All
Carver
Website:https://www.carver-pro.com/
Est. year: 1979
Carver is an American amplifier brand built around the designs of Bob Carver, a physicist and engineer active in audio since the early 1970s. Carver Corporation was founded in 1979 in the Pacific Northwest and became known for powerful amplifiers, preamplifiers and tuners. Today the name lives on through the Bob Carver company, which produces hand-built vacuum tube power amplifiers in the USA, and older Carver solid-state pieces remain common on the used market.
Range & what it's known for
Before Carver Corporation, Bob Carver designed the Phase Linear 700 of 1972, rated at 350 W per channel. Carver Corporation products included the M-series power amplifiers, some with transfer function modifications marked by a t suffix, and the TFM series. The current tube range includes the Crimson 275 stereo amplifier, rated at 75 W per channel into 8 ohms and about 100 W into 4 ohms, and the Black Magic 350 monoblock using six Tung-Sol KT120 output tubes. Earlier VTA-180 and VTA-305 models led to the 350. A DC restorer circuit, specific to these designs, keeps the output tubes running cool in order to prolong their working life.
Who owns it and where it's made
Bob Carver founded Sunfire in 1994 and Bob Carver LLC in 2011, which was sold to Jade Design in June 2013 before the two parted ways that December. The current tube amplifiers are made by hand in the USA with point-to-point wiring, carry a five-year warranty covering the amplifier and the tubes, and are individually hand-signed by Bob Carver.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers are listed here, sitting in the mid to high end of the American amplifier market.
Who it's for
Carver is aimed at owners of demanding speakers looking for a hand-wired American tube power amplifier with high output and long tube life. The Crimson 275 is the natural entry as a single stereo chassis, and the Black Magic 350 monoblocks are the step up for a pair of demanding speakers. Collectors of vintage Carver solid-state gear will also find a direct link to the same designer.
Range & what it's known for
Before Carver Corporation, Bob Carver designed the Phase Linear 700 of 1972, rated at 350 W per channel. Carver Corporation products included the M-series power amplifiers, some with transfer function modifications marked by a t suffix, and the TFM series. The current tube range includes the Crimson 275 stereo amplifier, rated at 75 W per channel into 8 ohms and about 100 W into 4 ohms, and the Black Magic 350 monoblock using six Tung-Sol KT120 output tubes. Earlier VTA-180 and VTA-305 models led to the 350. A DC restorer circuit, specific to these designs, keeps the output tubes running cool in order to prolong their working life.
Who owns it and where it's made
Bob Carver founded Sunfire in 1994 and Bob Carver LLC in 2011, which was sold to Jade Design in June 2013 before the two parted ways that December. The current tube amplifiers are made by hand in the USA with point-to-point wiring, carry a five-year warranty covering the amplifier and the tubes, and are individually hand-signed by Bob Carver.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers are listed here, sitting in the mid to high end of the American amplifier market.
Who it's for
Carver is aimed at owners of demanding speakers looking for a hand-wired American tube power amplifier with high output and long tube life. The Crimson 275 is the natural entry as a single stereo chassis, and the Black Magic 350 monoblocks are the step up for a pair of demanding speakers. Collectors of vintage Carver solid-state gear will also find a direct link to the same designer.