WHAT ABOUR CARVER?

[deacongreg]

Originally Posted by JerryDelColliano

As a consolodated company Sunfire seems to be looking more towards the installer market than retail.

I am not sure why they can't have both but their move is a common one.

Bose has EVERY market channel and their sales don't lie. Sunfire is BELOVED with enthusiasts for all the right reasons: value, performance and heratige.

Well, this makes my heart feel glad. To see that there are some Sunfire fans out there. And people who understand quality, performance, does not always have to come at a premium price. Its good to see you Jerry on this list also. I know you love your Mark levinsons and Cello equipment. And rightly so.
I just want Sunfire to get its just do. And I agree, I think Sunfire can have both. But it seems more people are moving to the install business, and retail shops are closing up.
But, maybe if the House of Linn is successful, we`ll have a new way to purchase high end.

[deacongreg]

Originally Posted by Z Man

In a way I say I have to agree with you. Sunfire products are amazing, and their amplifiers are IMO some of the absolute best anywhere. It's strange but more and more I see the Sunfire name disappearing from high end shops ads. 3-4 years ago the Sunfire name was seen listed at many hi-fi/HT stores. Now as I look through store Ads in mags like Stereophile, The Absolute Sound etc., I no longer see the Sunfire brand mentioned. Pity because it is a high caliber brand.

I own (and love) my Sunfire TGIII pre/pro and Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature amp. And I see myself hanging on to my Sunfire amp for a long time to come. The "only" reason I am changing from Sunfire to Denon (AVP-A1HD)for a pre/pro is because Sunfire, like so many other companies, doesn't have what the upcoming Denon will have.

If I knew that Sunfire was coming out with a pre/pro that offered 6 HDMI 1.3a inputs, Wi-Fi streaming, Audyssey Multi EQXT/Pro, HQV Realta Video Processing, HDCD decoding, and was THX Ultra 2 certified, I would most definitely stay with Sunfire.


Seth

I hear you. I`m sorry they don`t have what you need. But really, there are not hardly any manufacturers yet, that have that many HDMI inputs.

[deacongreg]

Originally Posted by Tony_P

Bob Carver ruffled a lot of people's feathers some years ago in the hi-end business. Remember when he had his "transfer function" where he could make any of his power amps sound like anyone else's? The one he choice to get this amps to sound like (null to) would be a Mark Levinson ML25 (or something like that). I was a pure class A power amp that was highly regarded. Pete Aczel of the Audio Critic was in on this too. It was written that Carver was able to get his 1.5t to sound (or null) to the ML amp. Carver said he bought a pair of these amps to take back and have all his "t"amps null to it. I don't know how successful he was, but the 1.5t that I owned sounded better than a lot of other amps I compared it to for a cost that was small. He had his Amazing speakers, Lightstar and Sunfire along with those little speakers that put out bass, the Sunfire TrueSub.
His equipment does get a lot of "respect" in the reviewing magazines. His is an innovator and has produced tremendous products with exceptional value.

Wow, you have a great memory. I actually do remember that. Harry Pearson at The Absolute Sound seemed to be really ****ed about it, and tried to talk bad about it. How dare someone would come and offer a product that rivaled such a respected high end favorite.
Listen, the man Bob Carver is smart. And from what kennyt says after meeting him, a very nice guy.
I beleive, he should come out with the cube amplifier again. With Bel canto getting favorable reviews for their small amplifiers, I think because of its power and size, it would have an advantage in a lot of installs.

[Z Man]

Originally Posted by deacongreg

I hear you. I`m sorry they don`t have what you need. But really, there are not hardly any manufacturers yet, that have that many HDMI inputs.

Yeah you're right, trying to find a pre/pro that has 6 HDMI 1.3 inputs is kind of tough right now. Do you know of any pre/pro's in the $7k-$8K range that will be offering all the goodies that the Denon will? I know that Theta had talked about releasing a $7k pre/pro called Valis a year or so ago, but I have not heard anything on it anymore.

[deacongreg]

Originally Posted by Z Man

Yeah you're right, trying to find a pre/pro that has 6 HDMI 1.3 inputs is kind of tough right now. Do you know of any pre/pro's in the $7k-$8K range that will be offering all the goodies that the Denon will? I know that Theta had talked about releasing a $7k pre/pro called Valis a year or so ago, but I have not heard anything on it anymore.

Sorry about the late response, but unfortunately no. At this time right now, high end pre-pros are quite a bit behind our receiver brethren. The one that does come to mind, is the Integra 9.8 pre/pro, which is flying off the shelves. It does not have six, but given its feature set and price, it is hard to match, and all reviews have been extremely positive. Your going to have to go out, and by a unit that will switch HDMI sources, unless you are willing to wait.

[kloneman]

I love my Sunfire Theatre Grand II preamp/processor and Cinema Grand Signature amplifier. I have placed the amplifier in several head-to-head listening tests against some much more expensive equipment and found that it more than holds its own. It appears to capable of driving demanding loads that seem to bring out audible stress in other equipment.

My preamp/processor is a bit dated. I do wish the current Carver offering had HDMI inputs for each A/V inputs. I believe that they should remove the composite video jacks from all A/V intputs and offer a set of S-Video-to-Composite adapters for anyone who needs composite input. The recovered space on the rear panel could then be used for the HDMI input connectors. (I would also want scan format conversion and Onscreen display available on any output, if they don't already do it.) If Carver offered something like this, then I would probably more serious about it as a replacement for my TGII, when I do finally go HD, and HDMI.

Carver Customer service has been very responsive in the few times I had problems over the years:

I bought a Carver Sunfire sub at a junkyard for $75, and called Carver Service to see about shipping it back to have the driver repaired/replaced. They sent a new subwoofer box for me to ship it in, and returned it with a manual, and updated it the current configuration for $150. Turn around time was pretty fast too.

The illumination lamp in the Cinema Grand Signature amplifier front panel meter failed. I called them and they asked me if I were handy with a soldering iron. As a former tech, I said I have no problems with soldering it in. They sent me a pair of lamps at no charge.

Something in the Cinema Grand Signature amplifier popped, but all channels continued to function. I was concerned and I sent it back. They repaired it within two weeks, and its been working flawlessly since.

I have an electrical engineering background, as well as a musical background, and appreciate the technical approach that Carver has taken to provide efficient, powerful amplifiers, that are both very cost competitive and highly enjoyable to listen to.

The Carver cube was an amazing amplifier, and its "trick" was the power supply. Carver has written some white papers that describe this, and his desire for something better that was not possible with the components available at that time. The power supply that replaced the one in the cube, for his "LightStar" and Sunfire series amplifiers is his best achievement yet.

Originally Posted by deacongreg

In college, "Crazy Eddie" carried deejay equipment. The amps that impressed me the most were the Crowns, Dynaco`s, and Phase Linear. Phase Linear, way ahead of its time with the 3 - dimensional "holographic circuit in the preamp. Now Carver/ really Sunfire, known for making some of the best preamps and amps with controversial, but effective technology that worked. And well. Remember the 205 watt per channel Carver cube amp?
And also making the the AV crowd angry with a reasonable price point.

But why does it seem to me that Sunfire products do not get the same respect? You guys gave great reviews on the Sunfire. It almost seems like his competitors are jealous that Bob can create the best for less!!?
Any opinions about this?