rplace Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Maybe I am crazy, but I thought I read a post a few weeks ago that said something to the effect of: "Send you Solid State amp to this guy. He is the NOSValves of SS gear" I can't find the post using the high quality search feature and I can't remember the guys name or copmany. I dropped Craig as NOSValves a line and he was not aware of any SState mod people out there. My thinking was this. If people freshen up and improve older tube gear with updated caps and the like surely it must be possible with solid state gear. Is this true? If it is true does anybody remember that post or have suggestions on where to send my gear. I have seen lots of mods for DVD and CD players where different caps, RCA connectors, etc. are common and claim better sound. I currently have 4 Carver TFM-25 amps that I use in my HT set up and one has a slight hiss. One has been mine since day one new. The other three I have picked up used, so at the least would like to have somebody run through them and make sure they are up to snuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 "I have seen lots of mods for DVD and CD players where different caps, RCA connectors, etc. are common and claim better sound." There is a buyer for every snake oil....[] Seriously, why not send them to Sunfire? I recall Mr.Magoo saying that they serviced all Carver gear, you might want to call and confirm price, etc first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuned4life Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 there is a place in toronto that will work on vintage SS stuff. im not sure of the name but i think there are members who have been pleased with the service that could provide contact info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Sunfire is a good idea. I guess my line of thinking was that if better caps make for better crossovers, then perhaps I want my amps "improved" at the same time I get them refreshed. Perhaps my thinking if flawed. When Craig worked over my Scott 222, it is my understanding that it is not just good as new, but better then new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Electrolytics are only good for 15 years or so and then they start breaking down. Saw your mail last night -- I'll answer it tonight with all the others. It's 'mail day' you see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 They dry out and break down even faster when subjected to continuous high heat levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Dean/M Hurd what exactly are we saying here? These are late 80 or early 90s amps so they are quickly reaching the 15 year mark. Is it the same with amps as with XOs that replacing old cap X with new cap X brings them back to the factory specs.? Is it also true that replacing old cap X with new cap Y (say a better quality of cap) might make an improvement or am I off the mark here? I freely admit I know next to nothing about inner workings of anything electronic. I was just making the leap in reasoning that if replacing an old .25 cent cap with a new, more audio-oriented $2 cap makes an improvement in one piece of gear, it would stand to reason the it would make a difference in a different piece of gear. Now that difference might be something you like or something you don't like, but it could/should make a difference, right? So if I am going to ship my amps off to Sunfire to get them as good as new...why not find a guy like Craig that has that all figured out and have him improve the sound of my amp? Is there such a guy like that in the solid state world? If so who is he? Maybe I am thinking about this too much. I actually like the sound of the amps, I just want to know they are performing at the best they can since 3 out of 4 of them I don't know the history of. Thanks for taking the time to make an electronic novice like me understand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 http://www.illinoiscapacitor.com/LifeCalculator.asp Kind of like the transmission oil in your automatic transmission, if you can drop 10 degrees F in the oil temps, life expectancy is doubled. Therefore capacitiors inside amplifiers that are subjected to high heat can have a shorter lifespan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I've seen a mod for transistor amps - it involved adjusting the quiescent up to make it run "hotter". May need to check the DC offset after this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Rplace, I think the person who was bought up on fixing vintage solid state equipment was a guy that hangs out on the audiokarma.org websight. He goes by the name of EchoWars. Everyone at audiokarma brags on his work. I myself have never had him work on any of my stereo equipment yet but if something went wrong on my vintage solid state receivers I would look his way. I think he is from the midwest somewere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 He is NOSValves of SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I mentioned Echowars ... why didn't you ask sooner ....??..[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Truth is, most solid state gear, especially vintage, is far more complex than tube gear. If I am correct, most transistor work like a switch instead of a valve, the way tubes do. To make them work then requires more work. Not exactly my cup of tea to be working on them, but I have in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 He is NOSValves of SS. Stromin, are you just messing with me? Who is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Echowars is the screen name, aka Glenn McDonald. Truck on over to Audiokarma.org, and do a search on his screen name. You'll get the picture quickly that he works on a lot of SS gear, and lots of folks really like his work. For me, he's worked on an Adcom 535 and an old Sansui 9090. Both sounded and performed better once they came back from Glenn. There are other tech-types over at AK that work on SS gear, so even if you and Echo can't come to terms, there are others that you might also check out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 He is NOSValves of SS. Stromin, are you just messing with me? Who is? EchoWars! But then again Dr Audio isn't no slouch either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheis Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Try John Hillig of Musical Concepts. Seems to be highly recommended, particulary for B&K mods. jhillig@musicalconcepts.com James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 Hey guys thanks for all the leads. Just what I was looking for. Thanks again, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vman71 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I ran across this guy on Audiogon, when I was in the market for buying an integrated amp. I think his prices are a little on the expensive side but I just thought I would share. Here's his last email to me with his email address."Hi Mike, The mods are $295. Since I sell this as a service I do not advise how to do it. It is a nice improvement over the stock unit. I am no longer involved with the Plinius company but I have 6 years experience with the mods and upgrades. Best regards, Vince"Email address is: Davenfhf@aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Rich, Yup Echowars I didn't even think of him good guy. But then you were asking me about Carver specific and to me Who would know more about Carver gear then...... Carver. My now deseases tube tester technician used nothing but Carver gear in his system and he sent all his gear back to Carver for upgrades and freshen up. Stuff sounded darn good also. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.