Peeking inside a Carver Crimson 275 Tube Amplifier
I agree Charles1Dad! @fmalitz , we are waiting with bated breath! |
Hello everyone, In our three labs, we all get around 75 watts @ 1% or less, 90 @ 2%, etc. From Jordon Gerber, ex-partner, degreed physicist and co-founder: The units are about 75 to 90 watts depending on the measurement technique. . I kept a record of every unit. The power drops at low frequencies but given the way they slam with Kef Blade IIs, the innovative towers from SpeakerLab, and Wilsons is impressive. From Edward Suver (our WA tech support, QC and manufacturing supervisor (we have production and QC supervisors in CA as well): That's a crazy review. The amps actually put out 90w or so at 1k into 8ohms, one channel, with .6% distortion. Every one if them made on my watch was tested and confirmed to work. Maybe 2 or 3 in 100 put out maybe 80 to 85w at that distortion, don't know why though. They put out clean 90W down to 80Hz, and distort more as it goes down, due to the lack of steel in the output transformers. When Bob initially tested it, the crazy thing is that nobody minded it. Reviews confirm that. The frequency response is flat, it just gets distorted at lower frequencies, probably leading to "punchy" bass. And Bob argues that most have subwoofers and won't be using them below 80. For the output impedance, Bob wanted 1.7 ohm, and they usually measured 1.5 to 1.6. Never 2.5 or some BS. From Speakerlab owner: "We've solidified our booth plan and will be premiering our Super SevenT-c's (the symmetrical tower version of our Super Sevens) powered by Bob Carver Crimson 350 monoblocks, and our Point2's powered by the new Bob Carver 275 Stereo amp. Source will be a Wolf Audio server run through a Mytek Brooklyn DAC, all wired with Kimber Kable Ascent and Base cables. Come see us next week at RMAF, room 2018!" From Joe Parvey, owner, Wolf Audio Systems: "We almost always partner with Frank at shows. Their 350s and 275s outperform anything close in price. We sell them at our retail location.". From Ken Kessler (the dean of British reviewers): "Wonderful; bought one for myself and I'm not selling it." From Geoff Poor of Glenn Poor's AV--the largest BAT dealer in the world and the largest Wilson dealer in the Midwest. Geoff has consulted and worked with some of the most respected names in audio - Niro Nakamichi, Yamaha, MRC, Sony, & more - and in 1992, he was one of the founders of Dunlavy Audio Labs. In the spring of 1995, he left Dunlavy to become a partner at Balanced Audio Technology - a company he helped launch at the 1995 CES.: " "Since we began showing his ALS (Amazing Line Source) loudspeaker system and his incredible 350 watt all-tube Raven mono-block amplifiers, the interest in Bob and his products has exploded. Both the ALS system ($18,500 with powered subwoofer) and the Raven mono-blocks ($9500/pair) represent incredible values - especially since they're built here in the United States. Another factor in their great value is the fact they are virtually bullet proof! It's so cool to be able to sell a high power, all tube system that is totally reliable. To this date, we have experienced 100% reliability, and, based on Bob's design, the tube life expectancy is so long that the tubes and the mono-blocks are actually warrantied for 15 years! What if Bob could make a less powerful, and even more affordable, stereo version of the mono's? Well, guess what? He has, and we now have his new Crimson 275 playing in the same room as the Raven mono-blocks. The Crimson 275 is beautiful - looking and sounding - and is selling for only $2,750! Using the same Tung-Sol KT-120 power tubes as the Raven mono's, the same tube-saving "DC Restorer" circuit (that prolongs tube life by decades), the 75 watt/channel Crimson 275 is a genuine breath of fresh air in a world where most American-made electronics are simply too expensive for most of us. The new stereo Crimson 275 is warrantied (tubes and all) for 5 years! It seems too good to be true, but it's not. The Bob Carver Crimson 275 is a great amp! And that's the truth!" I'm hoping Bob will reply but he's pretty disappointed that no one from the blog called to discuss this. First time I've seen him angry. They seem to be $600 carver 37-watt Carverfest kits made by Jordon. He made 65 kits but we never manufactured them for sale to the public. Remember we guarantee it will sound better than what you have or you get a full refund (subject to dealer policies on time frame, etc) and we've never had one returned. We've also never been able to keep up with demand. We may need a second warehouse! I'm meeting with Bob to discuss this on Thursday (two days from now). Frank Malitz VP/Co-Founder The Bob Carver Co. 847-668-4519
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Hello Frank, The curiosity centers on how is 75 watts of power derived from the lightweight diminutive transformers? Charles |
