Shopping for an amp

[MotorToad]

I've been looking at amps for a long while and I'm getting pretty close to the time to buy. ATM I'm using a 60Wpc NAD and while it sounds good, it can sound like it's being worked past its comfort zone. No shock given that it's such a small amplifier. I really need to keep it under $500, and I'd be a lot happier with $300.

What I've been seeing on 'gon and ebay that are most likely candidates, are the Carver "t" series amps. 1.0t, 1.5t, 4.0t, 400t, or 500t; or TFM-35 or higher. Less frequently I've seen NAD 2400s or 2600s on ebay, and there's an NAD 218 on the 'gon right now for $475 (this item has set my spending limit.... actually upping it from $350 or so). I like my NAD 2100 and I think I'd be pretty happy with an NAD at 225 Wpc. Also on the 'gon are some B&K M-200 Sonata monoblocks for $500. Any other ideas? I'd love to hear of a bargain amp someone's really been happy with on his MLs!

Since I can't audition the new unit, I am going to have to rely a lot on word-of-mouth here. Thanks, guys!

 

[Cherian]

The carvers are all good amps and will do a good job with stats. Keep an eye out for the Carver TFM-25, or A-500. Each are rated for 225 WPC and should be in your price range.

 

[GregLett]

Have you considered Rotel? I like a used Rotel in that price range.
RB980 not a bad amp at all, I used one for over year. Might also
get lucky and pick up a RB-1080 for around $500.

 

[Cherian]

Good call on the Rotel.
Keep an eye on this guy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rotel-RB-1080-P...4QQihZ005QQcategoryZ39783QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[GregLett]

That would be a good buy for the right price

 

[MotorToad]

Oh yeah, Rotel is definitely in the running. I got tired of typing and failed to mention it.

 

[Cherian]

Another amp to keep an eye on. I have (2) of these amps and they did a very good job with my MLs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVER-500X-THX...4QQihZ014QQcategoryZ39783QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[MotorToad]

Another amp to keep an eye on. I have (2) of these amps and they did a very good job with my MLs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVER-500X-THX...4QQihZ014QQcategoryZ39783QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've more or less discounted the "x" series of Carver amps, as they're not supposed to have the sweet tube sound that the earlier "t" stuff did. Again, this is word-of-mouth (keyboard?) and so I don't have any real evidence other than perceptions. I do have the real prejudice that I don't at all like THX because it's just a checkbook "standard" and it bugs me that he's making buckets of money marketing three otherwise free letters. Thanks, though!

 

[MotorToad]

I was hoping that Dreamer or someone knowledgeable in Carvers would know some of the detail differences between the Mx.0t amps, the Carver Audio forum isn't nearly as useful as we are. It's too late now, anyway.

I just scored a TFM-42 (allegedly the same as the M4.0t) on eprey. News to follow once it arrives. 375 Wpc should be enough, and IIRC it's supposed to emulate the Silver 7 tube monster. Now to order panels... Does it ever stop?

 

[JonFo]

...

I just scored a TFM-42 (allegedly the same as the M4.0t) on eprey. News to follow once it arrives. 375 Wpc should be enough, and IIRC it's supposed to emulate the Silver 7 tube monster. Now to order panels... Does it ever stop?

Congrats!

And no, it does not ever stop, just see my system for evidence of where this can lead to

 

[Wardsweb]

I thinky you will be very happy with your new amp. I have been through many Carvers with my CLS's. Here is a list in order of use. The Silver 7t amps are what I'm running now.

m1.5t
TFM-15
TFM-35
A-500x
A-760x
Silver 7t

 

[MotorToad]

I thinky you will be very happy with your new amp. I have been through many Carvers with my CLS's. Here is a list in order of use. The Silver 7t amps are what I'm running now.

m1.5t
TFM-15
TFM-35
A-500x
A-760x
Silver 7t

Why did you go away from the M1.5t? The 1.0, 1.5, and 4.0 were the chief amps I was looking to get. It doesn't seem (from appearances) that the TFM-15 would do the trick after an M1.5t.

 

[C.A.P]

I have had a few Carver amps and the 500t was the best sounding amp I had by Carver. I used 2 of them. In Bridged mode. They were powering Carver ribbons and some Magies IIIA's . They have a tube like sound with a good current to them. They can be had for under $350 usually. Plus they look cool with the ballistic meters.

My .02 worth C.A.P

 

[Wardsweb]

Why did you go away from the M1.5t? The 1.0, 1.5, and 4.0 were the chief amps I was looking to get. It doesn't seem (from appearances) that the TFM-15 would do the trick after an M1.5t.

Let's see if I remember this, it spans about 10 years.
mt.5t - ($200) I could send into clipping at will
TFM-15 (given to me) not enough power and I could clip easily
TFM-35 ($100 broken, I fixed it) was better but still not enough power
A-500x ($350 good to 2 ohms) was good but worked a little to hard for my taste
A-760x ($600 good to 1 ohm) worked fantatic with plenty of headroom
Silver 7t ($900) like a walk in the park, effortless, quick, smooth mids and crisp highs

 

[MotorToad]

mt.5t - ($200) I could send into clipping at will

Aahhh! That makes sense if you meant M0.5t instead of M1.5t. The 1.5 was supposed to be 350 Wpc and I don't think it'd have a problem with clipping! I'm not sure what the 0.5 was but I immediately dismissed it when I saw its specs. I would expect a TFM-15 to crumble under the load of CLSs, too. From what I've read (between the lines, I haven't seen this spelled out directly), it seems the Carvers don't have as much power for their ratings as, say, my little 60 Wpc NAD I have now. Though the NAD can sound like it's under duress when I'm really in the mood for some sound, I still have yet to light the "soft clipping" indicators. That's the reason I chose the TFM-42... 375 small Watts should still be enough! Thanks a ton for the history!

 

[Wardsweb]

Aahhh! That makes sense if you meant M0.5t instead of M1.5t. The 1.5 was supposed to be 350 Wpc and I don't think it'd have a problem with clipping! I'm not sure what the 0.5 was but I immediately dismissed it when I saw its specs. I would expect a TFM-15 to crumble under the load of CLSs, too. From what I've read (between the lines, I haven't seen this spelled out directly), it seems the Carvers don't have as much power for their ratings as, say, my little 60 Wpc NAD I have now. Though the NAD can sound like it's under duress when I'm really in the mood for some sound, I still have yet to light the "soft clipping" indicators. That's the reason I chose the TFM-42... 375 small Watts should still be enough! Thanks a ton for the history!

It was the m1.5t, the power wasn't the issue, it didn't have enough current capability to handle the high impedance of the CLS. I wouldn't use a m1.5t with anything below 4 ohms.