Carver Crimson 275 Review (Tube Amp)

[Omar Cumming]

For those of you waiting for a reply on these issues from Mr. Malitz:

Fuhgedaboutit (forget about it-for non Brooklyn speakers)

He is not going to touch this with a 10 foot (grounded) pole. He wants it and us to just go away so he can keep selling his stuff.

Cheers

 

[DanielT]

C'mon man, you don't need a tube amp to pull woman....it's just your placebo man!

He he, I change the text a little after you quoted. Damn, what's wrong with a little placebo if it results in rolling in the bed straw?

Edit:
And exclude the woman in the equation and it will be: What's wrong with a little placebo if it results in enjoying music (in itself)?
(always fun to throw in the subjectivity card on ASR, even if I attribute myself to the objective side when it comes to Hifi gadgets, evaluation of ditto that is).

pull woman ... Tube amp can be push pull configurations, they work back and forth hence the name, because it results in ... (I apologize, I just could not help it).

 

[Zackthedog]

They are hand-built amplifiers made by a guy in his apartment in China. He even winds his own transformers. I found him on eBay. They are built like tanks and sound utterly fantastic.

Martin

Nice. I've taken a couple stabs at PP 300B but it's hard to pull off due to the drive requirements. Looks like a Mullard circuit.

 

[Martin]

Nice. I've taken a couple stabs at PP 300B but it's hard to pull off due to the drive requirements. Looks like a Mullard circuit.

They are not PP, they are PSE. He offered to make a 25W PP amp or a 17W parallel SET amp. I chose the SET. I don't know what circuit he used. I do know he copies famous amplifier circuits.

 

[Walter]

Inside looks like a first revision of a hobby project, still figuring out what should connect to what and where instead of a $2750 retail product.

I've done exactly on very small DIY project in the last ten years, and an only slightly larger amount about 20 years before that, but even my first thought was, "Damn, that looks amateurish!"

On a related note, with CE standards being what they are, can this amp even be legally sold in Europe? (I have read this thread sporadically so if already answered, sorry.)

 

[ta240]

Since tube's are so subjective why aren't there more companies using the nutube triode tubes yet? They seem much more easier to integrate and you still get a similar measuring (and sounding I assume) product. Plus they're seemingly affordable.

The nutubes are also very microphonic. I had an early headphone amp with the nutube and just brushing against the headphone cord could make the 'tube' sing slightly. Actually touching the amp would put out a nice ringing sound like someone was playing crystal glasses. As an early adopter my complaints were dismissed by most everyone on the diy forum; including Mr Pass, as likely being some other cause. Then a year or so later Mr Pass came out with his buffer using them and people were shocked that they were that microphonic. I know that there are a lot of different isolation methods that they tried with varying claims of success. I also had an early nutube buffer and it wasn't quite as susceptible to the ringing so my guess is it varies from 'tube' to 'tube' a bit. But I can't imagine having any sort of loud music playing and being able to isolate the nutube enough to prevent it from picking up the vibrations.

 

[Walter]

Nobody asked, but I like tube amps. They look cool and the ones I have heard sounded just find to me. But they in no way sounded any better than a solid state amp. I switched out the last one, a very nice 2A3 SET, with an 8 watt Shui Yuan TPA3110 board that cost about $15, and could tell no difference whatsoever. Which probably just proves that I'm no audiophile. And the Carver 275 is still an embarrassment and a ripoff. If I had bought one I'd be seriously pissed off right now and demanding a refund.

 

[Madjalapeno]

On a related note, with CE standards being what they are, can this amp even be legally sold in Europe? (I have read this thread sporadically so if already answered, sorry.)

Can it be sold anywhere? Does the company have insurance?

 

[ta240]

How is a $2500 2-channel amp low cost? $250, ok because it glows and stuff? But $2500 will buy a very good complete 2 channel system. For example, pair of JBL 705P’s, budget speaker stands, a used AirPort Express or the new Belkin AirPlay device, a suitable DAC, and all the cabling.

Makes the “for rich folk” Dirac Live Bass Control seem like a huge bargain at $500!

That is the genius with doing tube amps for sale. At that price it is considered a lower cost one. The irony there is that the output transformers are usually the most expensive part of a tube amp build.

Shot through the grid
And you're to blame
Darlin', you give tubes a bad name

 

[traderitch]

Actually it is a PO box in the UPS Store.

A little background for those whose care:
Bob no longer occupies a giant warehouse like he did when Carver manufactured thousands of units.
The tube amp business began as a very small operation. As noted in several threads, it has apparently
gone through many changes (assembly, distribution, partnerships etc) from the time the first unit was
produced until now.

The P.O. Box was/is merely a central location to receive gear. Not some nefarious scheme.
Bob personally repaired the few early units that needed any type of attention.

 

[jbhiller]

The one thing that sticks out is that Bob Carver certainly had to know that there was only a 15 watt transformer used in the amplifier by him being present at this event.

The under-specified transformer seems to be the main culprit in the non-realistic specs (or at least the way that most people would interpret the claims of power output).

He very well may be unaware of the safety issues.

You indicate, "The one thing that sticks out is that Bob Carver certainly had to know" in regard to the 15W Edcor. But that's not necessarily true. Bob may have known they were using 15w Edcors at this event you reference because it was a $650 kit amp that was not identical to copies coming out of production. But, it's equally possible he knew. I'm waiting for Frank Malitz to respond on this issue, which will be interesting regardless of the substance of the response.

 

[jbhiller]

Did they still charge the full amount for the amp camp models ?

Jay, according to Frank Malitz they amp camp models at Carver Fest were $650 kits. I take this with a grain of salt, although it would seem to make sense that they would be less expensive than the 275 on the street.

 

[JayGilb]

No

Thanks.

Do you know what the differences (spec wise) between the two models ?

 

[jbhiller]

For those of you waiting for a reply on these issues from Mr. Malitz:

Fuhgedaboutit (forget about it-for non Brooklyn speakers)

He is not going to touch this with a 10 foot (grounded) pole. He wants it and us to just go away so he can keep selling his stuff.

Cheers

I'm not so sure he won't respond. I'm just not confident his response will be reassuring or appropriate.

 

[jbhiller]

Thanks.

Do you know what the differences (spec wise) between the two models ?

No, Jay, I do not. I asked some questions about it to Frank and he emailed me what I told you above and then went into saying that if this amp really didn't make spec would people love it? ..Would dealers be begging for more? Would speaker manufacturers be recommending its use? and so on.

 

[sarumbear]

The grounding pin you are highlighting is not required to be used. My home was built in 1963, and is a two wire system with no “earth” wire to any outlet in my home. I am sure this would be the case with many homes in the US built before the codes changed and will vary from state to state.

You, sir are so wrong that your posts are dangerous. So is your house.

 

[jbhiller]

If Frank doesn't respond or if he responds by not directly answering the material questions, I'll just ask Music Direct for a refund.

The dealers should be mailing out notices to folks that the amp is potentially dangerous to human life.

 

[caught gesture]

They are hand-built amplifiers made by a guy in his apartment in China. He even winds his own transformers. I found him on eBay. They are built like tanks and sound utterly fantastic.

Martin

Care to provide a link?

 

[Zackthedog]

They are not PP, they are PSE. He offered to make a 25W PP amp or a 17W parallel SET amp. I chose the SET. I don't know what circuit he used. I do know he copies famous amplifier circuits.

Oh, interesting.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

You, sir are so wrong that your posts are dangerous. So is your house.

The parts of my house which are original 1928 vintage also use the two wire system with no 3rd earth wire on any of the sockets. Neither does the knob-and-tubing wiring in the attic. That's just the way they did it back then. House fires around this area are exceptional for their rarity - in fact the only one I'm aware of was deliberately set by squatters.

My dedicated studio is new construction (1998) and of course is up to current codes.