mopardave Posted December 26, 2022 Share Posted December 26, 2022 Ok, so the Black Magic is superior to the 275, but the 275 really is a good amp after all? Glad to here that as i really like what i read in the good review of it and its a very nice looking amp as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted December 26, 2022 Moderators Share Posted December 26, 2022 11 hours ago, mopardave said: I'm a bit confused with the Carver275 being a good amp. I had it on my list of amps to purchase and after more research including a thread on here, i found 1 long positive review on it and a bunch or really bad reviews. A glued in meter, an output transformer no bigger than an autoformer and an output of about 20w/ch after testing. Rated at 75/ch, so i moved on to looking at the Ayon amps once again. so can someone clear this up as to the 275 being a good amp or a not so good amp? After reading this post it has me wanting a Carver again, just need to know the outstanding models to buy. I'll keep on eye on your post for awhile. Glad you got a good one. I think as long as you don’t look at the specs, either the power or the distortion, and you like it, then it’s a “good amp” for those that are Carver fans, etc. none that have been independently tested measure up, at least that I have seen. the original 275 review did cause Carver to take back control of the company, and put Clark in as head of sales and marketing. I seem to recall he put one of his kids in somewhere doing something. My personal opinion is these designs are a crap shoot. The credibility of the specs, currently, is near zero. I would say these amps are not for those getting into tubes for first time, but for those who are familiar with his products, tube amps, etc. who can make an informed decision using the 30 day no questions asked return policy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 5 hours ago, Travis In Austin said: I think as long as you don’t look at the specs, either the power or the distortion, and you like it, then it’s a “good amp” for those that are Carver fans, etc. none that have been independently tested measure up, at least that I have seen. the original 275 review did cause Carver to take back control of the company, and put Clark in as head of sales and marketing. I seem to recall he put one of his kids in somewhere doing something. My personal opinion is these designs are a crap shoot. The credibility of the specs, currently, is near zero. I would say these amps are not for those getting into tubes for first time, but for those who are familiar with his products, tube amps, etc. who can make an informed decision using the 30 day no questions asked return policy. Carver does have a very good return policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEH Synergy Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 Jolida and quicksilver are two quality tube amps that offer some of the best bang for the buck if cross referencing. Jolida is now black ice audio FWIW. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 — with Quicksilver you get USA design/construction/customer service with prices on par with Chinese gear - . I find it refreshing to look out at my gear, and behind me, all built domestically. The only foreign built pieces are higher end CD players built in Japan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted December 27, 2022 Author Share Posted December 27, 2022 8 hours ago, MEH Synergy said: Jolida and quicksilver are two quality tube amps that offer some of the best bang for the buck if cross referencing. Jolida is now black ice audio FWIW. I've had a few of the older Jolida pieces over the years and while they did perform quite well for their price I don't believe they are on the same level as the Carver, at least the ones I had. Newer ones have gone up in price quite a bit, not sure if performance increased as well? Quicksilver is a brand I've considered but going off reviews and sales I've seen they seem to be a gateway or stepping stone brand plus I've seen some have had issues with noise or other problems. For whatever reason it seems buyers end up selling them all the while praising them? Just going by what I've gathered online. If you look at the Carver reviews I have yet to see a single negative review from an owner of the amp, just the nasty ASR review which I admit to getting caught up in despite my own eyes and ears telling me something wasn't right about it. The amps really are pretty good. Would it be nice if they were priced like cheap China gear? Sure but considering the enjoyment I get from these things along with the other benefits of low heat and weight and long tube life I think it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 Well, i'm really happy to hear the Carver 275 is a very good amp after all, I had my mind set on that amp for a while because i just could not afford the Ayon spirit V at $6000ish and really wanting the Triton at $10,000plus. So the Carver fits my budget much easier and i hope to be an upstep to my trusty old modified Audcom Chinese amp of 20yrs, which sounds fantastic and proven its reliability. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the real Duke Spinner Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 On 12/26/2022 at 4:29 PM, Travis In Austin said: I think as long as you don’t look at the specs, either the power or the distortion, and you like it, then it’s a “good amp” for those that are Carver fans, etc. none that have been independently tested measure up, at least that I have seen. the original 275 review did cause Carver to take back control of the company, and put Clark in as head of sales and marketing. I seem to recall he put one of his kids in somewhere doing something. My personal opinion is these designs are a crap shoot. The credibility of the specs, currently, is near zero. I would say these amps are not for those getting into tubes for first time, but for those who are familiar with his products, tube amps, etc. who can make an informed decision using the 30 day no questions asked return policy. Carver has always been about Marketing, not building a top product Think " Magnetic Field" and all the other bullchitz over the years 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted January 9, 2023 Author Share Posted January 9, 2023 3 hours ago, the real Duke Spinner said: Carver has always been about Marketing, not building a top product Think " Magnetic Field" and all the other bullchitz over the years Carver makes some excellent products at their price points like all equipment it comes down to system synergy and personal taste. Yes he has used gimmicky language in his marketing that doesn't mean what he sells is junk. Fact is Carver made an absolute mockery of the golden ear audio industry some 40 years ago in the Carver challenge proving 100% you do not need a "top product" for good sound and people are still butt hurt to this day either because it shattered their illusions at the time or they've read the fall out after the fact. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted January 11, 2023 Author Share Posted January 11, 2023 On 1/9/2023 at 12:32 AM, the real Duke Spinner said: Carver has always been about Marketing, not building a top product Think " Magnetic Field" and all the other bullchitz over the years Right after you posted this someone on the Carversite posted a link to an old Carver interview in the Audio Critic and this very thing was brought up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wynschenk Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Hello everybody, My electrostatic speakers (Audiostatic ES100) are 30 years old and still my favorite. Now I am occasionally use monitor audio (gold) combined with a cyrus one amp (first the analog version klass AB 30 Watts and now the digital version klass D 100 Watts). To my ears the Klass D sound slightly better. I tried some tube amps but that was not my cup of Thea, due to a slobby bass or to much ‘claire’ in the upper range. Do you think an audition with the Black Magic 25 is worth considering? I live in the Netherlands so it gives a lot of 'fuzz' with customs and return when the amp is not to my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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