900 Watt Tube Monos by Bob Carver

weitrhino · « **on:** 11 May 2011, 07:48 pm »

I hope you're all watching this. Time to take out a second mortgage.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180665282517&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1755wt_1149

Pez · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 May 2011, 07:56 pm »

Just looking at that amp makes my electric meter do this.

weitrhino · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 May 2011, 08:00 pm »

Well at least when at idle the output tubes are at 22% of capacity instead of 80%+ Hey! That makes them economical!

galyons · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 May 2011, 08:38 pm »

Hard to read the listing, especially the fake Q&A without gagging. Standard Carver BS.

Cheers,
Geary

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 May 2011, 08:52 pm »

Quote from: Pez on 11 May 2011, 07:56 pm

Just looking at that amp makes my electric meter do this.

Don't know where you come up with this stuff, but keep doing it!!!

weitrhino · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 May 2011, 10:15 pm »

Quote from: galyons on 11 May 2011, 08:38 pm

Hard to read the listing, especially the fake Q&A without gagging. Standard Carver BS.

Cheers,
Geary

Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us all with your apparent particularly keen insight. Calling out a "fake Q&A" will require some standard of proof otherwise we're left wondering what your aim could be outside of overt hostility toward Mr. Carver. Has he personally slighted you in some fashion?

At this point your post serves to reveal a great deal more about you than you do about it.

srb · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 May 2011, 10:35 pm »

20 X KT120 per channel @ 900W seems a little excessive. I prefer something a little more mild-mannered, a little cooler running and a little more economical to maintain (but not more economical to purchase @ $40K/pair, but hey, they are remote controlled).

The Audio Research 610T - 16 X 6550C per channel @ 600W.

When it comes time to retube (2000 hours estimated), there are only 32 power tubes to buy instead of 40 slightly more expensive ones.

Steve

jtwrace · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 May 2011, 10:49 pm »

Does anyone know what the idle power is?

galyons · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 May 2011, 10:56 pm »

Quote from: weitrhino on 11 May 2011, 10:15 pm

Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us all with your apparent particularly keen insight. Calling out a "fake Q&A" will require some standard of proof.....

Try reading it. If you think they are real questions from non-shills, well...

Quote from: weitrhino on 11 May 2011, 10:15 pm

At this point your post serves to reveal a great deal more about you than you do about it.

Quite right, it reveals that I have basic reading and comprehension skills.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 May 2011, 11:44 pm »

Quote from: srb on 11 May 2011, 10:35 pm

20 X KT120 per channel @ 900W seems a little excessive. I prefer something a little more mild-mannered, a little cooler running and a little more economical to maintain (but not more economical to purchase @ $40K/pair, but hey, they are remote controlled).

The Audio Research 610T - 16 X 6550C per channel @ 600W.

When it comes time to retube (2000 hours estimated), there are only 32 power tubes to buy instead of 40 slightly more expensive ones.

Steve

Bob is a great Physician and great amp designer.
IMO this new bigger Silver 7 is a silly amp, very suited for a milionaire North Pole eskimo or for a pro-audio amp in a Belle Epoque movie.
Twenty output tubes and it is not OTL...
Anyway Bob Carver is working hard in his retirement, great guy, his life truly can made a great Holywood movie, just to mention the Stereophile vs Carver Challenge...

But this AudioResearch amp is ever more silly, cause this AR VT series amps need output tubes matched so closely, no even UpScale/Kevin Deal sell tubes for this amp, the owner must buy tubes only from AR factory at premium prices of course.
Use output tubes not matched by the AR factory in these amps is a risk, the good side the sound is good.
Great amp to a friend of mine or neighbor, not for me.
Gustavo

SteveFord · « **Reply #10 on:** 12 May 2011, 12:02 am »

There's no doubt in my mind that those are real questions from potential buyers.
This man does not need to have his friends and neigbors pretend to be interested in his hand made tube amps in order to generate sales.

And no, I am not a shill for Bob Carver although I did spend some time with him a few years back. He's a great guy and I'm happy to see him doing what he always wanted to do.

weitrhino · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 May 2011, 12:25 am »

Quote from: galyons on 11 May 2011, 10:56 pm

Try reading it. If you think they are real questions from non-shills, well...

Quite right, it reveals that I have basic reading and comprehension skills.

Indeed, sir, quite basic.

And because you offer no support for your accusation of shill questions your aim falls squarely suspect.

Quote from: srb on 11 May 2011, 10:35 pm

20 X KT120 per channel @ 900W seems a little excessive. I prefer something a little more mild-mannered, a little cooler running and a little more economical to maintain (but not more economical to purchase @ $40K/pair, but hey, they are remote controlled).

The Audio Research 610T - 16 X 6550C per channel @ 600W.

When it comes time to retube (2000 hours estimated), there are only 32 power tubes to buy instead of 40 slightly more expensive ones.

Steve

Agreed, 900 watts may be a tad excessive. But I, for one, am glad such outlandish over-the-top designs are out there making the audio world that much more interesting. Bob has always loved powerful amps and considering his recent return to tube power this seems a logical extension of his pattern. With output tubes expected to last 48 years I wouldn't worry too much about expected replacement costs. Anyone finding that longevity suspect would do well to research Bob's claim first.

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 May 2011, 12:27 am »

18 years ago, when I was selling high end hi-fi to finance my recording habit, I heard a pair of his Silver Sevens driving his Amazings (I think) and this still stands out as one of the few times I was briefly fooled into thinking I was hearing reality. Just as I walked into the room, Ben Webster blew a note on his sax that sounded just plain real. It jerked my head around!

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 May 2011, 01:25 am »

I own a Carver Amazing Silver ED pair and it is the best sound stage I listen to date, put any new Magnepan or MartinLogan to Shame in soundstage, only the micro-dinamic is not superb.
The great Amazing virtue are the real lifellike soundstage and the capacity of inform the real acoustics size of the studio/concert hall.

In 2005 I listen the german Avantgarde Uno or Duo, and the soundstage is very bad, seems not real music.
Gustavo

JerryM · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 May 2011, 03:36 am »

Fun to watch so far!

I sure wish I could hear them!

rollo · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 May 2011, 02:46 pm »

Those Carver Amazings still boogie in spades. This June with the help of James Tanner our Club [ AudioSyndrome, NY] will be featuring an all Bryston setup using the Carvers. An old AR DR250 Servo Mk2 will be on hand as our tube reference that day. Fun, fun, fun.
All are welcome PM me for details. We would love to hear the new Carver amp. Hint hint.

charles

Nels Ferre · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 May 2011, 03:24 pm »

We are at a shade over $20K now with 5 days to go. Anyone care to venture a guess as to the final selling price? I'm already surprised they are this high, so I'm out. I was figuring $15K.

Rollo is right- Carver Amazings were quite nice.

ton1313 · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 May 2011, 04:18 pm »

You would need to upgrade the air conditioning in the room where they end up, they must throw some kind of heat

jhm731 · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 May 2011, 07:47 pm »

I've heard the Audio Research 610Ts on my speakers, 900 watts would only play 1.8 dbs louder:

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

If I had $20K for amps, I'd look for a used pair of 610Ts.

rollo · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 May 2011, 01:48 pm »

Gotta say owning the AR 250 with 32 tubaroonies is an expensive journey. Replacing the tubes every 5 years is gonna cost ya. If you use some NOS tubes fuggetaboutit.
To do my amp justice I'm looking at about $2000 for tubes. Now saying that if ones pocket book is unaffected then by all means make the plunge. Nothing like power for an effortless presentation. With our Maggie 3As the AR was a gift to our ears. Powerfull, effortless with wonderfull tone and harmonic structure.
If you might consider a SS amp a Bryston 28B with money left over might just end your quest without tube cost, heat and power usage.

charles