Two things to address re: buzz at low volumes and thump at turn on/off. For me the buzz was solved by reversing the amp plug in the wall. That's right. If you talk to the people the predominantly work on Carver amps, it is in the intrinsic design of the amp that the polarity issue when plugging it into an outlet determines whether there is buzz or not. Try it, I think you'll be pleased. I'm running mine into Carver's Platinums for the bass and a pair of Silver 9t's for the ribbons thru a Carver CT-29v with a Carver 390t CD player. Total cost $4000 via ebay over the years which included upgrades to the Platinum ribbons and crossovers. Secondly, the thump is easy to remove if you turn off the amp first and on first as mentioned before. A second trick is to re-direct the pre-amp to a set of speakers that aren't there since there is addl spkr outlets for remote rooms. Thirdly you can stick a headphone plug adapter in the socket before shutting down the amp.

Full sound spectrum accurately and pleasantly delivered with all the cleanest power you'll ever need! Also,its very compact and light (16 lbs) .

none

This review is for Carver M1.5t.This is an outstanding sounding amp! Not grainy at al l,plenty of low end punch,midrange is superb! In fact its great through the whole spectrum.I run mine,at times, a little on the load side and it never gets hot.These amps deserve recognition .I have used the Krell KSA150,McIntosh 2205 and 240,B&K's,Rogue and I honestly have to say the M1.5t is as good ,if not better than any of those.I never fatique listening to it.The "T" in the model is for "T"ube sound.Very well done Bob Carver.

Similar Products Used:

mentioed above

Plenty of power. Tube-like warmth. Simple, clean design.

Amplifier humm is a little louder than most and can be annoying when listening at low levels.

I absolutely love this amp. It has an abundance of power and I agree that any lack of bass that people experience is not the fault of the amplifier. The real reason I wanted to write this review is to alert users of how to avoid that annoying thump when powering off. Here's how: When turning on/off the amp do this process very slowly, in other words do not just flip the switch. This works every time! Enjoy.

Audio thump at power on/off. Small amount of buzzing in amp, and speakers when volume is quite low.

I've owned this amp since 1990, bought used when traded in for the 375/ch version (with headroom that exhausted at the same level as the M10.t...).

First - any lack of bass is not the amp's fault. Second, unless your amp has some age-related defects, something that sounds like the Conrad Johnson it was ABX tested against can't sound that horrible. Unless of course you're mad you spent so much on the Conrad Johnson by comparison.

This isn't best amp on the planet, but I've been amazed continually with speakers ranging from 88dB to 92dB. I love the tube-like sound. My current LSi15s sound wonderful (sorry, my budget priorities don't allow for a 5-digit audio budget). They get plenty of power and sound wonderful in my home. I use this amp in stereo and bypass the amp in my Denon 4308.

I do not recommend buying this amp if you're worried about what the audio-snobs might say.

I highly recommend buying this amp if you enjoy the quality of your music and willing to suffer the "indignity" of not devoting all of your discretionary money audio gear.

Similar Products Used:

Does my review opinion change if I way I've listened to $30,000 mono blocks in a dedicated listening room of a co-worker?

Clean power for days. Clean almost minimalist design.

Loud thump when powering down. Can be repaired via updates.

Prior to purchasing the M-1.0t i was using a M.5t which I thought was a marked improvement from the Pioneer SX-1050 I had been using for the 5 years prior. Switching to the M-1.0t was a world changer. To me, it's what an amp should be, gobs of power, good blend of lows, mid and highs. It never gets hot. I've not had the upgrades to get rid of the thump but as I'm in Oregon it probably will be on my list of things to do but not until I get a second one and run them as mono blocks.

My main source is vinyl and it was with that in mind that I sought out the Carver as it was initially designed by Mr. Carver to reproduce the sound of quite expensive designer tube mono blocks.

After reading all 46 reviews prior to my typing of this I would have to agree that $ for $ there probably isn't a better amp for the money especially if you're powering a mid priced separates system.

I will say that I believe another important component in the sound is the NAD 1240 pre-amp i am using in concert with the Carver. I've had a few other pre-amps hooked up to it but the NAD really makes it come alive. I recently purchased a NAD 4155 tuner and I've never heard the radio sound so good.

I've been using the same speakers for all three amps I've had over the past 5 years and I am basing this review on the fact that the Carver really made the speakers come alive whereas the other amps were fair to average. I have had the good fortune of being able to listen to top of line ridiculously overpriced systems and while I know the sound I am producing is nowhere near the level of multi-thousand dollar systems, for less than $500 I have a system that top of it's class and knocking at the door of systems far more expensive and esoteric.

Do your homework and if you can always bring your music with you to listen prior to purchase, read these reviews and others like it. I'm sure in the end if you purchase the Carver you'll be satisfied. If not, they don't loose their value, so you wouldn't have to be concerned about not being able to resale it.

Good luck. Hope this was helpful.

Customer Service

http://www.carveraudiorepair.com/

bought out all the carver parts when carver "closed." haven't used them but they claim to be the prodigals to the carver empire.

Similar Products Used:

Luxman M-120A
Carver M.5t
Pioneer SX-1050
Marantz 2226B

Sound quality, gobs of power, clean design.

Reliability and "thump"

I see there have been no reviews of this amp for about a year, so this may lack relevance now. I've own one or more of these for nearly 20 years. This amp, when it was released, was aboslutely astounding. In 1987, I used the first one to drive a set of KEF 104/2's (w/KUBE) with delicious results. The detail was amazing and the clarity would simply take your breath away. Back then, I was using a Denon DCD-1500-II single disc CD player and an NAD 3150 as a preamp. Not high end, but worked extremely well. The sound produced by this combo was nothing short of superb. Tight bass, sweet mids and sharp highs. No harshness, no weakness.

Fast forward to the present: The same speakers and CD player (speaks very highly for them) and now two M-1.0t's driving one channel each. No preamp when playing CD's as the Denon unit has variable output. No, they aren't what they used to be, but they still pump tunes with authority. These amps do have a tendency towards requiring TLC or repair. I have had the original amp back to Carver a couple of times over the years. The annoying "thump" still persists, but here's a tip. Always make them the first component to be turned on AND off in your system start-up and shut-down routine. Pull a lead to each speaker before you turn them off and don't re-attach them until you have turned the amps back on the next time you use the system. "Thump" solved. If you can get one of these at a good price, and that should be pretty easy now, try it. I think you'll like it.

Customer Service

Call Rita at Sunfire for outstanding repair service, if needed.

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Amazing price/performance. Neverending power.

Same weaknesses as the Conrad Johnson Premier 5

This ampilifer is AMAZING. It will drive any load it is given with ease. I have driven Carver Amazing Platinums with a Pair of these, have never come close to clipping. Although I feel these amps are short on weaknesses, any shortcomings it has are not due to its build quality or design, but to the Conrad Johnson Premier 5 monoblock it was meant to accurately emulate. It never runs out of power and has a very warm and pleasing sound. A true classic and a great buy at current market prices.

Similar Products Used:

Sunfire Signature Series II

Midrange. Power. Price

Hey, it mimics a tube amp. If you like that or love Jazz, no problem. If you want the lowest registers of bass and IFF your speakers can put that out, skip this amp.

In the 80's I bought two of these M1.0Ts. Used them for about 6 years with my Carver Amazing speakers and then sold them to get a Pair of Conrad Johnson MF200. This is not a review of the M1.0T but of the M4.0T - Silver Seven Vacuum Tube Modified. But Read on. Let's start with the M4.0T. Yes it does sound like a tube amp. I have 3. A ZEN Select from Decware, a Manley Stingray, and a Ming Da. What the M4.0T has in spades is MIDRANGE. Plus of course unlike all other Tube amps, it also has more power than one needs. Trust me, I play loud at times and I have never gone into clipping or "head room exhausted". The Conrad Johnson, also plays loud but not to the extent of the M4.0T. The Carver misses the high frequency just a bit compared to the CJ. It just seems more harsh. The CJ is not a tube, but mosfets. Now what the M4.0T does not have is the control of the bass. This is to be expected people. It was made to mimic a tube amp. The bass is there, just not with the authority of the CJ or other fine non-tube amps. Remember, I have very accurate speakers (my other pair is a B&W) and it shows. However, for the most part you will still like it. For example, play London Calling (new re-mastered) from the Clash. The CJ or other fine non-tube amps will, if your speakers can handle it, show you a great bass line in the first few riffs. The M4.0T misses it a bit. So, the Carver for the price is up there. Nothing is without compromise. Don't pass it up if you can find one in the stores. Now for the M1.0T. I have one still left. It is not a good as the M4.0T. It can do duty in a home theatre, subwoofer amp, or with less demanding speakers. It's bass is much more limited and "free form" than the 4.0T. This is because Carver willfully modified the bass to reflect the older CJ tube amp. That amp was slow and lacking in bass control. Plus, the midrange of the M1.0T is also not as "liquid". Liquid? Yes, I mean if you know mid range, say jazz drum type midrange or vocals, etc, true tubes amps (and pre-amps) sound so good, you just want to soak it up and keep listening. Oh did I mention, you can ever so slightly improve on these by pairing them with a tube based pre-amp. Cheers.

Similar Products Used:

Too many.

Massive power output, excellent sound. Sharp looking design.

Nothing wrong here.

Excellent Power Amp! Works fantastic with my NAD 712. My Dad had one of these for 16 years of hard playing before he finally blew it up on a pair of KLF-10's. Amazing sound and highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

This is used with: NAD 712 RECEIVER (as a pre-amp/tuner) YAMAHA K-1020 CASSESTTE DECK SONY CDP-CE345 5DISC CHANGER KLIPSCH KSB 3.1 ALSO HAVE: SANSUI 771 RECEIVER MARANTZ 2220 REVEIVER

Cosmetically appealing, good power output, good price.

read my review

I purchased two of these amplifiers to run my set of Infinity IRS sigmas. I could not have possibly been more dissapointed with the overall performance of these amplifiers. Ive always heard good reviews about this amplifier and was extremely excited to recieve them. The sound was empty, tinny, and hollow. they have plenty of power, but the sound reproduction is just not up to par. Prior to purchasing them, I read all of the reviews on this site and heard people saying that there was an equipment problem and not the amplifiers causing a lack of bass. I dont believe that this could be further from the truth. I only had to hook these up to know that there was a problem with the amplifier because if you know anything about the IRS sigma's you know it is a very good speaker. I have since replaced the two carver 1.0's with a sigle Onkyo m-504 and couldnt be happier. I challenge anyone with carver 1.0's and likes them to try something else and see if you still like the carvers. And oh yeah the "thump" at start up is annoying.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo m504