Carver Raven 350 Review (Tube Amp)

[SuicideSquid]

You can legally copy most tube circuits. Most are taken right out of the RCA and Mullard receiving manuals of old. There is almost never anything patent-able in these circuits, as there is myriad prior art in the public domain and most "innovation" are obvious.

Having said that, Randall Smith of Mesa/Boogie did successfully patent the A/B switch between a tube and solid state rectifier, so I am probably wrong.

It's very context-dependent. But it's the only part of a "sound" that there's any risk someone might make an IP claim over.

 

[Lorenzo74]

Back in the 80's, reviewer/guru Martin Colloms raved about similar US 'high end' valve amps from ARC, Quicksilver, VTL, C-J and so on and made all manner of excuses about measurements not correlating with what he and the listening panel heard. Indeed, it became a thing that all the best measuring amps tested in 1980's 'Choice' books more often than not, did badly in the listening tests, as the lack of added character usually made the sound leaner and with less 'depth' perspective (added compression in the favoured ones?) and most recommended or best buy amps were somewhere in the upper 60's 70's for estimated sinad. In the UK, this reviewer became 'important' as he had interests all over as consultant, designer and so on and people took notice of his reviews.

I'd suggest this Carver box is exactly how it's supposed to be, giving a wonderful sonic character.

Did you 'listen to it' Amir ('cos 'we' don't listen to test tones, do we?). Sorry for that, but that's going to be the audiophile response to this review... Would be great if this distortion 'grass' can definitely be heard as against a pile of cheaper alternatives that don't have it...

Hi, thanks for the background. Very interesting, especially today when state of the art amplifiers are affordable and distortion generators costs many thousands of €/$…

may I ask you two questions?
1) are you suggesting that’s better to take the BLU pill = “wonderful sonic character” of the fake sound instead of the RED pill and get the “leaner and less depth” transparent sound as the artist intended to be?

2)why “the audiophile“ must be always the guy of “do you listen to it” ?
I do my best to behave as an audiophile, looking for transparency from recording studio to my ears… and honestly I really don’t have time to waste to listen to poor and fake sound such the higly distorted one produced by low SINAD amplifiers, life is too short… who do really have?

looking forward
my best
L.

 

[Kevinfc]

Totally expected, but hey, it looks pretty.

 

[Jas0_0]

Glad I left valves behind a while ago. Now every time I see a review like this I look at my RME dac and Genelecs, say three hail Amirs, pat myself on the back, buy myself a nice beer and sit down to celebrate the vastly improved sound and my thousands-of-pounds healthier bank balance.

The icing on the cake would be to see Amir test the Croft and Proac gear I used to own, to see quantitatively just how much better my system now is.

 

[sofrep811]

I bet if you listened to some early Sonic Youth on vinyl with a Manly Chinook Phono stage it would just sound like TV static.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Arose is still a rose by any other name…is what audio is based on…make a name then coast ( laugh ) all the way to the bank.

The reference is used to state that the names of things do not affect what they really are. A carver name does not make it good…

if only I knew what I was talking about…sigh

 

[GXAlan]

may I ask you two questions?
1) are you suggesting that’s better to take the BLU pill = “wonderful sonic character” of the fake sound instead of the RED pill and get the “leaner and less depth” transparent sound as the artist intended to be?

2)why “the audiophile“ must be always the guy of “do you listen to it” ?
I do my best to behave as an audiophile, looking for transparency from recording studio to my ears… and honestly I really don’t have time to waste to listen to poor and fake sound such the higly distorted one produced by low SINAD amplifiers, life is too short… who do really have?

Why not both? No rule that says you only have one system,

There is a circle of confusion that is well established. Sometimes the music you like is not the best recording, or the music you like isn’t the best performed. I really enjoy listening to the La La Land Soundtrack, but Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are not professional singers. When it’s too transparent, it quite simply does not sound as good as when played back through perhaps less resolving or euphonic gear.

At the same time, with a wonderful recording like the Steinway & Sons sponsored Nutcracker Suite rearranged for solo piano, transparency is rewarded.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Blimey. I wonder how the Line Magnetics compare with this brand.

Heard some at a showroom in Gig Harbor…I think it was with their beautiful speakers….walked away unimpressed. But dam what a steampunk look, sure to sell in greenpoint or somewhere in Brooklyn.

 

[amirm]

I honestly would like to know the thinking process that leads to buying this.

"Tubes must be good seeing how high-end companies/customers use them.
Tubes have great mid-range.
Bob Carver must know what he is doing given his credentials.
This is 'cheap' by high-end standards"

 

[Blumlein 88]

"Tubes must be good seeing how high-end companies/customers use them.
Tubes have great mid-range.
Bob Carver must know what he is doing given his credentials.
This is 'cheap' by high-end standards"

Also, if you already use/have tube amps of lesser size and cost, you think these will be the same thing you already like only even better.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

I honestly would like to know the thinking process that leads to buying this. No judgement, just wish to understand how the things go that lead to paying such an amount of money on this kind of product. I feel that we judge it by some improper metrics. It's like I judge a vase by sinad where it was ment to hold flowers.

Online folklore, many of the reviewers are pushing tube based gear, and I think the differences that can be heard may be done on purpose. How about this one? 1% total harmonic distortion is probably audible, along with some of the other specs this amp is in my opinion coloring the music.

I have a couple pieces of tube gear, but I stopped short at making them my main amplifiers, in fact the one piece that I like very much is a preamp. There is a cool factor to this, it’s a conversation piece, and just like vinyl tubes have made a comeback.

There’s a gazillion people online that swear tubes sound better, and that if you have solid state your sound is sterile, not dynamic, doesn’t have enough bass (insert just about anything here) and you just don’t know what you’re missing. Peer pressure. Just like these reviewer‘s that have every tweak imaginable in their own set up, the imaginary online audio problems are endless.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

"Tubes must be good seeing how high-end companies/customers use them.
Tubes have great mid-range.
Bob Carver must know what he is doing given his credentials.
This is 'cheap' by high-end standards"

This x 100

 

[Hipster Doofus]

We are lemmings….that’s why herd mentality works for most things but not all

 

[fpitas]

We are lemmings….that’s why herd mentality works for most things but not all

The average person has no knowledge about these technical subjects. In fact, the graphs that Amir produced are meaningless to them. So, they have to go with some kind of advice.

 

[AudioSceptic]

You may find Martin Colloms wrote some of those reviews back then (or Ken Kessler, who reminds me of a coupl eof subjectivist Stereophile reviewers if not as flowery as TAS writers).

I thought it was mainly JA but I'll have to check.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

One of these days Amir is going to measure a tube amp that measures decent, and maybe exposing this type of money grab is a good thing.

I can see the appeal of this amplifier, if you like tube based gear this is a handsome piece in my opinion.

I would jump at the chance to listen to these in my own room, but I’m not going to buy them just to find out.

So yeah someday our host is going to measure a respectable tube amp, because I know it can be done.

 

[fpitas]

One of these days Amir is going to measure a tube amp that measures decent, and maybe exposing this type of money grab is a good thing.

I can see the appeal of this amplifier, if you like tube based gear this is a handsome piece in my opinion.

I would jump at the chance to listen to these in my own room, but I’m not going to buy them just to find out.

So yeah someday our host is going to measure a respectable tube amp, because I know it can be done.

Yes, the performance of good tube amps used to be good. Engineers strived for 50+ years to achieve that. Now, we have tube special-effects boxes.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Listening to 1960 tubes now , amazing …. they have built in equalizers and great speakers, better then my topping pa5

 

[AudioSceptic]

Oh no, it is quite easy and safe. I made dozens of such tests without a single damage. Of course you have to use resistor voltage dividers or stepped attenuator to keep the right voltage span. But it is easy to do, is not it?

But don't you have to decide on which speaker as the high output impedance of the amp interacts with the speaker to alter the FR?

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Hmmm is that why when I used a Denon audyssey sweep on my tube mono locks it was way too loud