whell Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 OK folks, here's the deal. I toyed with the idea of selling this amp earlier this year. With twins on the way, I thought money might be tight. Now, with the purchase of a mini van (an Explorer just won't hold 3 car seats!), new bedroom furniture for my 3 year old, purchasing a 2nd crib, an extra car seat, a double stroller, and diapers, diapers, diapers, money IS starting to get tight. The doctor told my wife at yesterday's appointment that we'll be parents again no later than next week, so I guess I have a renewed sense of urgency to address the finances. I love this amp, but this will need to be the first of some of my equipment that will need to go. I don't foresee myself being able to spend a lot of quality time with this music/stereo hobby for the next few years. AND, letting some of this stuff go now will help raise some extra cash. This is the Carver Pro TOTL amp based on the much-discussed Tripath circuit/amp design. Lots of info out there about how Tripath works, so I won't take up space here with those details. The amp can be had new in on the web from authorized dealers for $1000 - 1100. You can get it new for less if you don't purchase from an authorized dealer, but then forget about any warranty service. This amp has been modded by a fellow hobbyist who has WAY more aptitude for that kind of work than I do. However, once modded, the warranty is no longer valid. The mods DO have a very positive impact on the performance of the amp in a 2 channel or HT environment. Here is a description of the mods: The pro balanced imputs have been replaced with Vampire OFC RCA Jacks , 23GA Solid Silver Teflon hook-up wire directly to an IDC connector on the mainboard, which bypasses the input card (great improvement in sound through bypassing a lot of op-amps), reduced fan speed to significantely reduce the Fan noise level, and rewire outputs with Kimber 15 gauge OFC wire to NEW Cardas Copper Binding Posts. One of the BEST. These mods took an already oustanding amp to new hights. Parts alone for the mod was over $140. I have since disconneted the internal fan. As efficient as Klipsch Rf-7's are, this amp is never really pushed. This amp puts out 350 WPC into 8 ohms, so it has never even broken a sweat in my set up. Quite frankly, it has spend most of its time lately producing children's music, Elmo and Barney. Truly, this piece is being underutilized! As far as the sound, this amp sits at the top of the heap of all the amps that have passed through my system. I've had Acurus, Adcom, Monarchy Audio, and Rotel. This one has stayed the longest, and I'd surely be keeping it if not for my expanding family. The strongest points to my ear of this amp are the seperation and imaging, the clarity and detail (lack of harshness) in the upper ranges, and bass of the like I've never experienced before. I had gotten used to boomy, tubby bass. Now, I've got bass that reaches down deep without boom. If there's any such thing as "detail" in the low frequencies, I think I've got it. I must say that I did have a issue until the last 3 months with some hiss coming from my RF-7's horns. I tried different interconnects, different upstream equipment, and different AC cords. A simple "cheater" plug seems to have done the trick to erase the hiss. I don't pretend to know why it worked, it just worked. I'd like to get $750 for this amp, but will be open to reasonable offers. That is less than I paid for it, including the cost of the mods. It is used, but I've kept it in great cosmetic condition. And its operational condition is excellent. Let me know if you have any questions about this unit. Coming soon - A "Universal" player from Integra, and possibly an old Adcom 545 amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdmarsiii Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Man o Man, I wish I could get that. $250 out of my budget on a new amp though :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipsDude Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I don't like the Carver ZR1600 with Klipsch speakers. Go to Marysville, Washington at Bry's, a Klipsch dealer and he has this same amp on the Klipsch speakers there. It's too harsh sounding. A friend of mine just had to replace his Carver ZR1600 for his RF-7's with a Rotel RB-1090 and it's much, much, much better and smoother, but the Rotel does cost $1000.00 more. I haves not heard a moddy ZR Carver, but maybe that might take care of the harshness?? I almost fell for the hype on those things too until my friend set me wise to it with Klipsch speakers. I really don't think the Carver ZR and Klipsch go well together, best to look for something without that harshness for Klipsch speakers, would be better on a different kind of speaker. In my VERY STRONG opinion!!! A Rotel RB-1080 can be had for the same price for that Carver, I's strongly recommends that path for much greater synergy with Klipsch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 ---------------- On 7/12/2005 5:42:17 PM KlipsDude wrote: I don't like the Carver ZR1600 with Klipsch speakers. Go to Marysville, Washington at Bry's, a Klipsch dealer and he has this same amp on the Klipsch speakers there. It's too harsh sounding. A friend of mine just had to replace his Carver ZR1600 with a Rotel RB-1090 and it's much, much, much better and smoother, but the Rotel does cost $1000.00 more. I haves not heard a moddy ZR Carver, but maybe that might take care of the harshness?? I almost fell for the hype on those things too until my friend set me wise to it with Klipsch speakers. I really don't think the Carver ZR and Klipsch go well together, best to look for something without that harshness for Klipsch speakers, would be better on a different kind of speaker. In my VERY STRONG opinion!!! A Rotel RB-1080 can be had for the same price for that Carver, I's strongly recommends that path for much greater synergy with Klipsch! ---------------- Not cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Seriously. The man's trying to sell something, so why are you trying to deter potential buyers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 there are quite a few b-boarders who have auditioned and/or bought these carver pro tripath-based amps, all seem to be happy with the sound. If I didn't have a shelf full of amps right now I would pick this one up in a flash. best of luck, tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tofu Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 granted this isnt exactly a "sales forum," it still isn't nice to thread crap. that's a bannable offense on a lot of the selling/buying forums i visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Klipsdude, I think you really need to delete your above post. There are alot of folks who actually love the combination. And to step on a long time members toes with your own opinion is very rude. Good luck Whell on the sale. Sorry that i wasnt able to take it off your hands a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 "In my VERY STRONG opinion!!!" Did anybody miss this in Klipsdude's post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 i will also concur that the carver ZR amplifiers work very well with klipsch speakers... as many of you know - i power my KLF-30's with a stock ZR1000.... simply the best amp i have ever heard on my speakers!!! if i had the cash (or the room on my credit cards) i would buy the ZR1600 in a flash and move my ZR1000 to power my surrounds!!! good luck with your sale!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I had the smaller Carver in here at the same time I had the QSC PLX-1602. I actually thought the Carver was extremely smooth -- almost to a fault. I kept the QSC and sent the Carver back because I liked the additional bite the QSC had. The Carver top end is tube-like and clean. Any harshness in a system using it cannot be attributed to the Carver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted July 12, 2005 Author Share Posted July 12, 2005 Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I guess. My wife and I were listening to the live Alison Krauss CD tonight: the Philips DVD 963SA happily playing through my pre/pro to the ZR1600. She looked over an me and asked "Are you sure you want to sell this?" Have I told anyone that I REALLY love my wife at times like this? Dean - I never did get the cabbage together to do the crossover mods to my RF-7's. I guess in my system the "bite" still comes from my speakers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Whell is a stand up guy I have met in person a few times and have had him over to my house. klipsdude is way out of line. Whell; GO into debt to have more babies is pretty normal. My brother in law has 3 year old boy twins. My best friend has 13 year old girl twins. You would be surprised how many peopple come out of the wood work to help. Second hand kid fixtures may be a lesser choice but the kids rarely realize it. Stilll have to break you loose on a Saturday in the fall for some music listening and an MSU football game on the big screen. God Bless you and your family. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Flynn - thanks for the kind words. You're right, we've had alot of "hand-me-down" donations over the past couple of months. My team here at work gave me a $75 gift certificate to Target, which of course will be used for diaper purchases! Folks have really been unbeleivably great. Hey, if you have another listening session at your house again, let me know. I might have to bring the kids, so we'll have to play Barney and Sesame Street music. But I'm sure it would sound great played through Craig's amps and your Chorus's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Klipsdude has done this on other 4sale post. According to him, the only speaker worth owning is the RF7 apparantly. Points for loving Klipsch, minus several hundred for slamming others' gear and being single-minded. Sorry Klipschdude, the majority says you're out of line. (EDIT) Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipsDude Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 nicholtl said: Seriously. The man's trying to sell something, so why are you trying to deter potential buyers? nicholtl, I'm sure he will sell it just fine for something that goes well with it, I don't want to deter a sale for him and he will sell it fine with another make speaker, BUT would you want to team this up with a Klipsch and be really disappointed?? I'm just trying to help guy, if you don't like my help, sorry but it's the truth, and I would only expect someone to help me out the same way, sorry you don't see it the same way but such is life. Look what you get when you try to help another Klipsch family member! If you think it sounds just fine with Klipsch, we only have a difference of opinion but not my intent AT ALL to deter him selling, he will sell it, lots of folks like that amp and it goes well with other speakers, not with Klipsch for me, but you could very well feel differently, that's fair. I almost got the amp after reading all the great things about it, until my friend got it first, and we didn't like how it sounded on his RF-7, again, just our take on it, yours could very well vary. Wow stormin, I don't find it rude, just the truth when teamed up with Klipsch! No every make amp will go with any speaker, you already know this, just trying to help, Wow! I kinda find your's rude when I'm just helping about it not going well with Klipsch speakers. Oh well, good day to ya Dude. As I don't feel the Carver ZR1600 do not sound great with Klipsch, yours opinion may vary but I'm standing by what I say because that is my experience with the Carver ZR1600. My ears hear this, others might just like what I don't, that is very fair to understand, each his own. If my opinion doesn't help than that's fine too. Try it, if you like how it sounds, all that counts, all that counts!!!! Not one to stand in your way. Audio Flynn, in no way is my opinion about the Carver ZR1600 going against Whell as a upstanding persion, that's pretty bad of you to miss understand it as such, I'm sure he is a very respectable person and have no doubts, man o man. colterphoto1, wow - I've just lost repect for you. I don't do this on 4 sale post, yes I really like my RF-7, you like what you like, that's fine but I don't go around doing what you said, and I'm just as welcome in this Klipsh forum as you are and to tell me I will have to go is pretty rude. Have a nice life and thanks for your kindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I'll have to side with Klipsdude only in that this is an internet bbs and differing opinions are encouraged. While Klipsdude's verbiage was direct, unpopular and to the point, one cannot fault him for his opinion. To say he's "gone" is crap. This isn't the country club boys, this is a bbs of interest to audiophiles and good ol' boys alike. Deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 KlipsDude's post was in poor taste and grammatically challenged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 So what? This isn't high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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