clearthink359 posts06-09-2018 6:23amBob Carver produces cheap, unreliable and poorly performing products hence the nicknames for some of his creations such as "Flame Linear" he is a promoter, showman and marketer of the first class however!clearthink Could you describe your Carver product experience that would provoke such a throughly negative remark? |
I have had a lot of experience with Bob and Carver equipment. Spoiler alert, I love the gear and deeply respect the man. My first piece of Carver gear was “The Receiver” that a friend gave to me. This was a big step up from the Goodwill gear I assembled over the years. The receiver produced great sound, copious power and looked great twenty years after it was made. A few years later, I found a C-1 Preamp at a stereo resale shop. This piece of gear amp introduced me to the concept of audio “darkness”, no sounds were added or subtracted. Later, I had Roland modify it and the sounds became more pronounced and vivid. About five years ago, I bought a Carver modified Eico HF-81 integrated amp on eBay. It was my first journey into the world of tubes. It looked like new and produced a great tube listening experience. After a couple years of use, I noticed some noice on the left channel. I remember that Bob gave his famous “Lifetime” warranty so I reached out to him through eBay. Ten minutes later I received a reply from Bob, giving me his cell phone number and asking me to call at my convenience. Talk about prompt, personal service. I called Bob, and he couldn’t have been more patient or gracious. He said I could send the amp back or he would walk me through a couple of fixes over the phone. Within minutes, he diagnosed the problem (corrosion on a knob) and helped me correct it. I was back in love with the Eico and gained a ultimate respect for Bob. As a newly minted Carver fan, I eyed his most recent creations, The Crimson 350. I contacted Wally at Underwood and he offered that I could test a 350 at Bob’s lab, if I as interested. I jumped at the opportunity, and a week later I was sitting in Bob’s easy chair listening to the 350s through his new line source speakers. I spent a couple of hours with Bob talking about music, gear and everything else. I loved the monoblocks, and bought them. They are in my A+ system. They have replaced McIntosh, vintage Fishers, and HH Scott gear. I realize that Bob is a blend of many talents, physics, electronics, audio and promotion. My recommendation is to first listen to the gear and then you will appreciate the man. |
danstein, Thank you so much for that information. I still have the 400w cube amp from the 70’s, I use it in my pool table room. I also owned Carver M-500’s amps and my brother owned the holographic preamp. Recently, I have talked to Bob on the phone many times. BTW, some tweaking that I have done with the Raven 350’s is: I changed the 2 input tubes to Telefunken and I put 1.6A SR blue fuses in it. Both with outstanding results. What did you think of the line source speakers? I just ordered them to go with my Raven 350’s amps. ozzy |
