Carver Raven 350 Amps


Has anyone heard these amps?
They supposedly can produce 350 watts per channel which in my opinion is remarkable for a tube amp. I have the Atma-Sphere M-60’s 3.3 and I love their tube sound.

But I am curious, Bob has made some very interesting products through the years.

ozzy
128x128ozzy
bobcarvercorp.com

Carver tube amplifiers are very similar to his earlier VTA/Cherry 180s and 305s with the exception of the transformers and tube complements so those old reviews are relevant. This is a tube amplifier for those who don't like messing around with tube amplifiers. 

I've had my 180s going on six years and the only power tube issue I've had was the glass bottle on one tube seemed loose on its base even though its bias was maintained. I purchased six new tubes expecting to hear years of degradation and there was no obvious audible difference so I replaced the one tube and put the old set back in. I did roll the input tubes to pairs of Psvanes which resulted in a slightly more refined and open presentation.

A few months after their initial biasing the tubes needed a minor adjustment and have held for all these years. All six tubes are biased at the same time.  

These KT88 tubed 180s are driving a pair of Avalon Acoustics Eidolons which are a difficult load with a sensitivity of 87dB and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms 3.6 minimum and recommended amplifier power of 50-500 watts. We often listen at realistic volume levels that would begin to congest my linear solid state amplifiers and have never needed more power. In an email Bob Carver suggested using KT120 for added power and a slightly different presentation but there's just no point.

So how do they sound? With the adjustable feedback its really up to you. 

What your not getting: Heat. Fancy casework. A jive assed limited non transferable warrantee. Regular power tube replacement intervals. Odd order distortion from a hybrid solid state design. Degenerating printed wire boards with tube sockets! Individual bias adjustments. And worst of all no tube cage, damn.

By the way I think BHK stands for Bascome H. King who wrote a review of Bob Carvers tube amplifiers for Tone Audio. Don't forget to bone up on the Carver amplifier challenge.

m-db,

Thank you so much for your reply.
Have you ever heard the Atma-Sphere M-60 amps?
I like their sound, just don't know how they would compare to the Carvers.

ozzy
Funny you should ask as I have owned both Atma M-60 amp (with Vcaps and Caddock resistors) and currently own the Carver Cherry 180 mono blocks (Vcap output coupling caps and Gold Point stepped attenuator instead of the stock volume pot).  It is the precursor to 200 watt precursor to the Crimson and uses KT88 tubes.  The Carver tube amp is a remarkable tube amp.  It drove all of my speakers without ever clipping including the relatively inefficient Raidho D2.1 and D1.  Compared to the Atma M-60, the Carver is much more dynamic, has more precise imaging and deeper soundstage, although slightly less wide soundstage than the M-60, which has more diffuse imaging and soundstage.  As far as bass dynamics and extension, the Carver is hands down better and can drive almost any speaker out there. The M-60 requires careful speaker matching because of its OTL design and can sound very loose in the bass if you don't mate it with the right speaker. I would say the M-60 has a smoother, albeit more bland midrange.  The M-60 has hands down the most extended crystalline smooth high frequencies I have ever heard from any amp, solid or tube. My experience is based on stock tubes for both amps.

One thing I didn't like about the M-60 was its reliability.  Within 6 months of ownership (bought brand new), 3 output tubes failed with a dramatic POP sound from the speakers every time a tube blew itself.  I didn't like power transformer hum and tube hiss either.  The Carvers are essentially dead silent unless you have your ear a foot away from the power transformer in a ultra quiet room. Then you will hear a very low level hum. It's as quiet if not quieter than the solid state amps I own.  I never heard any tube hiss from the Carvers.
dracule1,

Well thank you for that comparison. It is very appreciated.
The newer version of the M-60's (the Mk3.3) is supposed to have taken care of most of the previous problems and the sound quality is said to have been greatly improved. Although, I can't tell since this the only unit(s) I have owned.  

I have only had one output tube fail in more than a year of operation. Dam Russians...
I'm also crossing over at 80hz and using some very (DIY) high efficiency flat line 8 ohm speakers. The M-60 meter barely moves.

But, I would like to try in the future some Martin Logan or Magnapan speakers and I know that I will need different amps to use with them.
So the Carver is on my short list.

ozzy

Ozzy, just realize that all manufacturers claim every new version is significantly better than the older version ;)

You shouldn't have any output tube failure in the first year of operation. I have owned the Carver amp for 8 years now with zero output tube failure.

I think crossing over the speaker at 80 Hz and letting the M-60 handle everything above is a very wise decision.  I have a 2 way speaker that is relatively efficient (89-90 dB) with lowest impedance 5.8 Ohm at crossover, mostly >8 ohm.  I was told by Atmasphere this shouldn't be a problem, but the bass was just too loose for my taste.

The Carvers should have no problem with Maggies.