Got this great amp for $500 (what a bargain). Using the three channel pre out from my Denon 3200 as my pre amp and my surrounds powered by the denon. Phenomenal difference between the carver and the denon. Sound is clean, no hum on the speaker nor on the amp itself. Runs pretty cool, much cooler than my Denon which is actually hot to the touch. (Is it just me?)Bottom line, if u're looking for a bargin amp, try to find some cheap carvers around before they all disappear.

I have listened to this amp for a week now. I have not used it for dolby
digital yet as I do not have DD preamp/receiver. I have listened to stereo
music and I can say that it is very musical. The soundstage is big and it
is very clear. I heard vocals that I never heard before. Some tracks have
background noise like chirping of birds, that was very clear too. Overall,
I think it is great AMP. However, I am just comparing it to my 1993
Yamaha RXV-670 which I thought was great before I heard this amp. Now I
think Yamaha is thin and I use it to power my rear surrounds!

I heard this amp a couple years ago, back when it was selling for $1000 or so. It was mated with a carver pre/pro(forgot model). I instantly fell in love with it. Clean, precise, powerful, and having thx certification sure doesn't hurt. I can honestly say these are this is the most dynamic amp under $1200. But back then, the price was out of my range. I had to settle for a stinkin technics receiver. Not being able to get the carver really crushed me. Now, I just found out that these amps are being heavily discounted, and I was wondering if there was any left. If anyone has any idea where I can get ahold of one of these babies, please tell me. Thanks.
5 speakers for the incredible sound, 10 speakers for the unbelievable value!

This amp has to be the steal of the year! It is extremely powerfull and is detailed, quiet and has a neutral sonic character. I would say that it would be hard to beat this amp for under $1500.00. Get one while you can! In the world of astronomicaly priced equipment it would rate a solid 4 stars (it sounds that good!), however, in the world of rationaly priced gear it rates a solid 5 stars and at the current price of $650.00 it's value is off the scale.

I've had the Carver for a couple of months now, and recently it was mated to a B&K Ref 20 pre/pro and Monitor Audio Silver 5 and Silver Center speakers. All I can say is wow!!! While auditioning components, one retail salesman looked down his nose when I told him I had just acquired the Carver, as if I had some clunky piece of junk. Boy, was he wrong. No noise whatsoever from the amp, just clear sound with power to spare. DVDs with a 5.1 soundtrack are unbelievable. This amp still is worth the old retail price; the fire sale prices are just icing on the cake. Hopefully, Bob Carver's return can resurrect the company from Chapter 11.

Carver out of business

After reading all the positive reviews for this amp I decided I had to try it. I currently use a Parasound HCA 2205 and wanted to compare the Carver to the Parasound. My expectations where low based on the difference in model year as well as the Parasound is 225 watts per channel and the Carver 125. I will keep it short, this is a dam good amp. For Home Theater this amp works as well as the bigger Parasound and is ridiculously cheaper. For listening to music the differences are a little more apparent as the Parasound is able to drive my Monitor Audio's effortlessly while the Carver had a little trouble at higher volume. This is to be expected however based on the power difference. I actually thought the Carver would keep up to the Parasound based on its power steering capability but as the volume went up the bottom end fell out. With the Parasound this will never happen. I spent a lot more money on the Parasound then the Carver and now I'm not sure why. The Parasound is a fantastic amp that does everything well but for the money the Carver's not far behind. I’m now considering purchasing another of these amps and bi-wiring my entire system to bring the power level to that of the Parasound. Don’t know if I will but it’s a consideration. My system for reference is listed below.

Parasound AVC 2500U AV Controller
Parasound HCA 2205 5 Channel
Carver AV 705X 5 Channel
Sony DVP-S7700 DVD player
Sony CA70ES 5 Disc CD player
JVC 3800 SVHS VCR
Toshiba 56 Cinema Series projection

Monitor Audio Silver 9i’s (Front’s)
Monitor Audio Silver 9i’s (Rear’s)
Monitor Audio Silver 10 (Center)
Boston Acoustics VR 500 Lynnfield powered sub woofer

Similar Products Used:

Parasound HCA 2205

Clean power, Build quality, attractive looks.
High wife acceptance factor.

None

This amp rocks.
Those three works sum up this product.
This is probably the best $1000 5 channel amp ever made.
Hook it up to a good quality pre/pro for best results.
I noticed a big improvement over already good sound when I upgraded my old Carver CT-26 pre to a Parasound AVC1800.
Carver is now back in business, but they no longer make this product.
If you can find one of these used buy it.
Although service might be a problem, the build quality is so good you probably wont need it for a long time.
Also, the amp looks good, clean simple classic lines.
Never discount the wife acceptance factor.

Similar Products Used:

None

Power, Power, Power

I have been uaing this amp for over 2 years without a hitch.
It is THX certified meaning power, Quality, and reliability should be expected. It has more power than I could ever hope to use: 125w continuous, 200w max, It has power to spare! A great buy on a great amp!

Musical, with power to spare. Extremely effective with movies.

Carver is out of business, so I hope it doesn't break.

Best 5-channel amp on the market (if you can find one) for the money. Found mine brand-new in the box on e-bay, paid 620 bucks for a solid and neutral performer.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Carver 405, Yamaha

The high rating of all the postings........

Only one left.

Because of all these postings, I have one coming via the mail.....Last one in stock. I sure hope it is as you've all said......
How is it that the 125x5 can change to 180x2? I have a very inefficient pair on Infinity Crescendo 3007s'. They pretty good with my Yama 80 watt syst, but when I tried an Adcom 125x2, the music sounded much much better, however this amp left 3 channels unattended. So I am hoping 180x2 will make the music come alive and the 125x5 the theater attended..

This amp sounded like the perfect match. I wanted more power, more channels at the same price of a 2 channel amp........................tell ya latter....

Similar Products Used:

Adcom 5400