New amp and preamp

snow
snow Posts: 4,337
edited December 2008 in 2 Channel Audio
Well I finally managed to get a Sunfire amp 300 x 2 the other day to go with a Carver research direct preamp that I bought a while back.

I had been looking for a while now for either the 300 x 2 or signature 600 x 2 in decent condition from a reputable seller and have looked at and bid on a few different ones but either the auction had went higher then I wanted to spend for the condition or the seller did not want to ship to alaska via USPS.

I will post my oppinion of the amp after I have tried out all the different combinations of cables XLR, RCA and combinations of voltage and current source options.

I am very happy with the Carver research direct preamp. It is very musical and dead accurate, it will reveal every nuance of music in extreme clarity to the point that at times it is almost distracting and I feel better with 2 channel sources than my Lexicon MC-1 pre/pro was, even though the Lexicon was pretty nice it is geared more towards home theater and does an excellent job as such.

I have bought a pair of Wireworld Polaris lll XLR's and Nordost blue heaven IC's to try with this amp pre combo.

Here are a few pics of the Carver research Lightstar direct preamp.



REGARDS SNOW
Well, I just pulled off the impossible by doing a double-blind comparison all by myself, purely by virtue of the fact that I completely and stupidly forgot what I did last. I guess that getting old does have its advantages after all :D
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Comments

  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,029
    edited December 2008
    Congrat's on both new pieces of gear Snow. That Lightstar pre sure is a nice unit! Coupled with the 300X2? I would imagine that you are experiencing some sweet sounds. What speakers are you running with, if you don't mind me asking?
    ~ 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. ~
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  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited December 2008
    SHHWWEEEET!

    That Lightstar remote has to be the heaviest remote I've ever seen. What's it weigh, like 2.7 lbs?!?
    TNRabbit
    NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
    Sunfire TG-IV
    Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
    Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
    Carver AL-III Speakers
    Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited December 2008
    Congrats on the new gear, sounds like you'll be all set for what I'd imagine to be a long winter.

    That is a serious remote, damn thing's bigger then my amp at the moment!
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • snow
    snow Posts: 4,337
    edited December 2008
    Wow talk about a thread from the dead lol. Well to answers Toms question first I am using SDA SRS 1.2 TL's. Not sure what the remote weighs Rabbit but it's heavy dont drop it on your toe. Thanks for the compliment Strider.

    Things have changed since I posted about this a couple of months ago. I no longer have the preamp. I still have the amp but it's in the shop geting an rca input jack replaced.

    I am currently looking to add a Carver SD/A-490t CD player to the mix. It's funny how things come full circle, I had pretty much gotten rid of all my Carver gear in search of beter sound and now have mostly Carver and Sunfire gear for my 2 channel setup. It seems that the combo of Polk and Carver have good synergy.




    REGARDS SNOW
    Well, I just pulled off the impossible by doing a double-blind comparison all by myself, purely by virtue of the fact that I completely and stupidly forgot what I did last. I guess that getting old does have its advantages after all :D
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  • skipf
    skipf Posts: 694
    edited December 2008
    True that Snow. If all you are going to use for a source is cd, you don't even need a pre with the SD/A 490t. Just run it direct to the amp using the variable outputs. I promise you will love that sound.
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited December 2008
    Snow, why did you 86 the LS preamp??:confused:
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,029
    edited December 2008
    Damn Snow, you let go of the Lightstar? I would have never thought. :eek:
    ~ 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. ~
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  • snow
    snow Posts: 4,337
    edited December 2008
    gdb wrote: »
    Snow, why did you 86 the LS preamp??:confused:
    The only reason I got rid of it was it didnt like my multi player and I didnt/dont want multiple players CD SACD DVDA to listen to my music other than that I loved it. On a positive note I picked up the Carver SD/A 490t today and it sounds wonderful.



    REGARDS SNOW
    Well, I just pulled off the impossible by doing a double-blind comparison all by myself, purely by virtue of the fact that I completely and stupidly forgot what I did last. I guess that getting old does have its advantages after all :D
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