

[Ratamahatta 421]

 

 

I was going to say its best to get a collection of advise before making a decision. glad you got to it in time.

 

 

 

[mike eckert 1]

OK-- I think I have a chance on getting a Sunfire amp by trading a few of my vintage receivers for it.  Question-- I see a Carver C-4000 pre-amp on E-bay.  Would that be a good match with the Sunfire or should I look for a different unit? 

[BillD 239]

The C-4000 is the most complete "bells and whistles" preamp you might ever encounter.  The early ones needed some work to become world class (mine had that work done by a member here).  If you aren't into tweaking your sound too much and just want a good solid preamp, I'd go with the C-1.  They are easy to work on, too.

[zumbini 6,138]

I see a Carver C-4000 pre-amp on E-bay.  Would that be a good match with the Sunfire or should I look for a different unit? 

 

Consumer audio gear have been standardized for years so virtually any amp can be connected to any preamp.

I'd be more concerned about how you plan to use the preamp. For instance:

 

Is your system straight stereo or home theater (5.1 or 7.1)?

Do you have balanced (1/4" or XLR) or unbalanced (RCA) equipment?

How many source inputs do you need?

How many preamp outputs do you need? 

Do you have a moving coil cartridge?

Do you have multiple sound processors or tape decks?

Do you plan to expand in the future?

[mike eckert 1]

I need some advice--- I'm looking for another set of speakers (does it ever end ?) and have to decide on a set of Polk SDA 2795  or a set of Infinity Kappa 8.1s  with the front port and all oak face (pretty-pretty). I know that the Infinitys are hard to drive but I picked up a Denon POA 2800, from a neighbor,  that should do the trick.  The Infinitys are only $200 more than the Polks but I'm mainly after hi quality sound.  By the way--- I've had the Carver AL-111s running for about a week now and they do sound marvelous- simply marvelous !  Also, does anyone know where I can get the black foam that covers the ribbon on the AL-111s ?   Thanks  MIKE

[SteveFord 1,059]

What's your price range for a preamp?

[mike eckert 1]

That is the model number the guy posted.  The picture shows a large passive radiator on the bottom, 4 drivers in the middle with two tweeters above.  He is asking $400 for the pair. Finally found them They are SDA-1As

[Ratamahatta 421]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Carver-AL-III-Replacement-Acoustic-Foam-NEW-2-pieces-/390250779267?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item5adcc25283

 

Trust me your Carvers sound better than either of those two,  If those are SDA 1A's I would pass, those are not very desirable in the SDA world.  I had the Kappa 8.1's and was impressed with the clarity.

 

 

 

 

[mike eckert 1]

steveford--The same guy that I bought the Denon amp from had a NAD 917 preamp for $100 which I bought also.  There dosen't seem to be much used Carver equipment around here on Craigslist and the couple pieces that I've looked at have been a little beat up.  I'm sure some nice stuff will show up sooner or later.

 

  ratamahatta-- Thanks for the input on the Polks. I've never listened to a set of either the Polks or the Infinitys.  Your statement that the Carvers sound better than either may have saved me $600 which I would rather put toward a nice Carver amp and pre-amp pair. I almost had a deal on a Sunfire 2 channel amp (looked new) but the guy sold to a buddy of his so I'll just keep looking for a while longer.

[Ratamahatta 421]

also the link was for some replacement foam for your carvers

[weitrhino 1,425]

 

 

 Also, does anyone know where I can get the black foam that covers the ribbon on the AL-111s ?   Thanks  MIKE

 

Mike,

 

There are some who would rather paint the ribbon frame black and just dispense with the foam altogether, unless you have a need to protect the ribbons from little finger inserting little objects into them. 

[Ratamahatta 421]

I thought it was bad for the ribbons to get dusty.

[mike eckert 1]

 

   ratamahatta--- thanks for the link to the foam ribbon covers.  I kinda like the looks of the shiney ribbons, Maybe I'll just cover from the ribbons down to cover the ribbon frame joint to the bottom of the woffer box.  When I got the woofers back from the shop and put everything back together, I was worried about possible ribbon buzzing but thank goodness haven't heard any at all.  I had to order a speaker post nut from B&W (weird thread) as one was missing from the AL-111s which may have been the reason I got these at such a deal. Without that nut, either the ribbon or the woofer was probably cutting in and out.  Anyway-- these Carvers look fantastic, sound fantastic, and I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I see  them in the TV room.  Thanks for the help guys !