minn_male42 Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Has anyone heard these amps?..... there seems to be alot of positive comments out there on more than a couple forums..... they employ tripath technology....very similar to bel canto amps..... http://www.tripath.com/tech.htm and for the record....Carver Pro is not in anyway associated with bob carver and the sunfire consumer products.... there are 3 models the ZR500, ZR1000, and the ZR1600...stereo power into 8 ohms 95 watts, 225 watts, and 300 watts respectively..... and priced about $650 to just under $1,000 U.S. dollars http://www.carverpro.com/2003/products/zramps.html and the spec sheet.... ftp://208.187.38.55/Carver/Manuals/specs/ZRcutsheet.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 it is another amp that is using the Tripath amplifier chips, class T PWM digital amps...belcanto, sony and our own leo k. are using these chips in their digital amps...if you are a DIY kinda guy you can buy a "tester board" from Tripath...loe k. can make you one as well I suspect (though he favors the lowest powered version of the Tripath chip)...based on my experience with leo´s amp they must be the kings of bang for the buck! regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Car audio amplifier maker U.S. AMPS also uses tripath technology in at least one of their amplifiers. I remember reading an article on the amp in a car stereo mag last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted September 24, 2003 Author Share Posted September 24, 2003 gonna bump this again.... i've seen this topic come up even on the set tube forums.. (decware.com) check out these discussions.... http://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=General&action=display&num=1064370157 http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=4782 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted October 9, 2003 Author Share Posted October 9, 2003 just got my carver ZR1000 today!!! initial impressions..... very good sound...... very clean with a very strong and controlled bass response.... i am hearing things that i never heard before on some cd's that i thought i knew very well..... it really is amazing how much hiss that i am hearing on a few diana krall cd's..... i know it is recorded on the track because between tracks there is dead quiet.... also...did you ever notice how much that she taps her foot?....(or someone else in the group is tapping his foot) i initially had a little hum on both channels until i used the ground lift switches on the back.... absolutely no hum or background noise at all.....much quieter than my dynaco tube amp..... this in itself is pretty impressive.... i am using klipsch KLF-30's as my main speakers and they are extremely efficient (102 db @ 1watt @ 1 meter)..... i did disconnect the fan as suggested by another owner on a different forum.... i've had the amp running for over 5 hours now at a very moderate listening level and the top of the amp is just a little warm to the touch.... this amp does not sound like a ss amp with my klipsch speakers..... i use to have an old carver tfm-25 as well as a carver m-400t... both of those amps as well as ss amps that i had tried from friends always tended to induce listening fatigue with my klipsch speakers..... not so with this amp.... that is the reason that i had bought a used dynaco amp on ebay.... to get away from that ss ear fatigue..... this carver ZR1000 sounds at least as good if not better than my dynaco (sca-35)..... other users report that after about 200 hours the amp sounds even better...we will see.... conclusion.... this is one of the best amps i have ever owned..... i am planning on leaving it on all weekend to burn it in and reach the "next level" of performance..... here is a review of the ZR1600 over on audiocircle...the reviewer did direct listening against some megabuck amps...... the most amazing thing is that he also did bench tests to measure the performance of the amp and it ended up with some very poor numbers...... but then he did listening tests and...... well ... you can read it for yourself.... http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=5201 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 minn_male, Congratulations on your new amp,especially if it gets you around the"fatigue"factor.My Pioneer VSX D1S was prone to wearing me out after awhile with Khorns.You're right about the burn-in,it will only sound better. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 Did you get passive pre amp to run with amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted October 9, 2003 Author Share Posted October 9, 2003 i'm running the carver out of the pre-outs on my pioneer elite receiver...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 minn_male42 I'm impressed. Congratulations on your figuring out which of the new pwd offerings would work with your KLF-30s. If this generation of pwd amps has solved the dynamic range problem then decent amps are going to get much easier to find. leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Brian Cheney, smart guy. Taking that review in it's entirety -- I can't possibly see how that amp would be a good choice with horns. In fact, the signature seems to be the antithesis of what the Dynaco would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted October 10, 2003 Author Share Posted October 10, 2003 you can read whatever you want from the other review... but i do know what this amp sounds like with my KLF-30's... and it is very impressive and gives me a much more detailed sound with a lower noise floor than my dynaco.... additionally, i do not get any of the ear fatigue that i experienced with other solid state amps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Congrats on the amp, if it sounds anyhitng like the LeoK Tripath amp I have I understand why you are so pleased. One thing, please be careful about that fan issue, since this little chip generates a lot of heat, and was designed to shunt via the aid of a fan, I would be careful about potenitally reducing the amps life, unless you mod by adding more heatsinking to the chip itself. keep us infomred as it breaks in, regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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