Is this a good match?

Bob in WI

For music only; Monitor 70's, Carver TFm-15CB Power Amplifier. Carver Preamp Tuner Model CT-Seven. Carver stuff =$200; allegedly in good working order & cosmetically in good shape. Nothing rebuilt or replaced/ cover never off the equipment. I would of course hear before buying but the sale is not local so I'm wondering if it is worth a 5 hour round trip to check it out. Modest size room, classical & jazz. TIA

organ

Are you dead set on the Carver equipment? Personally, I'd rather browse local ads, unless it's something I've been dreaming about for years. I'd drive 5 hours for a pair of B&W Matrix 802 at a good price in very good shape.
Your options are endless with the Monitor 70's. Have you considered used NAD, Rotel, Adcom, etc?

Bob in WI

I'm not set on Carver - I thought it might be good bang for the buck; maybe not. I'm looking to improve from mid 90's Yamaha surround sound receiver at reasonable cost.

organ

Which 90's Yamaha receiver are you currently using? The higher end Yamaha's from the 90's are actually quite good. If it's an ordinary HT receiver, just about any of the brands I mentioned above will be a major improvement (seperates or integrated). The $200 asking price for that complete Carver system is a pretty good deal, but it's really up to you if you feel it's worth the 5 hour drive.
Try browsing some local ads and see what you come up with.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Bob in WI

OK - here's my next opportunity. NAD 7400 receiver & NAD 5060 6 cd changer for $75 (but will negotiate). May need some work but my neighbor was an electronics tech for GE medical. Ne can work wonders for a 6 pack + parts. This is better?

Bob in WI

Yamaha RX V850. There is a hole in the mid range. Listening to the Monitor 70's, you'd almost think they were hip hop speakers. Good low end & very bright (almost annoyingly so) but a alto sax solo sounds muted. Male singers with mature voices sound like they are singing in the background. This is true on CD & vinyl. I'm sure hoping its not the nature of the speakers - that would be a huge fail. Thats what I'm trying to address.

specd_out

The TFM15 isnt worth that kinda drive. Its not a fantastic deal, and its not one of the better Carver amps

organ

Despite the lighter weight, that Yamaha receiver is actually pretty good, believe it or not. My neighbor has the stereo version powering the RT800i and it's the best I've heard those speakers when it comes to receivers (compared to some Onkyo and Denon I heard the RT's on).
About the hollow mids, you're running it without any features engaged including bass/treb settings, right? You can try pulling your speakers farther out into the room as well if they're close to the wall/corners.
The NAD you ran into is actually a rare piece according to some forum discussions I've seen. It will probably need service or at least a check up due to age. But since you're friend is a techie, you're good.
Don't rule out NAD equipment from the mid to late 90's as well. Probably sound better. I've seen their integrateds go used within your price range.

Bob in WI

I wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree. The speakers are new. I understand the overly brightness will mellow with age. If one of the crossovers was bad, would that account for the muted mids? I guess I should swap them right for left & see if they are both afflicted. Its unlikely both speakers would be non conforming. Right? The serial numbers are very close so they prolly come from the same production run.

organ

You brought up an interesting point.
When I first purchased my LSi9 (new in box from dealer) when they were first introduced, I noticed one side was sounding a little hollow. Switching L&R speaker wires didn't solve the problem. I removed the drivers and found one woofer was wired out of phase. I changed the wiring and everything was perfect.
I hope it was a super rare case from Polk. I didn't expect that from a higher end product.

Please don't open your speakers. You will void the warranty. I doubt the x-over is damaged. Swapping L&R speaker cables won't solve anything if your mid range issue is not coming from any specific side.
What's your source and how do you have it connected to your receiver?

Bob in WI

Actually, the left speaker does not sound as good as the right but I chalked that up to room acoustics & my hearing (too many years in manufacturing). I don't have them connected with super cool wires but I'm not splitting hairs - The lack of midrange is pretty noticeable. I took the grill off today to see if the all the drivers were working & it seemed like they were. I noticed it more listening to the TT but the hole in the sound is there listening to CDs also. Boy, I sure hope I don't need to send these back.

organ

If that's the case, you might want to try swapping your speaker cables and see if the issue changes to the other side.