Carver Plat MkIV initial thoughts....
TroyD
Posts: 13,077
So, I’ve had a solid few hours of listening now and thought I’d throw out some thoughts.....
First, the listening impressions that I have right now mirror very closely my experiences with listening to George Grands “The Truth”......obviously it’s been a number of years and the associated gear is differeant but it’s certainly the same flavor.
One reason is that these are, indeed, MKIV’s. Says so on the ID tag with a 1991 date code. Everyone says they have MkIV’s...when obviously it’s verifiably untrue. Anyway, point being is that the experience that I had with the original Amazing Loudspeaker is different than with the Plats.
Both the CAL and the Plats are capable of otherworldly dynamics and able to resolve layers of detail with ease. In the midrange to upper bass, pretty similar.
In the upper registers, the CAL lacked air and had a good deal of sibilance. The bass had great extension but was very one note-ish. It certainly lacked the detail of the midrange and just didn’t integrate as well.....but the biggest thing is I just never had (even with the Carver Silver 9t’s) amp to get them to really open up. The promise of greatness was there but just didn’t come to fruition. Now, I’m not saying they sounded terrible because it’s simply not the case but they did have shortcomings and were a different flavor from the MkIV’s
So, the Plats.....so far, much easier to drive. The MF A1008 is able to drive them with ease. The sense of effortlessness is palpable.....like it’s a big, honkin’ V8 cruising down the freeway barely above an idle. Dynamics, again, out the yang-yang. Midrange is delicate, transparent and the ability to resolve the nuances and details is simply astounding. The bass.....while I’d say that the CAL maybe had better extension, the tone and definition is VASTLY improved. Not to the tonal standard of the AR-9 or my AR-302’s and certainly not the definition of the Thiel 3.6’s....it is nonetheless respectable. The treble is VASTLY improved. Still a little fatiguing and lacking the ultimate air and delicacy of the Thiel’s.....but extension and delicacy is vastly improved.
Imaging is solid and stable. Increasing the tilt angle back a bit has really solidified the image and sound staging. The stage has excellent depth and three dimensional presentation. It’s easy to get a solid take on the hall charactaristics on classical recordings.....but the soundstage doesn’t project much beyond the lateral or front boundaries of the speakers. Again, I had the same impressions of this at George’s.
Anyway, so far so good. More to follow....
BDT
First, the listening impressions that I have right now mirror very closely my experiences with listening to George Grands “The Truth”......obviously it’s been a number of years and the associated gear is differeant but it’s certainly the same flavor.
One reason is that these are, indeed, MKIV’s. Says so on the ID tag with a 1991 date code. Everyone says they have MkIV’s...when obviously it’s verifiably untrue. Anyway, point being is that the experience that I had with the original Amazing Loudspeaker is different than with the Plats.
Both the CAL and the Plats are capable of otherworldly dynamics and able to resolve layers of detail with ease. In the midrange to upper bass, pretty similar.
In the upper registers, the CAL lacked air and had a good deal of sibilance. The bass had great extension but was very one note-ish. It certainly lacked the detail of the midrange and just didn’t integrate as well.....but the biggest thing is I just never had (even with the Carver Silver 9t’s) amp to get them to really open up. The promise of greatness was there but just didn’t come to fruition. Now, I’m not saying they sounded terrible because it’s simply not the case but they did have shortcomings and were a different flavor from the MkIV’s
So, the Plats.....so far, much easier to drive. The MF A1008 is able to drive them with ease. The sense of effortlessness is palpable.....like it’s a big, honkin’ V8 cruising down the freeway barely above an idle. Dynamics, again, out the yang-yang. Midrange is delicate, transparent and the ability to resolve the nuances and details is simply astounding. The bass.....while I’d say that the CAL maybe had better extension, the tone and definition is VASTLY improved. Not to the tonal standard of the AR-9 or my AR-302’s and certainly not the definition of the Thiel 3.6’s....it is nonetheless respectable. The treble is VASTLY improved. Still a little fatiguing and lacking the ultimate air and delicacy of the Thiel’s.....but extension and delicacy is vastly improved.
Imaging is solid and stable. Increasing the tilt angle back a bit has really solidified the image and sound staging. The stage has excellent depth and three dimensional presentation. It’s easy to get a solid take on the hall charactaristics on classical recordings.....but the soundstage doesn’t project much beyond the lateral or front boundaries of the speakers. Again, I had the same impressions of this at George’s.
Anyway, so far so good. More to follow....
BDT
I plan for the future. - F1Nut
Comments
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So after a few more days of listening......I was bothered by the treble. It lacked air and seemed to roll of more than I though it should.
Moral of the story: RTFM. READ THE EFFIN MANUAL.
So, I decreased the tilt angle and it’s made a significant difference. More sparkle. Less rolled off. Not optimal....but better.
Of course, the crappy build quality rears it’s ugly head. The fastener that secures the riser in the base of the left channel pops out. GRRRRRRR. Couple of nuts and washers and I’m back in badness.....but, El Christo. You’d think these were made in East Germany. I mean you can’t play sans grills because, of course Bob didn’t bother to paint the whole friggin baffle.
Back to listening....I plan for the future. - F1Nut -
How about some pics?Rega Planar 8, Apheta 3 MC , Aria mk2 Phono
Aurender n100h, Benchmark DAC2 HGC
Arcam SR250, Parasound JC5
Revel F208, SVS SB-4000 -
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Thank you! The cat and the booze adds a nice touchGustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
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I've heard a lot of good music in that room
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 -
C'mon down, you can hear more.....I'm getting it dialed in pretty good, actually.I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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You can hear more if you clear out yo' schedule broskizzle!
Awe, chit son!
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
@TroyD - wonder if you’re open to Dirac, or the like(?).
Do you have a way to analyze how much mid/treble roll-off you’re experiencing?
Cool speakers!CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC
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