[TheeeChosenOne]

I have a ZR1600 on order and will report on how it sounds in my ritzy, snobbish highend rig.

I think audiophiles would like RCA inputs, or a really classy 1/4" to RCA adapter (better than Ratshack, say gold/teflon like the Calrad).

Your right, we do like RCA's or balanced.

David, can you make  "home audio" version of your amps?

While we're on the suggestion track, how about a much higher aesthetics quotient (i.e. WAF) would be in order for a home audio version.  A brushed aluminum silver casing would be very nice indeed.

[RussKon]

for those of you unfamiliar with the neutrik combo jack...it incorporates an xlr and trs input in one jack....

in other words, it will accept an xlr and trs (1/4") plugs in the same jack....

and for the uninformed.... those are both balanced connections......


also.... i know some people would prefer something that looks "pretty"....but personally, i am not anxious to pay more for the special machined aluminum front......

[Gordy]

David,

Cutting out the middle man for the home audio version would be a very nice touch as well...

[Dmason]

RussKon, speaking as an owner of both, I can say that both make a pretty compelling case. With the ZR, one must build out from the amp, the Sony has all the stuff, and a remote which gets used when available.

On the other hand, the ZR would be about the last amplifier you expectant owner will ever own, I can about guarantee that. The sound of both is typically smooth, lush and detailed digital,

[wshuff]

Owner of both what?

[Dmason]

Both. ZR Tripath, and Sony all in one with S Master architecture. Both have their strong points. Both sound great and both get the job done. With Sony you get more versatility,   the implementation of certain audiophile ideals, etc. Sony can offer more in terms of useability, I assume because of economies of scale. With the ZR, you get The Black Mambo of All Stereo Amps, right off the scale, but you have to tweak abit.

Both represent an absolutely absurd value. Both sound fabulous. I chose three examples. Either choice you in the audience make, should you decide to ascend to The New Paradigm, -it is the correct one. Especially for the music!

[RussKon]

dmason,

if you are not a sales rep for carver professional...you should be....

i was addressing the concern about the input connectors.... it seems that some people don't understand what a "balanced" connector is....

i am sold on these amps.... the hard part is deciding on which one.... right now i have a total klipsch system ...mains, center, and surrounds so i don't need a ton of power....

on the other hand....what if i decide to change speakers????

the zr1000 is the leading contender right now......

and the added bonus is that i work for an electronics distrubutor and i can get the amp for about 10% above factory cost plus shipping....

so...i just listed my dynaco tube amp, my carver tfm-25, and a few other components on ebay....going for the carver professional zr-1000!!!!!!

[Ears]

Russ, how about a group buy?
I am also interested in the 1000 as I am sure lots of others are.

[DAVID GARLETT]

How did I know you were going to ask for a home audio version of the ZRs?  The truth is, the units saftey ratings are listed as "pro audio amplifier fan coolled". Further CARVER professional is and still would like to be a professional amplifier builder. We  purchased only the professional division of CARVER corp back in 1996. We are talking about a professional amplifier that would be more freindly to the RCA type pre amps that are out there for critical listing, a refrance version and or a replacement input module with a hot rodded line-in electronics and high-Q RCAs for exsisting ZRs...Mainly due to the unexspected audiophile fan club

[Marbles]

We are talking about a professional amplifier that would be more freindly to the RCA type pre amps that are out there for critical listing, a refrance version and or a replacement input module with a hot rodded line-in electronics and high-Q RCAs for exsisting ZRs...Mainly due to the unexspected audiophile fan club
...

That's what we'd be looking for.... How would we get around that fan noise though?

[DAVID GARLETT]

As far as we can tell. The only hang-up for removing the fan from our design is, power ratings would be lowered but not that far. We just started looking at the idea of covection coolled, we shall see.  Due to the current classification of the ZRs. I (the factory guy) cannot recomend removing the fan. Needless to say, placing our 5 year warranty coverage at risk .... Yet I have heard of no ill effects from people who have. It is a saftey thing...

[RussKon]

david,

thanks for your responses...

can you tell us some info about the dsp input module???

from what i can decipher from the cut sheet is that this module operates in the digital mode for all of it's operations.....

i have a ZR1000 on order and am considering the dsp input module.....

any input from you would be very helpful!!!!

thanks

[Ears]

Anyone know where the best price can be had on the 1000?

Not interested in warranty as I will have some Jensen and a few Blackgates added before its ever broke in,not to mention some internal silver wiring.

Then it should definitly be a giant slayer,and if indeed it is, I wil be buying two more.

[Ears]

Anyone know where the best price can be had on the 1000?

Not interested in warranty as I will have some Jensen and a few Blackgates added before its ever broke in,not to mention some internal silver wiring.

Then it should definitly be a giant slayer,and if indeed it is, I will be buying two more.

[Rob Babcock]

Ears, PM Nathan of 8th Nerve, here on this site.  His prices are very good.

[kent]

Further CARVER professional is and still would like to be a professional amplifier builder. We  purchased only the professional division of CARVER corp back in 1996. ...

David, I admire Carver Pro's commitment to its pro corporate identity, but as a PhoenixGold company Carver Pro shares its engineering and marketing executives (I think) with AudioSource. As far as I can tell from your website Carver Pro and AudioSource are basically a single company with different product mandates (professional gear vs. budget home gear). So I know you're on the tech support side, but will you pass along the sentiment to the higher ups at PhoenixGold that a little market research might make AudioSource (or PhoenixGold or whatever -- heck, make up a new brand name, or call it Audiocircle!) into the company audiophiles will one day wax nostalgic about to their grandkids?

Let me concretize what I'm talking about. If your PhoenixGold VP of marketing put me in a focus group, I'd say I'd drop $1200 tomorrow morning on a Phoenix Gold integrated amp with digital inputs, a passive preamp module for analog line level sources, a digital domain attenuator, a Behringer/DBX-like DSP/Room Correction/Crossover module, 200+watt ZR-Series monoblocks as plug-in cards (2 channels included, but expandable up to 12 or so channels, at > $100/piece), normal speaker and source connectors, a large dimmable display readable from 15 feet away, a ZR-voiced headphone amp section (David, point out to your VP that some of us have spent $2500 on a headphone amp alone!!), and an IR receiver with settings for all leading remote controls.

It seems to me that virtually all the technology I've asked for in this unit is sitting on your lab shelf right now or easily accessible. I don't know how you voiced the ZR series amps so well, whether you got lucky as rumor has it, or spent years sweating bullets over it. But no matter -- it seems you've done it to the satisfaction of some very picky people. So now it's time to carpe diem, and build us the component we simply couldn't resist.  

Easy for me to say, of course. I'm not in business!  

Best wishes in these exciting times!

Kent

[kent]

My speakers were based on the Linkwitz Orions so I knew pretty much what would work, and I used measuring software to check them. Here's what I did: http://www.doddsy.net/steve6_009.htm
I'm pretty dumb, so if I can get good results anyone can.
Cheers
Steve  ...

Steve,

That is one of the most inspiring and interesting audio websites I've come across. Your humility and good humor about the hobby is especially appealing.  And I'm amazed at the range of high-end loudspeakers you've owned just in the past couple years.   I'm pleased to see that with all your experience with high end components, you also have reached the conclusion that loudspeakers make the lion's share of the difference in how a system sounds.

Any chance we could convince you to review the various speakers you've owned in more detail -- either on a new thread elsewhere in AudioCircle, or on your own website? For example, I'm dying to know how the Infinity Preludes sounded to you versus others in your menagerie.

I'd also love to read a step-by-step guide for building the non-sub modules of Bob or perhaps just Roberta. I have a small listening room and two good-enough isobaric subs, but I would love to get the sound of your Bobs in my little room. Would a pair of Robertas with good subs deliver much of Bob's magic in a smaller room? (I ask because you mentioned that Bob's second midrange driver was 'probably overkill' anyway...) How much did a pair of Robertas cost for raw materials?  You're not the same person as Stephen Moore who, rather like you, writes of his Beethoven-derived Phoenix speakers, "There is a special feeling when listening to the JM Labs Grand Utopia and thinking my system at home sounds so much better" ? http://home.insightbb.com/~stephenwmoore/Speakers/Linkwitz_Main.htm

Sorry folks, I won't hijack this thread any further. But wow! I really hope Steve will cover these topics in a thread over in the speakers forum...And this was kinda related to the topic, since it's front ends like the ZR in combo with a DBX or Behringer crossover that are making these kinds of killer systems possible on a shoestring budget...

Kent

[sfdoddsy]

I agree with most of Kent's wish list. My current system is very complicated and is certainly atypical, but,- taking a CD - it feeds the digital output into a prepro for volume control and switching, then the analog out of the preamp into a dbx crossover where it is re-digitized, EQed and the signal split, then it undergoes another D/A conversion before being sent to the power amps, which weigh sixty pounds. And that's just for my front channels.

What is missing is a way to link all these boxes digitally, or even better have them all in one box. The technology is there, the problem is simply a matter of inputs and outputs.

Kent,

Thanks for the nice words. I'll do a new post in the LAB forum.


Cheers

Steve

[JCC]

I own both a ZR500 and ZR1600. Following find a review that I wrote last year on the ZR500. Note that my impressions have not changed, and that the ZR1600 is better than the ZR500.

                          The Carver Professional ZR500
JCC
11/4/02

If you have been reading the Audiophile press recently, you have probably already heard about the revolution going on in amplifier technology. In the October 2002 Stereophile, Sam Tellig raved about the PS Audio HCA-2 amplifier and gave it a class A rating. As you might know the HCA-2 is a class D switching amplifier, which reportedly switches at 500 KHZ.

Similarly, the Carver Professional ZR500 is a spread spectrum switching amplifier that switches at 700 KHZ. The object of a switching amplifier is to switch so fast that the output sounds like a constant stream. We will get more into the sound later; however, this amplifier is detailed, dimensional, dynamic, coherent and sweet. There is no harshness, and the output quality is superior to any amplifier that I have used or experienced in the past.

Published Specification
The ZR500 published specifications are listed below:
·   95W per channel into 8 ohm loads, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5dB -3 dB with less than 0.5% THD at rated power
·   150W per channel into 4 ohm loads, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5dB -3 dB with less than 0.5% THD at rated power
·   250W per channel into 2 ohm loads, 1 kHz, +0.5dB -3 dB with less than 1% THD
·   300W bridged mono into 8 ohms, with less than 1% THD, 1 kHz
·   500W bridged mono into 4 ohms, with less than 1% THD, 1 kHz
·   2 Ohm stable operation

Professional Rack Mount Amps
As you probably know Carver Professional is a pro audio company, and because of this the ZR500 is a rack mount system. The inputs are balanced XLR, and the outputs are Neutrik Speakon. The front panel has one level control per channel, which can be defeated as a switch option thereby allowing for standard pre-amp input.

My System
I have been an audiophile for years, and as such my system previously included the following:
1.   Amplifier - Acurus DIA 100 - Modified by Stan Warren at Supermods to a Class A front end.
2.   CD - Pioneer DV525 - Modified by Stan Warren - All capacitors replaced by Black Gate's.
3.   Speakers - Custom Diaural speakers - Manufactured by Ray Kimber (Kimber Kable and Diaural).
4.   Subwoofer - Monitor Audio ASW210
5.   Speaker Cables - LAT International

When I received the ZR500 I modified my system as follows:
1.   Pre-Amp - Channel Island Audio VPC-1 - This is an outstanding passive pre-amp.
2.   Amplifier - Carver Professional ZR500
3.   Speaker Cables - Alpha Core Goertz PYTHON MI2

The old system components with a spare set of speakers have gone upstairs.

Listening
After two weeks of break-in I started to do some serious listening.

I listened to “Tous les Matin du monde”, Valois V4640 which features Jordi Savall’s baroque and classic orchestra. In this recording the massed strings presented a detailed sound stage that delineated and real. The muddiness that commonly exists with stereo reproduction disappeared. The choral voices were layered and sounded as I had never heard them before. In previous playings of this CD, I was not impressed. My former system was not capable of reproducing the recorded information.  

In playing Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington the complete sessions (Classic Records DAD 1031), the realism of Louis's voice accompanied by Duke's piano brought this 1961 recording to the present. The timbre of each piano note reverberated. When Louis played his trumpet, the timbre of the complex notes came through with unbelievable realism.

Playing Willie Nelson Stardust (Columbia Legacy CK65946 - remastered) the voice came through without any edge. Each guitar note showed all of the complexity of being there and nearby when it was played. Willie’s voice has a quality that can easily be destroyed by the edge commonly found in digital recordings. I remember that problem well from previous playing. The analogue and class A tube sound that audiophiles grew to love has returned with the ZR500. You would be amazed at how good some of our CD's can sound.

Sheets of sound rolled from John Coltrane / Setting The Pace (JVC XR-0202-2 XRCD). The tenor saxophone was in my living room. Red Garland's piano, Paul Chambers bass and Arthur Taylor’s drums came through with unbelievable clarity. Have you ever wished that you could produce the realistic sound of the bass cello that often appears muddy and recessed in most systems? I had that wish, until I installed the ZR500.

Some time ago, I bought a copy of Sheffield Labs “The Moscow Sessions” (CD-25). I played it and didn’t like it. Producing the grandiose sound of a full symphony orchestra has been near impossible for a recording. I thought that I would try it again when I got the ZR500. Wow, what a difference. The blend of sound that was once opaque has now separated into individual instruments. The sound stage was delineated, and I found that I could locate and identify individual instruments. This can be quite a feat with a symphony orchestra. The majesty of the concert hall with all of its dynamics came close to existence in my living room.

Steve Hoffmann from DCC is famous for his recordings, and Steve has been particularly proud of the album “Ray Charles and Betty Carter.” Listening to the cut “Every Time We Say Goodbye” the two voices were awe-inspiring, and the musical instruments came through with beguiling clarity. Similarly when I listened to the "Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Sessions" (BMG D 101043) the first cut Mining for Gold features the a cappella lyrics of Margo Timmins. Again, the clarity and naturalness of the voice was unbelievable.

In characterizing the sound of the ZR500, several thoughts come to mind, including tube magic, class A, warm, detailed, dimensional and sweet. This is the case across the entire sound and instrument spectrum. Voices are as realistic as if the performer was in my living room. The bass is tight with slam and dynamics. The mid-range and treble are crystal clear without any edge. The shimmering sound of symbols continues after the hit. The sound is holistic and seamless. Even at high levels I never heard a trace of stridency. Listener fatigue disappeared and I have found that I can listen for hours. The sound stage reached a state of realism that I thought was impossible to reproduce. Instrument placement often extends beyond the boundaries of my speakers and this shows up in the sound stage. Sure a lot of this comes from the outstanding speakers and other components, but I could not hear it with my old amplifier. Adding the ZR500 into my system has created the realism associated with a full range electrostatic with the dynamics of standard drivers. This is strange, because I do not have electrostatic speakers, but such is the transformation associated with the Carver ZR500.

[warnerwh]

You guys are getting me at a weak moment as I'm looking for a new amp. Also Phoenix Gold is in my home town. Think I'm sold.  Will see what they sound like myself and if there's a return policy if I don't like it.  Will let you guys know if all the talk is exagerated or real. I'm a little concerned about having my music chopped into billions of bits and still sounding ok after hearing the grain from cd technology but we'll see.