Carver TFM 55x

'.I am driving a carver amazing using the 55x and sounds great"

Only great, not amazing?

Sorry couldn't resist.

I agree amp matching is important. I had a Carver mt4.0t for years. It was a powerful and good sounding amp with many speakers that did not cost a fortune. Its weaknesses were damping factor and current delivery which limited performance somewhat with some hard to drive speaker designs.

I used a 55x for several years. Plenty of power. Drove anything. Sounded neutral. Then switched to Dynaco Stereo 70. Completely different but lovely sound. Now have about a dozen amps including several tube, mid 20th Century, Class D, and others. Also several huge Yamaha AV receivers. And Denon POA-1500. Like a variety of sounds. Oh, and several early Sansui amps. I don't see anything really wrong with the 55x. It has its uses. A bit clinical for my main amp now. Like more character.

I've owned the following:

(4) M-1.0T's, 2 of which I had fully upgraded to the MK2 opt 2.

(2) M-1.5T's that were also fully refurbed and upgraded. 

(2) Silver 7T's

(2) TFM-45's

and a Lightstar 2.0.

Also, C19 and C6 pre amps.

They were all good sounding and powerful. As others mentioned, the 300 for the TFM55x is a good deal, you can buy and use then upgrade and not lose money. That's one key thing about Carver and Sunfire gear, You can play and trade w/o big losses. There's always a buyer ready for a clean example.

At their age though, be prepared to send in for refurb at some point. Of my pieces above, the 1.5's and the 7t's needed repair when I bought them. The others(minus the 2 built 1.0's) were original and still operated and sounded as they should when I sold them.