China built tube amps

Wow! That Carver Crimson 275 sounds like a real dog! $3k for a made in America amp that doesn’t meet specs? Do you know what I can buy for $3k? How on earth are people buying that amp, and who in the world is Carver using to build them?

i actually own the carver amp, bought it used, at a good price

it actually sounds very very good... perhaps the power output does not meet the irresponsibly marketed numbers, but the amp is plays fine, actually much better than fine, sonically, it is excellent -- driving my spendor sp100 r2’s or harbeth mon 40/3s

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/shootout-primaluna-dialog-hp-integrated-carver-crimson-275-elekit-300/post?highlight=crimson%2Bjjss49&postid=2127278#2127278

this blind-as-a-bat piling on b-s is just that -- b-s -- from folks who don’t know, haven’t tried, talking out of their a** - guys, give it rest... there is another substantive thread on this forum dedicated to that particular amp

so you hate the commies and their cheap china crap... but here are ’murican’s making an amp in ’murica... that works well, but sly marketers these particular ’muricans are... overstating the power somewhat, pulling wool over the eyes of other ’muricans... cashing in on old warhorse bob carver’s reputation as a pioneer, iconoclast, against-the-grain designer...

so what do you hate more? that’s the operative emotion here, right? HATE .... talk sh&t... that’s fun, makes your evening, right?

let’s all chill, listen to music... enjoy, don’t hate....just give the hate a rest

lack of stateside service and support is a real concern, as ralph points out

some china based vendors help solve this by offering free shipping back to location x where they do the servicing, and that can help some

some others reach a scale of sales in the usa or europe that they do set up a least a local repair facility, of course the lowest cost new entrants rarely have this sorted out

that said, tube amps are

-- usually pretty big and heavy, so any need for service or repair gets to be a bit of pain, and if the process requires a trip to china, it won't be by rapid courier, so prospective buyers like the op are well advised to think through these tradeoffs

-- not terribly complicated and circuitry is straightforward, so a local tech who works on tube amps can probably do the work

op

that dealer you spoke to is full of sh#t