I got this amplifier as second hand in the year 2007. I used to pair it up with my Kef Q15 standmount, sources being Technics SLQ 2 Turntable,( Shure M44 ), Maranttz CD63 SE, and I still use a Yamaha Cassette deck. Previuosly I used a MArantz PM57 AMP. After using the above combination for the last 10 years I had the oppertunity to connect the souces with the CARVER 1090 Amp. I was blown out by the difference the amp made. The Q15 sounded huge with clarity was excellent. Lately I had bought Dynaudio Audience 42 again used product.With this speakers I think I have reached the end of my search for a perfect sound. The bass is more than I can bargain and coming to the mid it is that I can touch the singers.The drive power is awesome If I can turn the voulume control to 11 O clock position it will shake my whole listening room( 20 X 18). The Dyn's and this Carver is made for each other. Get a used amp if you can get one. Great listening.

Good clean power, lots of controls such as bass~midrange~treble, hologram, ACCD, direct CD, etc.

Could use a little more power, esp in the bass drive, but adequate for casual listening.

I purchased this amp/pre-amp new in 1991 for $425 from the Air Borce BX. This was love at first listen, the thing looks great, sounds great(to me), puts out decent amounts of good clean power. I use it to listen to a wide variety of music, and I'm always left with a smile. I use this to drive a pair of Infinity 152's, that I bought at the same time for about $600 for the pair. I was 21 at the time, and this was a huge purchase for me, but one of the best investments I've ever made.

Found this 100W class integrated amp at a pawn-shop for 350. Power is veryhonest, compared to newer units in this price and power range; bass is more adequate but highs are a little shrill, I added 1.5 ohm dropping resistors to
my aged Norman Lab model 7 spkrs. Holographic filtering adds nice depth; but
spkr placement is very critical, hard for those of us with odd-shaped listening
areas. My worst gripe is Carver Corp. has either been sold, or is out of business. It was a real ordeal to find a replacement balance pot. For my money,
it was a good buy, though. Solid sound and power in a 2-ch unit, and in a very
modest price range, is nearly extinct.

Solid build, excellent appearance, logical controls, Carver name and Carver sound.

None. Only "hassle" is sending the amp to Washington state, should you ever need repair. Mine has worked perfectly.

Great product. While 10 years old (built only in 89-90), this integrated amp has the appearance of a contemporary amp and has wonderful sound. Very heavy, too (almost 30 pounds). Holographic sound seems to work on this model better (quieter) that my experience with other Carver Holographic products. Has direct CD and ability to direct ambient sound signals to second set of speakers (B connection). Or use B hookup to biwire speakers. Glad I purchased it (can be found occasionally on eBay if you search long enough). Will be a keeper in my home office.

Similar Products Used:

Carver CT-3 and Carver CT-17 Pre-amps. NAD power amps.

I have always loved good integrated amplifiers, although they have fallen out of fashion these days with all the emphasis on home theater. Found an open box at the Good Guys a few years ago when they lost the Carver account. Have two pairs of speakers(both 8ohm) hooked up to it and get significant output from the amp. The sonic holigraphy is a matter of taste and depends a great deal on speaker type and placement. Pure direct can be a bit bright on some CDs'. Also, the level of increase in db's from the bass is a bit weak and it is hard to tell exactly what the crossover point there is. Conversely, the midrange is quite usefull at toning back older recordings with peaks in their midrange. All in all, a nice amp that has never needed work, sounds good, looks good and should be a great value if you can find a used one, mine is not for sale.

Hi there.Actually our company is Carver Pro Distributor even now , when it is
Phoenix Gold division , and we made it since 1989 ,and i thought to choose
something between Carver Pro or Hi-Fi products , and at last choosed CM-1090 ,
because 1)it has linear type of power supply ( all Pro have Pulse type ),
2)it has good power and , as follows ,good dynamics ,3)it has very good
damping factor,what gives good compliantment with most types of acoustics ,
4)good LIKE-PRO design with excellent analog level meters ,5)it was created
and produced by REALLY good engineer Bob Carver - not by good financial genius,
but i'm sure , Bob can be really American proud .I use it with Tannoy 635 ( with
drivers from AMS8 studio monitors ), Gepco speaker cables ,Rogers interconnections and Cambridge Audio CD-6 player ( acually i listen my vynil
turntable Rega 3 more often ) .Only one you can change in your CM-1090 to
make it more ..more accuracy in Hi freq - only to change POWER CORD .My
recommendations : if you like symphonic music - use Acrotec power cable ,
if you like rock ( in all faces )-try English Sonic Link , that's all.
After that,give most attention to speaker cables - Carver doesn't like thin
cheap cables .Well,i'm glad something remembers Bob's creatures.By the way,
all the models of CM-1090 were assembled in Japan - it's very good for quality.

Very clean sound. Enough Power, Very nice Pro Look

None

I have used this intergrated amplifier for reproducing music programs and Home theater programs. For the home theater I use him as a power amplifier. I must say that it has a great protections for it's outputs and for the speaker's. Also I have put him to play into 2 ohm's with 2 pair of speakers and hi managed pretty good.
Remember that now this amplifiers is a collectors Item since Carver does no longer exists

Similar Products Used:

Carver TFM 35