Help Me Decide This Carver Amazing Worth My Savings?

megasat16

Found on eBay and I am thinking about picking up locally. But not sure if it's worth to try it. Please share your experiences with the Carver Amazing speakers.

Seller said it's the Original Version but I am not sure what model is it and what is the best Amazing model did Carver ever made?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVER-AMAZING-LOUDSPEAKERS-Local-Pick-Up-ONLY_W0QQitemZ220329562838QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoofers?hash=item220329562838&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

NJPOLKER

I think you should look in our "for sale" section and look at the Carvers George has for sale and send him a PM asap.

megasat16

Thanks! I saw Georges's Amazing but he is in GA and I am in CA. I would gladly get George's amazing if I am a local to him and I've seen his posting before. Shipping of this size and weight is something I like to stay away from.

NJPOLKER

I guess I missed that your in California. Time for a road trip.

megasat16

To the freezing cold weather in the east? I'd pass that.

thsmith

Dallas is about mid-point if we need a relay:cool:

comfortablycurt

How's the sound from these speakers? I've seen them advertised before, but I've never actually heard them. I'm curious to how good the sound quality is..

TNRabbit

You need to hear them, at a decent level, with a REALLY GOOD woman's voice (Dianna Krall, Allison Krauss, etc.) or well-recorded piano music to determine if the ribbons are in good condition. Also check the surrounds of the woofers as they can deteriorate over time. They are GREAT speakers, truly epic effort, but the Originals are incredibly inefficient; you'll be looking for an amp with unlimited CURRENT (Sunfire?) for these puppies. However, they WILL reward you if you provide the power. They are incredibly placement sensitive (space on all sides & decent sized room) also.

george daniel

megasat16 wrote: »

Thanks! I saw Georges's Amazing but he is in GA and I am in CA. I would gladly get George's amazing if I am a local to him and I've seen his posting before. Shipping of this size and weight is something I like to stay away from.

Get on a plane,, I'll pick you up at the airport,, rent a van,,, load the speaks,, drive back leisurely,, after you've had one of my grilled steaks,, heck,, you can even spend the night,and we'll pack you a goodie bag full of snacks to eat on the drive back.

dave7310

I listened to a new pair back in the early 90's and they blew me away!

Only problem was I couldn't afford them back then.

I don`t know... their really big, some models (all?) had problem with the ribbons, but still , I`d give them a listen for sure!

megasat16

george daniel wrote: »

Get on a plane,, I'll pick you up at the airport,, rent a van,,, load the speaks,, drive back leisurely,, after you've had one of my grilled steaks,, heck,, you can even spend the night,and we'll pack you a goodie bag full of snacks to eat on the drive back.

Thanks George for the invite! I sure would love to fly to you and how can a man resist the temptation of steaks and goodies not to mention a great pair of speakers. But getting them home would be a problem so I had to pass on this.

george daniel

Well, this probabally is not the best time of the year to sell them. They were originally purchased by a gentleman who is a scientist of sorts(weather) who kept them in his home since purchase,and had to sell because of a remodeling project. The ribbons and woofers are in excellent condition.With the exception of a couple of minor dings, and I do mean minor, they are in excellent condition. I'll leave them here a few days and see if there is any interest..

TNRabbit

Good luck, george.

ben62670

george daniel wrote: »

Get on a plane,, I'll pick you up at the airport,, rent a van,,, load the speaks,, drive back leisurely,, after you've had one of my grilled steaks,, heck,, you can even spend the night,and we'll pack you a goodie bag full of snacks to eat on the drive back.

I thought they were sold? I'll take one of those steaks though:)

comfortablycurt

I'd really like to check a pair of these out sometime. How much do they weigh? They look like they're pretty heavy. I assume they're wallmountable?

Ricardo

Lasareath wrote: »

I've listened to the Amazings. They sound really really nice. I am a Carver Fan, I own 3 carver amps and a Sunfire Sub. The vocals sound great, the midrange sound great. but the bottom end to me is a little lacking.

Basically they don't compare to the 1.2TL's, Save your money up and keep a lookout for a pair of 1.2TL's, you will not be disappointed.

Sal

Or maybe he will......not everyone thinks that SDA's are the end of the road.

I sold my 1.2 TL's for a pair of Carver Amazing AL-III's.

Having said that, I agree you need to be careful with that ebay seller (hey, and Atlanta is not that far away.....)

george daniel

ben62670 wrote: »

I thought they were sold? I'll take one of those steaks though:)

Ben I owe you a steak,,the speakers listed are the other pair,,Not the ones that are going to ZB.He's getting the "originals",, these are the upgraded version to platinums.

ben62670

OK I have to ask. How much?

George Grand

I agree with Senor Ricardo.

ben62670

Never mind:)
Found them.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75751

Ricardo

George Grand wrote: »

I agree with Senor Ricardo.

Gracias Se

skipf

The Carver ALS series had four versions I'm aware of. The ALS (referred to as the ALS Original) which had two 30" ribbons and four honeycomb woofers each. The originals are rated at four ohms and are a real challenge to properly drive as they dip down to one ohm at times. There are some Originals out there that have been factory converted to the Platinum model, an option offered owners when the Platinum model came out. The ALS Platinums which had one 60" ribbon and four Standard cone woofers. They are 8 ohm and much easier to drive than the originals, but still need a lot of power to make 'em sing. They have four binding posts so are easily bi-amped. The ALS Platinum Mk IV which had a few changes in the x-over and pots added to the x-over for tuning the sound to the room. The ALS Silvers were a smaller version of the Plats with one 48" ribbon and three woofers. All require a high headroom amp that can pump some power. I have a set of Plats and drive them with 600 watt monoblocks that can reach well over 1000 watts if demand requires. I think the Plats are the best sounding of the lot. Originals can be converted to Plats without a lot of effort, but finding the ribbons and x-over to do the conversion can be a challenge.

I have never heard a speaker that produces such clear and powerful sound. The bass must be experienced to believe. It's the purest bass reproduction I've enjoyed, you feel it as much as hear it. Ribbons are exceptional for mids and highs and as Rabbit mentioned, outstanding at reproducing female vocals and piano music. The notes really ring out. They are tricky to place properly in a room and need a lot of breathing space to deliver their full potential. I don't think you can find a better speaker at the usual price these sell for, but you should expect to have the woofers replaced and new kaptons installed in the ribbons eventually. Woofers are available for $45 ea., and rebuilding the ribbons is around $400 ea. You can occasionally find used ribbons for around $100, but they will fail eventually too. My advice would be to hold out for a set of Platinums.

seeclear

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I assume they're wallmountable?

I don't think you want to mount these on a wall. Don't they need some space around them to "breathe"? Someone correct me if I am wrong.

reeltrouble1

I would rate the Amazings above the 1.2 TL. I feel that speaker is a smidge over-rated and needs a huge room to operate optimally.

Once I get my SoundLabs back and dialed in I might let mine go. The transparency of the ribbons in the Amazings is awesome, very smooth and detailed, great mid-range just awesome bass from the 8 12" subwoofers, mine growl and fact is they spec lower than any SDA, they actually go sub-sonic on the bass. Its definetely a speaker you want to own and experience and just may be the last one you ever want. The di-pole radiation pattern just does it and minimizes sidewall reflection problems, so you can get away with a smaller room.

The Originals will need some quality amplification, when I had them (I now have the Platinum) I first used some NAD 2700 bridged, they ran out of steam though, bless them, then I moved to Carver Silver 9t, which had the balls but I ended up with a BAT VK-500 which was the better and a more refined Hi-fi powerhouse. You need an amp that delivers more than just power, if the amp is the least bit grainey like say most mid-fi amps the transparency of the ribbons will let that come through, after a while it will grate on you, well at least it did on me. High powered tube amps are another option.

The Amazing is definetly a speaker to own and experience, it may be the last pair you ever want.

RT1

skipf

RT1 is correct about Plats and tube amps. I ran mine with a pair of Bob's new 180 watt tube monoblocks and the sound brought tears to my eyes. Never had I heard such pure sound. I imagine a set of Joule or Manley blocks would do the same thing.

megasat16

Lasareath wrote: »

And the auction looks a little shady. No CASH on pickup?, I have never seen this. He wants PayPal before you pick them up from a Zero feedback user! LOL I'd stay away from that auction.

Maybe you should go see them in person before you bid on them and make sure his address is not a vacant lot!

Thanks Sal! I'll make sure that guy has the speakers before I pay for them. I think I would ask the guy to demo before paying for it since there will be no guarantee it'll play fine when I get home. Thanks for the great info on the Amazings.

lakesailor

Skipf is on the money. My only advice is to make certain they are 100% in working order. As Skip mentioned the ribbons do go and this is often the time you see the "for sale" sign come out.

megasat16

george daniel wrote: »

Well, this probabally is not the best time of the year to sell them. They were originally purchased by a gentleman who is a scientist of sorts(weather) who kept them in his home since purchase,and had to sell because of a remodeling project. The ribbons and woofers are in excellent condition.With the exception of a couple of minor dings, and I do mean minor, they are in excellent condition. I'll leave them here a few days and see if there is any interest..

It would be very nice to do a business with you and if you are local to me. Actually, I love to get your amazings more than the ones found on eBay but you know this is not remotely possible considering the distance between us unless someone wants to drive these babies to me.

Best wishes to get these sold, George.

megasat16

Ricardo wrote: »

Or maybe he will......not everyone thinks that SDA's are the end of the road.

I sold my 1.2 TL's for a pair of Carver Amazing AL-III's.

Having said that, I agree you need to be careful with that ebay seller (hey, and Atlanta is not that far away.....)

The SDA 1.2 , SRS 2.3 and Carver Amazings are top on my speaker hunting list. Thanks for sharing the info and let you know what I end up with.

megasat16

skipf wrote: »

The Carver ALS series had four versions I'm aware of. The ALS (referred to as the ALS Original) which had two 30" ribbons and four honeycomb woofers each. The originals are rated at four ohms and are a real challenge to properly drive as they dip down to one ohm at times. There are some Originals out there that have been factory converted to the Platinum model, an option offered owners when the Platinum model came out. The ALS Platinums which had one 60" ribbon and four Standard cone woofers. They are 8 ohm and much easier to drive than the originals, but still need a lot of power to make 'em sing. They have four binding posts so are easily bi-amped. The ALS Platinum Mk IV which had a few changes in the x-over and pots added to the x-over for tuning the sound to the room. The ALS Silvers were a smaller version of the Plats with one 48" ribbon and three woofers. All require a high headroom amp that can pump some power. I have a set of Plats and drive them with 600 watt monoblocks that can reach well over 1000 watts if demand requires. I think the Plats are the best sounding of the lot. Originals can be converted to Plats without a lot of effort, but finding the ribbons and x-over to do the conversion can be a challenge.

I have never heard a speaker that produces such clear and powerful sound. The bass must be experienced to believe. It's the purest bass reproduction I've enjoyed, you feel it as much as hear it. Ribbons are exceptional for mids and highs and as Rabbit mentioned, outstanding at reproducing female vocals and piano music. The notes really ring out. They are tricky to place properly in a room and need a lot of breathing space to deliver their full potential. I don't think you can find a better speaker at the usual price these sell for, but you should expect to have the woofers replaced and new kaptons installed in the ribbons eventually. Woofers are available for $45 ea., and rebuilding the ribbons is around $400 ea. You can occasionally find used ribbons for around $100, but they will fail eventually too. My advice would be to hold out for a set of Platinums.

Thanks for the insights info on the Carver Amazings. I'll try to get Platinum in the future and let this one goes as I don't want to buy the lesser quality one and spend more money on the upgrade later on. Much appreciated.

megasat16

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

I would rate the Amazings above the 1.2 TL. I feel that speaker is a smidge over-rated and needs a huge room to operate optimally.

Once I get my SoundLabs back and dialed in I might let mine go. The transparency of the ribbons in the Amazings is awesome, very smooth and detailed, great mid-range just awesome bass from the 8 12" subwoofers, mine growl and fact is they spec lower than any SDA, they actually go sub-sonic on the bass. Its definetely a speaker you want to own and experience and just may be the last one you ever want. The di-pole radiation pattern just does it and minimizes sidewall reflection problems, so you can get away with a smaller room.

The Originals will need some quality amplification, when I had them (I now have the Platinum) I first used some NAD 2700 bridged, they ran out of steam though, bless them, then I moved to Carver Silver 9t, which had the balls but I ended up with a BAT VK-500 which was the better and a more refined Hi-fi powerhouse. You need an amp that delivers more than just power, if the amp is the least bit grainey like say most mid-fi amps the transparency of the ribbons will let that come through, after a while it will grate on you, well at least it did on me. High powered tube amps are another option.

The Amazing is definetly a speaker to own and experience, it may be the last pair you ever want.

RT1

Thanks a Bunch RT1! I think I am gonna hold onto my savings till I come across Platinum Amazings.

I am a little worried about amplification if I buy the original Amazings. I have 3 units of the Harmon Kardon Citation 7.1 that has 4 x 150W or 2 x 450W bridged at 8 ohms (I think). That is said to be stable to 1 ohm load with more than 100 amps current capability and even down to DC for a few seconds. I am not sure it'll be OK to drive the Amazings.

I also have Adcom GFA-7807, Rotel RMB-1095, Carver PM1.5 (pro audio with XLR), a few more Parasound and Pioneer Amps that are accumulated over the years of my audio life. I am not sure what will be able to push the Amazings but I prefer not to buy more amps if possible.