Carver M-1.0t for SDA 2A

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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    Joe08867 wrote: »
    Emo is fine but there are many others that are far superior. B&K, Rotel, Adcom, NAD, Parasound the list goes on and on.

    When Emo makes something as musical as a B&K I will buy one. Until then they are not on my recommendation list.

    Audio, take a chill pill. You are in over your head. You need to sit back and listen a bit more before you expound on the virtues of an Amp. You just aren't that knowledgeable yet. Sorry but it is inherently true.

    i've got good news! i just won a used adcom GFA 555II last night at ebay. the winning bid is $443.00 with a $35.00 shipping. i'll be receiving the package next week i think or sooner than that. i am so excited. i was so glad i didn't fall for the EMOTIVA amps.

    i just hope i could still squeeze a couple of years for that amp. ive been searching on the net for repair and restoration for adcom amps and found this site.

    http://www.bigskyaudiomt.com/index.php?pr=Audio

    please tell me if this site is good? they'll repair and restore the adcom gfa 555ii model for $350.00. tell me if this is reasonable enough. or maybe you could recommend another shop that specializes restoration for adcom amps. thank you so much mr. Joe08867.
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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,102
    edited November 2011
    Am I remembering this correctly? One of the Big Dogs on this forum repairs Adcom amps?

    I can't remember who, though. Ben, maybe???
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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    oh really? whos ben? whoever ben is, please PM me. thanks!
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited November 2011
    You might want to nix that Ben idea. He has been a bit of a freak as of late and some of his customers have gotten screwed.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited November 2011
    F1nut wrote: »
    It's common knowledge that after 20 years those electrolytic caps have seen the best of their life span and should be changed. If for no other reason than it will prevent a more expensive repair when one or more caps leak on the board. An even more important matter considering that those cheap a$$ caps Carver used are particularly nasty and have been known to completely ruin a board. It would serve you well to change yours now before the inevitable.

    Jesse speaks the truth 100% Bruce may not have had to work on his, but from my own experience(I own 3 TFM's) I have had all mine worked on. I bought all mine brand new and kept them very well maintained and NEVER abused them in any way. All mine have had work by either Bob Carver or Roland one of them twice because Bob got some bad parts in one of his shipments. Bob took care of the problem on his own dime even though mine showed no symptoms of any problems and had it back in my hands in 5days. If you can get them at a good price do it but be prepared to spend 375.00 for all the upgrades that will make them sound just heavenly I know i just had Roland redo all mine for piece of mind and they sound so much better than they did and all upgrades Roland does has been approved by Bob Carver.
    peace out
    Ivan
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited November 2011
    jaygax wrote: »
    heiney9, if thats the case, then i really need to go to an audiophile shop and listen to various amps. i'll keep that in mind. okay, ill stretch my budget to a thousand bucks.

    yes that is the best option
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2011
    Yup... nothing in this hobby that mo' money can't remedy... :cheesygrin:
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Jesse speaks the truth 100% Bruce may not have had to work on his, but from my own experience(I own 3 TFM's) I have had all mine worked on. I bought all mine brand new and kept them very well maintained and NEVER abused them in any way. All mine have had work by either Bob Carver or Roland one of them twice because Bob got some bad parts in one of his shipments. Bob took care of the problem on his own dime even though mine showed no symptoms of any problems and had it back in my hands in 5days. If you can get them at a good price do it but be prepared to spend 375.00 for all the upgrades that will make them sound just heavenly I know i just had Roland redo all mine for piece of mind and they sound so much better than they did and all upgrades Roland does has been approved by Bob Carver.
    peace out
    Ivan
    Ivan,

    I?ve had one unit repaired. My original M-1.5t (which I bought new) required service many moons ago after the model was discontinued. The repair was done by Carver Corp. during Bob's second stint with his namesake company. It was an early, 2000-ish Serial No. unit which put it in the first of three generations under the 1.5t banner. In addition to the repair it was updated to gen III configuration for 'one, low price' (<$140 IIRC including return shipping). It came back sounding sweeter than I remembered it.

    I am only slightly surprised that the same is true for the TFM series. Did your TFMs all develop problem(s) requiring service, or did you just want them upgraded? Your post reads like one failed and you chose to have the others worked on... yes? If any failed, were they cap failures?

    My bone of contention with Jesse's post was not that that old Carvers can't be upgraded with improved sonic results. It was that they are not necessarily ticking time bombs that will self-destruct, if they are not serviced immediately... if not sooner.

    The above was, and still is, Jesse's position; I took, and still take, exception with his gross generalization. The simple passage of time has far less to do with deterioration of a cap in service than any of a half-dozen other factors.

    It's "common knowledge"...

    Peace back at ya...
    Tour
    F1nut wrote: »
    Nonsense! The efforts of some who help inform those who don't yet know the benefits of high quality gear is not snobbery. Rather, it is the duty of those in the know to help elevate the standards here.
    Ok... raise your hands if you think Jesse just proved audiocr381ve's point for him....

    .....

    .....

    Man, that's a lot of hands...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    i guess any electrical device or electronics will last a long long time if kept in a moisture controlled invironment. just the same as the principle for cameras. i have kept my nikon D50 DSLR in my bag and filled it with a dessicant pouch too. i got those dessicants from our vitros chemistry machine because i work in a laboratory. =) i guess what im gonna do is put some dessicants under my amp and reciever and change it every month. that will squeeze me some good years for my equipments.
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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,102
    edited November 2011
    How does humidity get INSIDE an electrolytic capacitor? One of the main problems with them is the fluid coming OUT.

    Electrolytic caps have a much more limited lifespan than film caps in the best of conditions; it doesn't help when the company that makes them does so using stolen "industrial secrets" that aren't the complete "recipe".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

    The root cause may or may not be the same, but Adcom (for example) had a faulty run of capacitors some years ago. (But no manufacturer is immune to aged, degraded electrolytic caps, it's the nature of electrolytic caps.) I don't see a desiccant pouch changing that.
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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    Schurkey wrote: »
    How does humidity get INSIDE an electrolytic capacitor? One of the main problems with them is the fluid coming OUT.

    Electrolytic caps have a much more limited lifespan than film caps in the best of conditions; it doesn't help when the company that makes them does so using stolen "industrial secrets" that aren't the complete "recipe".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

    The root cause may or may not be the same, but Adcom (for example) had a faulty run of capacitors some years ago. (But no manufacturer is immune to aged, degraded electrolytic caps, it's the nature of electrolytic caps.) I don't see a desiccant pouch changing that.

    thanks for the info Mr.Schurkey. i dont really know about electrolytic caps. i'll keep that in mind. i wish i have a good background for electronics.

    now, i felt unsecure about my newly acquired adcom amp. i still havent even installed it with my system yet. crossing fingers! i hope everything will be alright and hoping that amp will still give me 2-3 years of listening pleasure.
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  • audiocr381ve
    audiocr381ve Posts: 2,588
    edited November 2011
    Joe08867 wrote: »
    Emo is fine but there are many others that are far superior. B&K, Rotel, Adcom, NAD, Parasound the list goes on and on.

    When Emo makes something as musical as a B&K I will buy one. Until then they are not on my recommendation list.

    Audio, take a chill pill. You are in over your head. You need to sit back and listen a bit more before you expound on the virtues of an Amp. You just aren't that knowledgeable yet. Sorry but it is inherently true.

    Listen a bit more? I'm in over my head? You got to be kidding me. To respond to your comment, you force me to explain how much I'm around music, either writing it, producing it, engineering it, or playing it. I'm certainly not the best out there, but I'm fortunate enough to have a wealth of experience thus far. I played music for a living for years and was flown to venues all across the states with my band. I played drums on a project nominated best jazz album by Lifeswork Entertainment. I've been hired as a session musician to play on multiple projects. I play 4 instruments. I've played on 4 albums 2 of which I've produced. I'm currently working on producing another music project. Now I'm actually shooting music videos to support my family. I'm playing music literally every week.

    Some of you guys need to pull your heads out of your butts. Your ears aren't as mature as you think. Or maybe they are too mature (hearing loss comes with age).
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited November 2011
    audiocr381ve wrote: »
    Listen a bit more? I'm in over my head? You got to be kidding me. To respond to your comment, you force me to explain how much I'm around music, either writing it, producing it, engineering it, or playing it. I'm certainly not the best out there, but I'm fortunate enough to have a wealth of experience thus far. I played music for a living for years and was flown to venues all across the states with my band. I played drums on a project nominated best jazz album by Lifeswork Entertainment. I've been hired as a session musician to play on multiple projects. I play 4 instruments. I've played on 4 albums 2 of which I've produced. I'm currently working on producing another music project. Now I'm actually shooting music videos to support my family. I'm playing music literally every week.
    What does that have to do with over rated amplifiers?
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    audiocr381ve wrote: »
    Listen a bit more? I'm in over my head? You got to be kidding me. To respond to your comment, you force me to explain how much I'm around music, either writing it, producing it, engineering it, or playing it. I'm certainly not the best out there, but I'm fortunate enough to have a wealth of experience thus far. I played music for a living for years and was flown to venues all across the states with my band. I played drums on a project nominated best jazz album by Lifeswork Entertainment. I've been hired as a session musician to play on multiple projects. I play 4 instruments. I've played on 4 albums 2 of which I've produced. I'm currently working on producing another music project. Now I'm actually shooting music videos to support my family. I'm playing music literally every week.

    Some of you guys need to pull your heads out of your butts. Your ears aren't as mature as you think. Or maybe they are too mature (hearing loss comes with age).

    LOL to that!!!! so, you're in a jazz band audiocreative? do you have a youtube video of your band or those music that you produced? i'll google lifeswork entertainment. im impressed by your musical background. you are doing it for a living. that is so cool!
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  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,102
    edited November 2011
    jaygax wrote: »
    now, i felt unsecure about my newly acquired adcom amp. i still havent even installed it with my system yet. crossing fingers! i hope everything will be alright and hoping that amp will still give me 2-3 years of listening pleasure.
    Far as I know, the faulty caps went into newer Adcom amps, the 555 II should have had the "good" caps; although they'll be getting aged.

    Open the case, look inside for brown goo on the circuit boards. If you don't see any, put the cover on, fire it up, see what happens. I bet you love it. When you get a chance, get the amp serviced.
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  • jaygax
    jaygax Posts: 153
    edited November 2011
    as soon as it arrives, i'll open it and check for those brown goo leak. thanks for the advice schurkey. im still looking for an adcom service center here in alabama. i think there would be one in atlanta. or i'll just check their website for service centers and mail it to them.
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  • audiocr381ve
    audiocr381ve Posts: 2,588
    edited November 2011
    jaygax wrote: »
    LOL to that!!!! so, you're in a jazz band audiocreative? do you have a youtube video of your band or those music that you produced? i'll google lifeswork entertainment. im impressed by your musical background. you are doing it for a living. that is so cool!

    The only thing I'm trying to prove is that my ears aren't broken and I'm using them constantly. For someone to say I don't have enough experience with sound reproduction or music is just silly.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2011
    Schurkey wrote: »
    How does humidity get INSIDE an electrolytic capacitor?

    I don't see a desiccant pouch changing that.
    In storage? In sealed storage a desiccant pouch can make a world of difference. In open air... no.

    As for moisture penetrating a "sealed" cap...
    1. the pressure generated by the gradient between even low atmospheric humidity levels and extremely dry conditions, such as those found in electrolytic caps, is tremendous; and
    2. as molecules go, water molecules are very small so they can go in via routes that cap fluids cannot leak out.

    Saw a demo once-upon-a-time where the dew point of a flow of very dry air at 50 psi rose as it traveled a length of tubing. The point of entry for the added moisture was a pinhole leak halfway down the tubing! Atmospheric moisture was fighting its way past the air rushing out of the pinhole to "moisturize" the dry air.

    I forget the name of the gas phase phenomenon (it may be diffusion)... but in the liquid state the process is called osmosis (and the force is called osmotic pressure). It's the force that bursts skin cells whenever a relatively dry chemical contacts skin. Water inside skin cells is so keen to dilute the chemical that it ruptures the cell membrane to get to the chemical. The result is referred to as a chemical burn.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    edited November 2011
    jaygax wrote: »
    i wonder if any of you guys has a carver M-1.0t amplifier driving your SDA speakers. is this amp common grounded? i've got a good deal on ebay for this. heres the link.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carver-M-1-0t-2-Channel-amplifier-/120804238565?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c207e64e5

    should i get it for my SDA 2a speakers?

    You have to be careful with the M-1.0t and SDA's. Not all of them are common ground. I was just looking into this recently. The early versions were NOT common ground. They are identified by the speaker terminals (Red, Black, Red, Black) and no switch on the back to bridge mono. However, it can be bridged.

    The newer models ARE common ground and identified by the speaker terminals (Red, Black, Black, Red) and have the switch to bridge mono.

    I got this info from The Carver Site.

    Hope this helps.
    Stan
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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