Carver M-4.0t is this common ground and will it work with my SDA2Bs
Cylontymany
Posts: 42
I want to use this amp with my one pair of SDA2Bs 2 channel stereo set up! Does anyone have any exp with this particular amp? Does it sound good?
Answers
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This is the very first iteration of what later became the TFM-45 and then TFM-55 and TFM-55x amps. I own a TFM-45 and yes they are common ground. This is the amp that was supposed to mimic the sound of Carver's Silver Seven tube amp. You will find the name Carver tends to ignite strong opinions on both sides on this forum. I've been a Carver fan for decades.
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If your TFM-45 is the same as the M-4.0t then How Does It Sound? I have a line on one right now along with the CT-7 preamp should I go for it or get a different amp all together?
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I ALWAYS loved the sound of Carver and Polk. Just very synergistic to my ears. Which is why I have been combining the two for thirty years.
If you have never heard this amp then what you think of it may be the total opposite of my opinion.
Or not
I suggest seeing if you can have a test drive with your speakers to see if you like it or not. -
honestaquarian wrote: »... You will find the name Carver tends to ignite strong opinions on both sides on this forum...
This is very true - Carver amps are solid mid-fi fare, in the same category as Parasound, Rotel, NAD, etc... I am also a Carver fan - their balance of fidelity, output, size, and price are tough to beat. The 4.0t/TFM 42/45 family are quite stout - the TFM 45 especially is a particularly sought after model, even more so than the more powerful TFM 55.
My advice? Listen to as many different amps as possible - there's no substitute for actually hearing them...
"Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
I am tempted to pull the trigger on the M-4.0t and CT-7 but I want a natural/neutral sound with good bass! What about Parasound,Soundcraftsman,Emotiva type amps? I could end up spending several thousand to go through the carvers and not like the sound of them in the end!
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Can you buy just the 4.0t? And how much is it? They go for $500ish on eBay, so if you get it for a good deal, you can always flip it. The CT-7 isn't really worth your time, IMHO..."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
Again see if the seller will allow you to audition the amp with your speakers before you buy.
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honestaquarian wrote: »This is the very first iteration of what later became the TFM-45 and then TFM-55 and TFM-55x amps. I own a TFM-45 and yes they are common ground. This is the amp that was supposed to mimic the sound of Carver's Silver Seven tube amp. You will find the name Carver tends to ignite strong opinions on both sides on this forum. I've been a Carver fan for decades.
It sounds nothing like the Silver 7 tube amps, nor the Silver 6 or 9. In fact, none of Carver's SS amps sound anything like a tube amp.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
TOLDYA!
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honestaquarian wrote: »You will find the name Carver tends to ignite strong opinions on both sides on this forum. I've been a Carver fan for decades.
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I am a Carver fan, of his tube amps as they are stellar. I don't care to ever hear another of his SS amps except for the Lightstar, but that's not really a Carver amp.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Why do you say it's not really a Carver?
He designed it himself using his tracking downconverter patent that he FINALLY figured out how to make work right before he got booted out of Carver corp by the very same people that HE brought in. The Lightstar (*the first version*) is the predecessor to the Sunfire amps that he later created. -
If I am going to spend between 500-1000 I want to by an amp for my Polk SDA2Bs and not have to look back whether it be Carver or other Common Ground Amps! What are some good others besides Carver that would leave no dought...?
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Parasound
Rotel
Proton
Onkyo
Denon
NAD
Adcom
Marantz
To name a few -
honestaquarian wrote: »Why do you say it's not really a Carver?
He designed it himself using his tracking downconverter patent that he FINALLY figured out how to make work right before he got booted out of Carver corp by the very same people that HE brought in. The Lightstar (*the first version*) is the predecessor to the Sunfire amps that he later created.
Nope, your history is incorrect. Jim Croft is responsible for the Lightstar.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Cylontymany wrote: »If I am going to spend between 500-1000 I want to by an amp for my Polk SDA2Bs and not have to look back whether it be Carver or other Common Ground Amps! What are some good others besides Carver that would leave no dought...?
No one can honestly answer that. I'd suggest you hit up a few audio dealers and friends. Get your ears on as many rigs as you can as it will give you a much better idea of what may sound good to you.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
It sounds nothing like the Silver 7 tube amps, nor the Silver 6 or 9. In fact, none of Carver's SS amps sound anything like a tube amp.
Very true. Too much hype and not enough substance surrounding that issue back in the day.
H9
"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
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honestaquarian wrote: »Why do you say it's not really a Carver?
He designed it himself using his tracking downconverter patent that he FINALLY figured out how to make work right before he got booted out of Carver corp by the very same people that HE brought in. The Lightstar (*the first version*) is the predecessor to the Sunfire amps that he later created.
Nope, your history is incorrect. Jim Croft is responsible for the Lightstar.
Sorry F1 but your history is incorrect.
Jim Croft is responsible for the SECOND version of the Lightstar (*the one with the single meter*) Which was a few years AFTER Bob Carver was gone and had started up Sunfire. The Lightstar has the same Tracking Downconverter, continuously variable, signal tracking power supply (*which predates pretty much all class D amps*) that the Sunfire amps later had. Bob Carver had patented that power supply over a decade prior, but couldn't get it to work. That is what brought him to create a sort of halfway version of a signal tracking power supply that he named the Magnetic Field power supply. Which moves up and down in three discreet steps instead of a continuous variation like the Tracking Downconverter. He started up Carver Corp with the Magnetic Field Power Supply in the M-400 cube amp (*of which I've owned four in three different generations and still have and use one*) He revisited that patent and discovered how he could finally get it to work and designed the Lightstar (*and he was the one who named it*) Submitted the design to his engineers and went on a sabbatical. When he returned,he and his Carver Execs had a major disagreement about what direction the company should be going in and they voted him out.
This information came from Bob Carver himself and is available if you look up any of the interviews he has done over the years.
Oh and btw to @Cylontymany the OP (*Original Poster*) The M-4.0t has a Magnetic Field Power Supply.
F1nut and I do not always agree (*the same can be said of pretty much everyone here with each other*) Sometimes I am wrong and he is right and vice-versa. However he has earned my respect, because he knows wtf he is talking about. -
Ended up with a Sunfire 300x2
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Good choice...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
