Carver AV-705x amp + Monitor speakers

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
edited February 2011 in Speakers
Currently I have an Integra DTR 5.9 receiver connected to my speakers. Its rated at 90 watts per channel but I somehow doubt that it is actually its true rating. Regardless I was made aware of a Carver AV-705x amplifier in my area that is going for 250. This amp is rated for a guaranteed 125 watts x5, as well as being THX certified. There isn't a lot of info about it but the brand name seems to be well known/respected and the person that tipped my onto the amp is a trusted source.

My speakers are as follows:

Fronts: Polk T90e 20 - 200 w/channel
Center: Polk CS2 20 - 175 w/channel
Surrounds: Monitor 40's 20 - 125 w/channel

Here are my questions:

1) Is this a fair price for that amp?
2) If I were to purchase/acquire it is it an upgrade to what I have?
3) If I were to acquire it should I bi-amp any/all of the speakers (exception being the center as it doesn't have dual binding posts)?
4) Any additional considerations I need to take into affect?
5) What signs of wear/tear/abuse/not working should I look for?
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,468
    edited July 2010
    Grab it... QUICKLY!!!

    It is a definate upgrade to the power you have now and you will not be disappointed.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • Ric5811
    Ric5811 Posts: 400
    edited July 2010
    705 is a great amp, it will be an upgrade IMHO, it is a great price, would not not Bi Amp.

    And here is a review for you.

    http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_4_2/av705.html
    Polk RTi A7's FrontPolk CSi A4 CenterPolk Tsi 100's SurroundOnkyo TX-RZ50:)Oppo BDP 83 (Collecting dust)MIT Terminator 3 Speaker CableMIT Terminator 2 IC's (Oppo 2 chan)Signal Cable HT TWOEpson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080Hisense 55 U8GBelkin PF 60 Power Center
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Grab it... QUICKLY!!!

    It is a definate upgrade to the power you have now and you will not be disappointed.

    I thought it might be
    Ric5811 wrote: »
    705 is a great amp, it will be an upgrade IMHO, it is a great price, would not not Bi Amp.

    And here is a review for you.

    http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_4_2/av705.html

    Yeah I had read that briefly.

    Lets hope that he is willing to do a trade as I dont have cash (getting married and money is reeeaaalll tight) but do have some speakers I need to get rid of myself (basically a 5.1 setup lol). If he plays ball then I should be golden!

    Fingers crossed
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,468
    edited July 2010
    if he don't... let me know so I can grab it.:D
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    if he don't... let me know so I can grab it.:D

    lol....dont do that to a fellow Polkie....and especially a fellow Purdue grad.......
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • texas ed
    texas ed Posts: 139
    edited July 2010
    I owned one and can testify.It feels/sounds like so much more than 125wpc.I drove some srs 3.1tl's with them.Hope you get it. Eddie
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  • Ric5811
    Ric5811 Posts: 400
    edited July 2010
    I know it rated a lot higher for two channel mode also.
    Polk RTi A7's FrontPolk CSi A4 CenterPolk Tsi 100's SurroundOnkyo TX-RZ50:)Oppo BDP 83 (Collecting dust)MIT Terminator 3 Speaker CableMIT Terminator 2 IC's (Oppo 2 chan)Signal Cable HT TWOEpson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080Hisense 55 U8GBelkin PF 60 Power Center
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Yeah, if I purchased it I would be running all 5 speakers off of it for sure, the harmonics would probably sound much better than my current receiver. Thank god I at least got one w/ pre-outs ;) Otherwise this would all be moot.....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited July 2010
    Get it now, if you wait until after you're married, she get's half your stuff when you split :eek::p

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited July 2010
    Ron Temple wrote: »
    Get it now, if you wait until after you're married, she get's half your stuff when you split :eek::p

    Not true; without a prenup, it's all marital property after the fact... ;)
    TNRabbit
    NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
    Sunfire TG-IV
    Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
    Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
    Carver AL-III Speakers
    Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
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  • domflane
    domflane Posts: 653
    edited July 2010
    Wow, great deal on a killer amp. Jump on it! My Carver AV 505 cost me $300 and its only 75 x 5.
    Home Theater
    RTiA5 - CSiA6 - FXiA6 - PSW650 - Pioneer Elite SC-55 - Carver AV-505 - Sony 46" 120Hz - Monster HP 2400 - Xbox 360 - Playstation 3
    2 Channel
    Polk RTA 15TL - Harman Kardon HK3485 - HK DVD48 - Signal Cable IC's and speaker cables
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Yeah, all my cables have bannana plugs on them already so thats not a problem. Thanks for the heads up on the cleaning.

    I went ahead and talked to the guy, unfortunately he's not looking for a trade, cash only. On the flip side he's not super motivated to get rid of it so I have a little time to come up with the cash, which I will find a way to do, otherwise there are others I will pass along the info too (gotta share the love with other Polkies sometimes).

    The only possible concern I have is that I will want to audition it for sure beforehand as he has had it disconnected for a few years.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,019
    edited July 2010
    anonymouse wrote: »
    That is a fantastic amp for the money. I have one sitting in my basement that I bought off a Polkie and will not sell it even though its currently idle.

    There are a couple things that will probably be issues:
    1) The binding posts on these are brittle and will probably crack if they are over tightened. This is not an insurmountable issue because they will still accept banana plugs securely but not bare wire. They are difficult to replace as the posts are soldered onto each modular channel board.
    2) Each modular board for each channel has a level trimpot (think independent volume control) and these get old and dirty, and might not make a good connection. You will need to open it and just give them a squirt of deoxit or contact cleaner and rotate the pot a few times if this is an issue.

    At $250 run out and buy it. You will not go wrong.

    Yeah,you bought it from me, and a steal to boot.:D

    Nice amp,quiet, good power, can't go wrong for a couple hundies for a good starter amp like this.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    And if anyone is interested I do have some Polk HT stuff for sale (proceeds to go toward this purchase of course), don't want to get this thread closed, so PM me for details (hope this doesn't get me in trouble w/ the mods...)
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Ric5811
    Ric5811 Posts: 400
    edited July 2010
    domflane wrote: »
    Wow, great deal on a killer amp. Jump on it! My Carver AV 505 cost me $300 and its only 75 x 5.

    Actually Dom, it's 80 x 5 and 130 x2!:D
    Polk RTi A7's FrontPolk CSi A4 CenterPolk Tsi 100's SurroundOnkyo TX-RZ50:)Oppo BDP 83 (Collecting dust)MIT Terminator 3 Speaker CableMIT Terminator 2 IC's (Oppo 2 chan)Signal Cable HT TWOEpson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080Hisense 55 U8GBelkin PF 60 Power Center
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    I am gonna jump on this one and pray it works out. Hopefully he can let me audition it beforehand to ensure its all in proper working order as he hasn't had it running in about 2 years.....

    hope the fiancee can forgive me... :eek:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Have been doing some reading on what cables I need to connect everything up. Have a couple questions.

    I believe I just need 5 regular RCA cables (like this) but I have heard that most component cables can also be used. I have a unused Monster THX Certified cable (like this) laying around as well as another component cable that I wont be using. Could I use both of those, or should I just buy a brand new set of either 5 singles or 5 combined like this?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Ric5811
    Ric5811 Posts: 400
    edited July 2010
    Well, I was first using some average rca cables for the 5 channels, then I got these...

    http://signalcable.com/analoght.html

    HT Two's, sounded great outta the box, after they burned in...awesome..
    Polk RTi A7's FrontPolk CSi A4 CenterPolk Tsi 100's SurroundOnkyo TX-RZ50:)Oppo BDP 83 (Collecting dust)MIT Terminator 3 Speaker CableMIT Terminator 2 IC's (Oppo 2 chan)Signal Cable HT TWOEpson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080Hisense 55 U8GBelkin PF 60 Power Center
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,708
    edited July 2010
    TNRabbit wrote: »
    Not true; without a prenup, it's all marital property after the fact... ;)


    Well in Illinois that statement is WRONG !!! anything before marriage is yours to keep as well as gifts while married.

    been there done that
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Yeah, cant afford prices like that. I think I am just going to stick with a set of these for the sake of price and ease of use.

    I will just keep the MonterCable components in case I or a freind ever needs a set or two...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Have another question for you guys regarding auditioning the amp. I am wondering if I would be able to hookup an Ipod via a 3.5mm to RCA adaptor (its a Y adaptor but stereo so it doesnt matter) on a channel by channel basis with a speaker connected to each channel to make sure it still works?

    Can you think of a down and dirtier way to test? I obviously dont want to have to bring out my entire reciever to test if everything works, and he doesnt really want to disconnect all his stuff either.....

    If I have too I will take my reciever out there, its just a huge massive hassle, but it could save me a bunch of cash if it doesnt work right....

    I also went ahead and purchased these cables for right now. They may not be the best, but I am not a huge audiophile so as long as they will work I should be ok. If they wont work I need to know ASAP so I can cancel my order. If the above ones wont work, would 5 of these suffice or are they the same thing?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Rick88 wrote: »
    The ones you ordered will be fine. Others may say you shouldn't mix audio and video cables though. I am using the same ones myself and have no issues with them. I use the three component cables for the front trio and the two audio cables for the surrounds. BTW the Monoprice cables are as good as one costing much more. They are high quality.

    Yeah, to be on the safe side I went ahead and cancelled the first order and ordered 5 individual cables using the second link. Going to be a bigger PITA to label them, but I should be good.

    I too really like Monoprice. I have ordered all my HDMI cables as well as speaker wire from them. I did one time get suckered into Monster cables, but it was mostly just for banana plugs and a set of THX Component cables.

    Now I just need to find out if my down and dirty audition method will work, or cause me issues......need to find that out soon.....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Rick88 wrote: »
    BTW I don't see why your "down and dity" way to test the amp shouldn't work.

    Lol, good cause otherwise its a major PITA. I figure as long as I get audio from each one I should be good. Plus I might only be using the front 3 channels anyway to ensure I dont blow the rears.

    My rears are Monitor 40's that are only rated at 125 watts per channel. Now the Carver is rated at 125 watts per channel as well, however its got some sort of way to throw more juice (up to 200 watts) into a specific channel if it needs to. I doubt that would be an issue w/ surrounds, but it might just be better to be safe than sorry. The T90e's and CS2 can eat up to 200 watts so I think they will be fine regardless.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited July 2010
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Lol, good cause otherwise its a major PITA. I figure as long as I get audio from each one I should be good. Plus I might only be using the front 3 channels anyway to ensure I dont blow the rears.

    My rears are Monitor 40's that are only rated at 125 watts per channel. Now the Carver is rated at 125 watts per channel as well, however its got some sort of way to throw more juice (up to 200 watts) into a specific channel if it needs to. I doubt that would be an issue w/ surrounds, but it might just be better to be safe than sorry. The T90e's and CS2 can eat up to 200 watts so I think they will be fine regardless.
    Don't be concerned about the power handling abilities or your speakers. The M40s in surround mode will never demand full power, even so I'm sure they can handle unclipped peaks above 125w as long as they are brief. The reason I directed you to this amp was you were talking about the UPA 7. I think this will sound cleaner and more refined. My experience with Carver amps (non THX) is that they are a tad rolled off in the treble, but deliver a very solid bass punch throwing a wider and deeper soundstage than any AVR I've heard(haven't heard yours). Anyway, I wouldn't worry about blowing your speakers. You should have plenty of headroom.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Ron Temple wrote: »
    Don't be concerned about the power handling abilities or your speakers. The M40s in surround mode will never demand full power, even so I'm sure they can handle unclipped peaks above 125w as long as they are brief. The reason I directed you to this amp was you were talking about the UPA 7. I think this will sound cleaner and more refined. My experience with Carver amps (non THX) is that they are a tad rolled off in the treble, but deliver a very solid bass punch throwing a wider and deeper soundstage than any AVR I've heard(haven't heard yours). Anyway, I wouldn't worry about blowing your speakers. You should have plenty of headroom.

    I trust your judgment, I am a newbie on this front to some extent.... I was however talking about the Emotiva UPA-3 as I didnt see the need to purchase a brand new 5 or even 7 channel amp when most surrounds don't need that much power. A couple months ago I would think you want a 5 or 7 channel amp but after thinking and reading about it on AVSForum realized it would be pointless unless you have low efficiency or low ohm speakers (neither of which I have) That however doesn't mean I will turn my back on a deal of that magnitude....

    Lets just hope everything is in perfect working condition and that setup is a breeze...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Looks like he is going to pass by my work tomorrow so I am just going to purchase it on pure faith alone.....

    Lets hope it all goes well :)
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    My last question on this front is regarding bi-amping the speakers. Let’s say I was to purchase a Y cable for one of the pre-outs so that I can connect one pre-out, say the front left, to two of the amplifier channels. From there I could then run those two sets of speaker wire to the T90e which can be bi-amped. Would I gain anything by doing this so that I in essence am using 2 channels of the amp for each front and then the remaining one for the center?

    I figured this might give me better power through the fronts whereas the surrounds can be adequately driven by my Integra Receiver.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,019
    edited July 2010
    You could,but imho...it's a waste of cables. Your speakers are very easy to drive to begin with,the gain would be minimal at best for bi-amping them. If you have the cables,give it a shot if you like. Everything has it's limitations, know what I'm saying?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    tonyb wrote: »
    You could,but imho...it's a waste of cables. Your speakers are very easy to drive to begin with,the gain would be minimal at best for bi-amping them. If you have the cables,give it a shot if you like. Everything has it's limitations, know what I'm saying?

    Yeah, I actually dont have the Y cables just 5 RCA's so I think I am just going to hook it up regularlly. I just picked it up and honestly it looks in darn good shape. A couple of the terminals are bent in a tid bit (see pics), but there is no significant dust buildup at all.

    Looks like its been well taken care of, but wont know that until I hook it up and start testing. That and I hope my banana plugs work with this. The terminals look a little small to my eyes (but it could just be due to the massive size of this monster).

    Pics of the new baby....

    Carveramp008.jpg

    Carveramp001.jpg

    Carveramp002.jpg

    Here are the pictures showing the bent terminals:
    Carveramp003.jpg

    Carveramp005.jpg

    Carveramp004.jpg
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited July 2010
    Next stupid question is should I start looking at a power conditioner or am I potentially just throwing money into the snake oil pit? I am starting to build up some decent gear and obviously want it to perform at its peak.

    Getting a battery backup at this point is just about pointless given the power draw of this new amp paired w/ my Panasonic DLP, reciever and other gear.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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