Amp/receiver problems

keith allen

I just hooked up my carver amp,which I got off of ebay.I hooked it up to my receivers preouts,amp works,and sounds great,but I have hardly any output on the speaker levels on the receiver,I have outdoor speakers still hooked up to the receiver,but you can barely here them,with the volume turned way up,Ive tried both A and B,Ive unhooked the amp,still nothing...how could I have done anything to the receiver by hooking up the amp?Any ideas?

[Deleted User]

Hello,
The problem is probably caused by not feeding the pre-amp out signal back into the receiver's inputs. In other words, by placing RCA cables in the pre-amp output for the connections to the Carver there isn't the necessary link back to the receiver's power amp input. You'll need two "Y" cables that will have a male plug on the base and a female plug on one branch and a male plug on the other branch. The base, with the male plug, will go into the pre-amp outputs. The branch with the male plug will go into the power amp input on the receiver (re-establishing the pre-amp/power amp original connection). Then the branch, of the "Y" cable, with the femal connector will go to the RCA cable that goes to the Carver. The "Y" cable is sending the pre-amp signal both to the Carver and the receiver, itself.
Regards, Ken

keith allen

Ok,I unstand,but when I unhook the amp,hook the speakers back up to the receiver,I only get minute sound out of one speeaker,on speaker A or B

keith allen

OK,figured it out,jumpers have to be inserted in the receiver to get a signal...thanx guys

O'Shag

Keith,

Assuming you've got things worked out , can you describe the differences the Carver makes when driving the front channels?

keith allen

Yea figured this out some time ago,when the preouts and the mainins are not looped together by the provided jumpers,then the receiver has no signal to its two channels.There is a bit of a difference in sound,but its in higher levels of volume,the amp is really a good bit crisper from 10 oclock on,where the receiver begins to get slighly distorted.So for now Im going with the tfm22,and Im going to take the advice and invest in a decent preamp next,maybe try and sell my denon,its a dra 685,if anybody is may be interested

O'Shag

Glad you got it operational Keith.

A good preamp will make more of a difference for you. It will be a case of night and day compared to your current denon receiver, this I can promise you.

I hesitate to offer a suggestion, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for the dreaded addiction that will follow, an addiction I'm afraid, that could possibly have you obsessing how your going to pay for your next piece of gear once you've heard the possibilities. I contracted this addiction several years ago when I heard my friends audio system. Since then I've traded this and that component to fund my way into a better (or somtimes worse) component.

If you can afford it invest in a good used preamp. I believe that the preamp is the conerstone of a great system (speakers excepted). Audio Research is recommended; any of the SP series will do nicely, but other mfrs such as Sonic Frontiers, BAT, Croft Micro, even the Carver C4000t, etc will do also (the Carver C4000t will not be as good as the others). Get a tube preamp if you can afford it (anywhere from 500 if you find a really good deal).
Very best of luck and good listening

Tour2ma

Glad you are on the road, Keith. BTW, that "bleed through" you were enjoying before getting your Carver Receiver's external jumpers back in place, is one of the arguments for separates...

Allow me to add a couple names to your pre-amp list...

If you're into remotes and such...
B&K - while their AVP's have a good following here (including me), their 2 ch Pre's are (IMO) underappreciated. Used 2 ch B&K Pre's are pretty cheap and very good. I used an AVP-2000 for 2 ch for several years and just adored it.

If you don't mind walking some...
Adcom SLC-505 - I was introduced to this passive pre at RussMan's TxPFII, and fell in love with it. Short of moving to tubes, it's a tough one to beat. No phono section if that's an issue.

I would suggest that you leave the tubes for a bit later. It really compounds the complexity of the decision process. Besides, you need to save something for later on...

Enjoy the journey...

O'Shag

Tourma,

Heartily agree on B&K, Bryston is also good

dorokusai

There are alot of other choices in this bracket....it just takes research.

Tour2ma

Yeah... that or others actually mentioning some worthy candidates...

dorokusai

I presume you mean actual manufacturers....Parasound, Anthem, NAD, Cambridge Audio all of which I am personally familiar with....if we're talking simple pre-amp here then we can chat about Cayin, Bottlehead, ASL, Perraux, and HOST of unusual foreign and domestic market names...blah blah.

Yes, the list is more open ended then a casual B&K or Adcom reference....you know that as well as I do Tour. I do not get excited about B&K, yes they are solid....but NEXT...there are far better choices at lower prices.

Don't buy "everybody gear" if you really don't have to....how fun is that?

Mainstream is lame, avoid it if at all possible.

keith allen

I already have that dreaded addiction Oshag talks about,robbing the son's college fund now and then:D I'm a little lazy these dayz so remote is a must,I had a little NAD receiver for the past 20 years,and it was all manual,I sold the NAD to a neighbor...still working great!I have a bid on a Carver ct26v right now,not going to bid to much on it,no reserve so if I get it dirt cheap then I'll take it,Ive looked at some Bryston's too.How about an NAD?Ive always loved their receivers,what can I say about the one I just got rid of...I think a B&K is probably what I'll end up with just on price alone.

Tour2ma

Mark,
Just jerkin' your chain a little... as if you did not know that...

keith,
Sounds like you are underway. Great thing about the 'bay' is ability to try gear with little more than the shipping cost at risk.

Beaten path or road less traveled... it's all good.

O'Shag

Keith an excellent preamp with remote is the Sonic Frontiers SF series. The remote is unusual, its actually circular.

The build quality on these is very good. On the used market it can be had for about $500.00, but will take some time to get because they are desirable but not very numerous. The advantage to buying used gear thats desirable and in the high-end category is that you rarely lose money should you choose to re-sell it, in fact frequently the opposite. For your currrent system, a good pre such as this should greatly improve depth/width of soundstage, imaging, coherence in the music.

I would stay away from the Adcom as a preamp, not a good choice IMO. Their amps are decent for the price they can be had for though.

I have to wind up my post here because I've just received a 2disc HDCD of Shania Twain. Yup, I'm a major fan. I think she probably would have married me if she had only met me before she met her husband. Ah well, life goes on, and one can still daydream.

Tour2ma

O'Shag,
You can't stay away from the SLC-505... no remote.

Seriously, have you heard their passive pre, or are you basing your comment on their active models?

Does you wife know about this little Shania jones you've got going on?

O'Shag

Tour2ma,

She knows I have a sweet spot for Shania Twain. I'm planning on getting a fairly large poster. Now she might have a problem with that. But hey, she has her favourite, an indian actor called Sharukh Khan (my missus is of Afghani origin). I personally think he's a bit goofy and tends to overact all the time. Although I tell her that I think he's cool (just to make her feel good). But at least she had the good taste to recognize the real gem - ME!