Peeking inside a Carver Crimson 275 Tube Amplifier

@funky54,  I'm curious to read the fire from other cites/posts.  Can you put up some links?  

fiesta75,  Can you tell us why you believe the 275 is a disappointment?  Did you/do you own one?  What experience do you have with the amp?  What is it about the amp that let you down?  

I have no comment on the unit's power output in watts.  I have 102dB sensitive speakers so I don't need much juice.  

Let it rip folks!  Transparency is a great policy.  

Frank, looks like you have some things to answer!

I read the Audiosciencereview site testing and forum posts on this amp.  A couple of thoughts. 

Folks, especially those who tested it, seem very confident that the amp cannot make spec output, uses Edcor PT and/or OPTs, and is a fraud.  

The original testers of the amp on ASR admit they didn't have units with a serial number on them.  Other posters provided pics from Bob Carver's amp camp, a la Nelson Pass type of thing, where you could build one using Edcors as shown in photos.  

The piling on continues for 13 pages.  Will ASR test a genuine model with serial number?  They promise it's coming and things drop off from there.  Let's see. 

Lest I forget, I own this amp and feel it beat out (in my system) a Primaluna HP integrated weighing 55lbs.  I personally never cared for Bob's marketing. But sound wise, I think this thing sounds great.  

Be careful out there.  As Benjamin Disraeli said, "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics!" 

I'm not sure where this will end up on ASR or any site. I do, however, question how valid, comprehensive or meaningful some of this criticism is on the amp.  

I don't think I care enough to crack my amp open again to look at the transformers.

Keep it coming!

PS. I've heard some of the DAC stuff they love on ASR because "it measures so perfectly."  I tried two of them.  They sounded good--not great, not musical.  Kind of like a stereo in a luxury car.  I also wonder how a Fender Bassman would measure.  I bet gobs of distortion.  Thank goodness ASR doesn't supply bands with amps. :)

A little birdie told me that the amps subject of ASR's testing were, in fact, $600 kit amps--differing in quality from actual units sold with serial numbers. 

It doesn't come as a surprise that folks over at ASR believe they've uncovered a fraud.  However, surprise element aside, isn't it ironic that those touting science so heavily in high end audio likely didn't do their testing scientifically? 

For the love of all things sacred....If you're going to test things "scientifically" can you  at least (a) buy the unit from a licensed dealer; (b) note the serial number(s);  (c) make sure you know what you are talking about before posting alleged scientific conclusions.  

What's sad to me is that after reading all 13 pages of the ASR forum thread on their uncovering of "fraud", the confidence in their opinions never budges--even after a reputable dealer chimed in to clear some things up.  

Funky54, I think you are making a big assumption, which may be true or it may not be true.  That assumption is that ASR's testing was accurate and that it actually had a Crimson 275.  

The models ASR tested did not have serial numbers.  The build quality from pictures is not consumer grade or fit for resale.  

Did you know Wyred4Sound makes these amps for the Carver Corporation?  They must be in on the scam too. 

Look, if the Company made material misrepresentations then that is terrible. But don't you, or the numerous folks piling on the ASR forum recognize how absurd this would be?  It would be one thing to miss your specs by a bit.  Here, if ASR is correct then the Crimson 275 only makes 22% of its specified output.  

The Crimson 275 drove Kef Blades at Axpona a few years back with pleasant results.  Maybe they just love 17 watts of power to get them to sing.  I suppose that's possible.  I once had LS50s linked to a 300b SET and they sounded pretty good.  

I did drive Wharfedale Linton Heritage speakers with the Crimson too.  They are reportedly 90dB efficient and 6 ohm nominal impedance.  Had gobs of power for those loudspeakers. Maybe 17 watts is all you need.  

Kinda silly.. doesn’t take an engineer to look up the transformer part number and see it’s only rated for 15 watts. . Doesn’t take an engineer to measure output at only 15 to 17 watts per channel.. pick on science nerds all you want. 

Well, it doesn't take an engineer to throw out all of ASR's testing and your conclusions because the amps in question are not shown to be actual amps built by Wyred4Sound for the Carver Corporation.  The logic above and at ASR is dime store at best.  But, hey, if it turns out Carver puts a 15w OPT from Edcor in its amps and they cannot actually come close to spec, then yes that's a problem. 

It's clear folks are assuming what they seek to prove.  I'm not an engineer--I'm a lawyer.  Such conclusions would never make it into the record from a law perspective (which is a way lower threshold than scientific method).  Think about that.   Hey, this vacuum cleaner is defective Judge and killed my wife.  My expert says its wiring was faulty.  Judge:  But you cannot say the vacuum actually came of the manufacturer's line.  You can't cite to a bona fide serial number on the vacuum. 

I will say, however, Frank Malik should step up and explain this away (if he can) as folks are coming with pitchforks for his brand. 

Modjeski like Carver a genius…

Yes, they both are! Good points Tomic 

Yes, let's see how it plays out.  I may even open mine up to take a look.  It's tough to get into the transformer covers as you have to remove the circuit boards completely, which is a PIA!  

The amp does sound great.  I had it side by side with a Primaluna HP Integrated and it sounded better to me.  I was quite familiar with the Primaluna too.  

Before all this controversy, I posted (above) about how some of the parts quality was great and other parts were cheap stuff that I wouldn't put into anything.  

@mulveling you are correct in that some moderate to low power amps sound awesome and that's what matters.  I also agree that if the Carver Corporation made material misrepresentations about the amplfier's capabilities that would not be acceptable. 

Frank Malik (owner of Carver Corp) said he will provide responses to some of the questions raised in the forums about the amp.  And so we wait....

Oh, Ralph, I'll think about opening it up again.  I'd have to remove all the guts to get to the trannies.  Not something I'm keen on doing, but I could....

Ralph!  Always great to hear from you. I've learned much from you over the years and, from what I can tell from due diligence, you have yet to steer me wrong. 

As far as the little birdie, I contacted Frank Malitz by email letting him know folks were really hitting him and the company hard with questions (some very viable and meritorious) and accusations (some legal, etc.).  For full disclaimer, I do not work for Frank, Bob Carver, or have any affiliation with any of them. Yet I do know Frank "virtually" so to speak. I'm just as curious as anyone on this subject. 

Mine weighs 21 lbs, likely from the numerous caps I put in that dwarf the original Suntan el cheapo caps.  

I do have efficient speakers so I'm not a good gauge of how powerful it is.  It does sound great. 

Ralph, it may be time for me to buy your S30!  It seems like it would be a match in heaven for Cornwall IVs. 

Keeping me laughing and having fun tomic601!  Thank you!

I agree Charles1Dad!

@fmalitz , we are waiting with bated breath!

Thank you for chiming in Frank.

It looks like that ASR folks could have been more scientific in ensuring they were testing an actual amplifier built in California by Wyred4Sound.

Now, this still leaves open the issue, what JJSS and Atmas-Phere are asking, how it is possible to get this output with so little weight?

I really don’t want to ship mine to ASR to test. I also don’t want to open it up and take it apart to expose the transformers. I’m curious, but not that curious, as I know from working on this amp that you have to disassemble so much to get to trans covers off.

@funky54, Yes, I do think they need to just get to it and explain more about the transformers and testing. 

I have half a mind to open mine up to inspect the transformer situation.  

When will the sloppy guys at ASR be testing a legit one with a serial number?  They seemed to indicate that was underway and then they went silent.  

Well, 

Curiosity and my love of drilling down to get to an answer got the best of me.  I took the PCB off its mounts and got to the output transformer.  I didn't not get to both OPTs, as this would be more work and I think we can assume both OPTs are the same.  I'm sorry that I didn't get to the power transformer (middle can);  this would require me to detach numerous hookup wires and for me it would be an hour's work to properly desolder and reinstall it all.  

Oh my!  I'm an idiot when it comes to posting media via Audiogon's new forum features. So, you'll have to look at the photographs here: 

They are in my virtual system.

The Crimson 275 I bought (from Music Direct) uses 15w Edcor OPTs.  UGH!!!!  

Frank Malitz, can you please explain this?  While I love the sound of this amp, this hurts my ability to pair it with less efficient speakers, hurts resale substantially, and isn't cool---UNLESS, Frank, you can get Bob Carver to issue a statement explaining how this amp can make specified output.  

Finally, if you're reading this please note:  

Before folks throw Bob under the bus, remember the following.  Bob designed this amp with another esteemed audio sage. He reportedly sold the amp and the rights to sell it to Frank Malitz and/or Carver Corporation--and Bob is not an owner of the company.  Frank told me he's a designer only.  

When Frank says Bob was angry/sad/emotional about the issues being debated on the forums concerning this amp, that may be true.  And Bob may have never intended to post faulty specs, etc.  

Frank Malitz/Carver Corporation, can you have your partners at Wyred4Sound test the output and reconcile it with your specifications for the product?  

I'm more sad than angry about this.  It's still a hopping little amp, but now I know it won't work in my big room (16 x 23 x 10 tall) with inefficient speakers.  Currently I use 102dB efficient in this space, so as I said before I had not way of knowing if this thing could power such speakers.  

This is a very sad day for me. Great amp. More than likely false advertising.  

Should I ask Music Direct for a refund? 

Also, now that I feel it’s appropriate to pile on with questions given the evidence...

Even though Frank says these amps are always sold out, they were always available at Music Direct. Just recently, Music Direct’s website started saying the product is "no longer available" --not backordered or special order or drop ships from manufacturer. Did Carver Corporation take this amp off the market in response to criticism?

Thanks @tomic601 

@mulveling , you make good points. It's still a fine little amp.  One of the biggest reasons I purchased it was its ability to drive all sorts of speakers.  I seriously question it can drive a 4 ohm load at 75 watts even at peak power.  But, I'll leave that for the testing experts and true electrical engineers.  

Exactly Mulveling!   That is a pretty specific benchmark it has to meet.  

I emailed Frank Malitz asking for an explanation.  

So many great comments here Team. Thank you.

I’m so ambivalent. Before we/I move to my/our reptilian brains and go scorched earth.... If you will allow me...

Bob Carver grew up obsessed with hifi. He was a tinkerer-turned-PhD in physics. As a boy, he reportedly showed up at McIntosh diagnostic events. These were marketing and goodwill events where McIntosh would bring its big boy engineers and semi-founders out to cities across the country inviting America to bring in their hifi kit that had ground loops, crackling pots/switches, and so on.

McIntosh would help diagnose the visitor’s product. [Don’t you wish AXPONA would have this?] I’ve heard they certainly would, without putting down other makers, explain how things could be designed better in the customer’s unit in order to avoid the customer’s issue altogether. Kind of cool. They would also service Mac stuff at these events. They traveled the US. Very different than our world today where brick and mortar is dead, and I just buy crap  because I like to play with it and it gives me an excuse to hear more beautiful music.

At any rate, Bob Carver would (again reportedly) show up to these events on occasion and bring things in like the others. Yet, Bob, was so out there, that he was brining in his OWN IDEAS as a teenager. He once (again reportedly by my research) brought a Maxwell House coffee can into the McIntosh weekend diagnostic event. He told them he was working out a circuit and was close to Xanadu--I’m editorializing now. :). They refused to plug it in out of concern for safety and electrical hazard. That said, they were impressed with the circuit (not the coffee can).

Bob is a human. A genius in my mind. I’m not sure how good he was in business decisions or business acumen. But, I don’t know what the standard is to define that.

I think Bob sat down with that European amp designer and felt romantic about the days of Marantz, HK, Scott, even HeathKit, and many others. Bob knew many of those in audio history. I think he created an amazing little hot rod of a product. If I had to guess, I’d bet he thought we have come so far and sometimes we get lost in the simplicity of things that made good sound.

The marketplace is better for this Crimson 275 amplifier, regardless of whether it puts out wattage of 17, 35, or 75 (or even 90 as I think Frank M. has claimed at times). It’s a cracking little device.

Look, I sold a top of the line Primaluna because I preferred this little dude. He struck a spot that my 300B couldn’t reach. This thing works.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not a perfect piece of gear or "the best"--whatever that is. [Do you ever believe you’ve had a "best" anything? Best pizza, lover, beer, bourbon, day off, etc...].

It’s just a little amp that likes to boogie. Does your/my other amp like to boogie? I’ve had both the boogiers and those that won’t. Enough said.

Watch, this amp will be like that girlfriend or opportunity that I let escape due to forced apathy. 😏

@paulbottlehead ,  You open the stuff up way more frequently than I.  So, THANK YOU.  It was a bit of a pain to do this.  I had to, incidentally, re-solder the wires linking the meter to the board.  That involved careful desoldering and patience to be clean and precise in tight spaces.  Then my OCD kicks in and I have to check everything out in the compartment.  Does this weld look good?  This could be cleaner right? 

Thank you for chiming in!  I hope the weather subsides and you get your Crimson 275 from the dealer to test. 

Don't forget!!!!  AFTER YOU TEST YOU MUST SIT AND LISTEN!

Sometimes stuff that doesn't test so hot sounds great.  I have a $300 guitar amp like that.  It'll smoke big boys with its swagger in tone.  

Keep us posted too Sir!! We welcome you here in the land of subjective, compulsive, and irrational audiophiles. :)

@funky54 ,  You are 100% correct.  There's a big wall of ego out there that should not be excused.  I just wanted to make the point that I want to hold off on personally attacking or criticizing Bob Carver given its undisputed he does not have any control or input into the company.  Certainly we can say he knew or should have known.  But he's not the company or even apart of it.  

@funky54 ...Thank you Sir/Madame!  I'd enjoy having a beer or coffee with you. 

@charles1dad --You've nailed it again.  

There would be nothing wrong with saying, Carver Corporation challenges you to see how few quality watts will make your speakers sing your favorite music.  Less is more! In fact, Carver Corporation recommends you try the Crimson 275 first (over the mono blocks of higher power), as many customers find that's all they need. 

And then give the testimonials about KEF Blades, etc. sounding wonderful. 

After all this dust settles, let's not forget what the late great Ken Ishiwata said, 

"Unfortunately, specifications don’t tell you about sound quality. That’s not just for DACs, it’s for everything. Those specifications are all based on static measurements, but music is dynamic and there are many other parameters that influence performance."

I'll take Mr. Ishiwata's view over egghead testing alone.  This guy had a dedicated listening space where he tested and tweaked products on sound quality--albeit he did care significantly about specs too.  

@mulveling , You make great points. I agree wholeheartedly.  I didn't mean to suggest that listening excuses any of this!  You also are on to something, I think, about whether there might be a problem in the market right now. 

I had an NAD M22 amp that Stereophile gave a Class A, glowing rec to a few years back.  It was a wonderful product and I'd recommend it. That aside, even with its hundreds upon hundred of crystal clear watts (it tested ridiculously well), it couldn't beat out a nice Creek Evo Integrated of lesser power, driving all sorts of loudspeakers.  Buying on stats alone wouldn't tell me that.  Why ASR's zealot faction (not all of them) refuses to listen at all is beyond me.  

I've got a 9w tiny tube guitar amp that will but a big grin on a guitarist's face.  It hums, has limited power, and is soooo far from state of the art.  I have guys begging me for it. If you tested it you might be scared to even turn it on.  

Tests have a difficult time testing and relaying information about tone, timbre, etc. Those things matter a bunch not just to how we reproduce music but how we make it in the first place. 

I have to agree with funky54 now.  I would be surprised if the amp tested substantially better than ASRs previous measurements on wattage.  I'll less surprised if distortion measures a touch better.  

I've built and tweak stuff--sometimes to excellent ends, and sometimes not so much.  I have a firsthand experience with price point construction decisions--granted I'm not an expert and my experience is limited in scope.  Most all of my thoughts way above (before this testing/fraud issue rose) remain true. One thought was, Why shoehorn this product into the $2700 price point?  I'm not saying overbuild it or price folks out of it, but wouldn't an extra $1,000-$1,500 charge allow the manufacture to (a) use legitimate capacitors where they matter instead of $1 junk; (b) beef up the transformers.  

+1 JJSS49 on how we are keeping it cordial and respectful.  It makes the thread so much more informative and entertaining.  I love the differing opinions, especially those that differ from my own.  

@grovergardner , I didn't know that about console systems of yore.  Very interesting!

The original coupling caps in this unit were really unimpressive.  Take a look on my system page (even though the page is out of date), I have a pic of the original caps. They are the size of a fingernail!  There's a good bit of juice going through them per my tests and the schematic.  I really didn't like seeing that quality on such an important spot on the board. 

Take a look at this--same brand in the 275:   

It's a video of a Suntan cap blowing up.  Not acceptable in my book to use these.  You can always find an inexpensive but quality Wima, right?  Nelson Pass stuff is loaded with nice WIMAs and so are many other great brands. Why skimp here? Suntan? I wouldn't put it in an old guitar amp. :)

Yes, indeed they are Ralph.  It's just an exhibit in support of the point that Suntan caps are super cheap.  If a company's electrolytic blows up so easily how good can their even cheaper film cap be?  But for our education, yes a coupling cap is different than electrolytic AND this cap blowing up is not the same as the coupling caps in the Carver 275.  

The takeaway was supposed to be.... Why use Suntan at $.80 a cap?  Could they not use a better quality cap?  I mean what are you saving by using it versus a Wima or Vishay?  $5-10 per amp?  

Status update--The ASR guys have their Carver 275 now and testing should occur shortly.  The odds do not look good that it will test much much differently on specified wattage, but maybe, just maybe, the distortion results will be better. 

Hi djones51, Yes, you are correct. I think that I was suggesting there are measurement zealots who don’t put much stock in the subjective side.

By "beat out", I meant in my room, my system, my music, my ears. These amps were not bad, and, in fact, I said that I would recommend them in that post. The point was supposed to be (and I probably didn’t make it all that well), but testing and stats can be very important or, sometimes, not that helpful. I’ve owned a few products that tested in the tail of excellence side of the bell curve--yet I didn’t keep them because they were "beat out" by other things.

For instance, take the glorious and wonderful KEF LS50. I loved them and wish I had them around still to play with. But they didn’t work quite as well in my particular application than did the much less expensive Wharfedale Denton anniversary. This is why so many of the folks here always say try to audition or get a forgiving in home demo.

I have certainly seen folks chime in on ASR (who are new to those parts) and make a comment or ask about sound and they get pushed aside because that’s subjectivity and the product in question already tested poorly per their results. I was also pretty certain that in the ASR testing thread of the Carver that there was no talk or commentary on how the machine performed in use.  Maybe I am mistaken and someone on that thread who tested it used it with a couple of different speakers/preamps. I like hearing about people do that.  

Some old British roadsters test poorly but are a joy to drive! Same can be true with hifi. Sorry if I’m not great at making such points. Not trying to litigate this just explaining what I meant.

@Charles1dad, I'm glad you understood what I was trying to convey.  I mean I have no beef against a great cap like WIMA.  Aren't they littered throughout nice products, like Audio Research, Pass, Vincent, and the list goes on.  

A Suntan?  Come on!  I bought WIMAs and AmTrans for the first tube amp I built and they hardly broke the bank.   

Well, Bob has opened a can of worms. Grounding systems can be wily. I’m going to sit back and watch what ensues out there.

I do wholeheartedly agree with Bob in that the amp sounds big and sweet. It’s a fun ride regardless of what wattage it puts out.  [I do question that it can reach anything near 75 watts based on my teardown.]. 

@jjptkd,  Glad you are enjoying it.  Same here--my speakers are Cornwall IVs so my listening is not likely indicative of how the amp can pair with less sensitive speakers.  It had no problem though driving Wharfedale Linton Heritage speakers.

Please note: this post is not related to testing but improving the amp.

Bob's response on the Carver forum identified R53 and R26 as doing the following: 

"Note that one end of the resistor is connected to amplifier ground, the other to the negative binding post.  Now just imagine what would happen if you connected the some test equipment to the negative binding post that turned out to be grounded to the amplifier ground.  That resistor is important.  It senses current going to the speakers and provides a signal into the feedback network that, among other things, reduces distortion in the amp."

As these are important resistors, I may swap them out and put in .1 ohm 5w Mills resistors, which are $4 each.  Why?  Because I'm nuts. :)

I wish I didn't sell off my old PSBs, B&Ws, Monitor Audio, and hungry Totems. :)

+1 Charles1dad. 

@funky54 , you are correct in that misrepresentations are unacceptable.  If someone is buying a 75w push pull tube amp for 84dB speakers with nominal impedance of 3 ohms I doubt they would ever look at this thing. But the Company did market it as going into 4 ohms at 75w.  

I'm just not sure how this thing could test out near 75w with that 15w Edcor OPT in mine from MusicDirect.  I have my doubts. But Bob has pulled rabbits out of the hat before and it indeed sounds good. 

I have only 3 audiophile friends within an hour's drive. They all have sensitive speakers. Does anyone with less efficient speakers live in Chicagoland and want to have me bring the amp by for a listening test? You could bring speakers here too, yet that's more work than lifting this light amp. :) I'd be curious to hear it with more demanding loads. 

I wouldn't think so, but Bob has a PhD in physics.  His response suggests it will.  I'd bet it won't, but who am I? 

It will be sad if he goes into retirement making this representation--that it, it will exceed 75 w per channel, both channels driven at 8 ohms.

The question I have is this-- if this thing can only put out 15w per channel at 8 ohms, wouldn't we hear of folks finding they have little headroom before the thing starts getting blurry and smeary?  Was the room where they demonstrated it with KEF Blades so small that 15 watts was enough to get the KEFs singing? 

Thank you @grovergardner !   Great intel!  I'm wondering if I could make a switch to adjust the damping factor as a project.  Hmmm...

@grovergardner ---Thank you!  I may try that for fun soon.  I appreciate your help. 

Sad results.  The machine Amir at ASR reviewed had worse build quality than mine, in the form of super high gauge wire going to the speaker output terminals, a missing bolt, and so on.  Disgraceful. 

Mine also has no chassis grounding, which is a touch scary given the voltages in the unit. 

Mine has the slots on the PCB, C4 and C19 (going by memory), missing the actual caps.  The ASR review sample has caps in those slots, but they are mounted on the other side of the board.  ??????? 

Whatever wattage this thing makes sounds good into super sensitive speakers. But thanks to the teardown, we can see the OPTs are just 15W Edcors.  

What is going on with the differences in build quality? 

Why is Music Direct (and other retailers) no longer selling the product? Hmmm...

Why is Jim Clark, a dealer, defending the product, but there are circuitous and scant responses from Frank Malitz, Wyred4Sound, and even Bob Carver?  

I questioned the build quality on certain areas, as a hobbyist.  Now, it is more than confirmed that there are multiple more questionable things going on, and the marketing of the product is totally wrong and misleading. 

I'm off to Discogs to do some "retail therapy", and buy some nice pressing that will make me smile and stop thinking about what a mess Bob Carver's amp appears to be. 

@grovergardner , You are the voice of reason and a wealth of knowledge.  Many folks hop in to spew diarrhea of the mind with no point, or only to criticize.  This is, after all, a passionate hobby for most of us!  Thank you!

I'll take you up on that bet--just for fun.  I'd love to hear and nice W2, 3, or 4.  My 300 B (Elekit) sounds great on the Cornwalls, but at 8 watts it could use a bit more in my room--and I don't listen that loud.  While the C-Walls are super efficient, I do think they like a bit more wattage than flea or minimal SET to get moving---that's only based on listening. 

Yes, the Crimson does sound very good with the C-Walls. It's just sad that they did what they did with it.  Maybe I'lll fix the problems: add a chassis ground, install a backlit meter, and upgrade a few other things, including isolating the transformers a bit.  

And finally, I do own a Doge DAC 7.  People don't believe me how good it sounds.  It is stellar. The build quality on it crushes things people pay $5k for and then some.  I've mated it with all sorts of preamps and integrated. It plays well, always.  

I also own the Doge Clarity preamp.  All Clarity caps throughout the signal side of things.  Doge sources parts from all over the world and surprisingly few are Chinese.  Most are German, Swiss, British, Japanese, and US.  The build quality here is stellar too.  There's a few nits to pick but at $2k it can play with preamps costing twofold its ask.  

I think my real woe with the Crimson is (a) not likely being able to pair it with less efficient speakers; and (b) a sadness that Bob Carver's swan song is a bit blemished.  I feel sorry for him, but more sorry for the folks that made the actual misrepresentations.  They played the short game.  

Thank you Grovergardner!  You pass the audiophile "beer test" and then some!

Yes @charles1dad you are correct.   My 300 b uses Lundahl PT and OPT and I think it makes a big difference. 
 

@grovergardner , In the Doge I really like NOS Brimar 12AT7sbut the reissue Mullards 12AX7s (when from a good source) are very quiet.  Reissue Gold Lions are fantastic yet I have had them grow noisier overtime.  
 

The Doge experience is really first rate. Wooden crate and boxing. Shipped to me inChicagoland in just a few days via DHL. 
 

Customer service abs communication is really responsive. 
 

Doge is a legitimate company owned and operated by its chief engineer.  This is not stuff you get on Alibaba or eBay.  

I wrote Frank Malitz and informed of the safety issue with lack of a proper chsssis ground.  (I’m not installing one myself as I am not an expert in safety when it comes to this type of ground.)

I also asked him if he could, in turn, tell me whether Bob specified the Edcor 15w output transformers?  
 

Frank responded quickly and said:

“the design is under review with engineering and I'll contact you tomorrow.”

I’ll keep folks on this thread informed about what I hear back from him.  

Yes, Austinlawyer, Music Direct stopped selling them as well as an outfit on the East Coast, whose name escapes me at the moment. 

@jjptkd  

Anyone who wants to sell a Crimson 275 for $5 let me know I'll cover shipping thanks.

HA!  

@mulveling , what you say makes total sense.  Thank you.  I've enjoyed your posts recently.  

Also, I was using the 275 with 102dB efficient loudspeakers, which could make it difficult for me to detect the available runway.