You've got to love Carver manuals

Fongolio

Since I first got it a couple of years ago I alway thought the output level on my Carver C-1 pre-amp was too high. Even approaching 12:00 o'clock on the volume dial was impossibly loud, and when using my cd player it was barely off the zero mark at normal listening levels. It was also really sensitive.

After reading the manual carefully the section on main output level explained that:
"The gain of the Carver C-1 is set to provide normal loudness levels with the Volume Control set at mid-rotation. In some installations with a high output source, a highly sensitive power amplifier, and very efficient loudspeakers, a Volume setting "10:00" might produce the highest Volume level you ever use. This condition has several disadvantages:
- Signal-to-noise ratio (effective) of the system as a whole will not be at its best, since the full headroom capability of the preamplifier is not being exploited, while it is operated close to its "noise floor."
- The Volume control taper rate will result in a greater level-change per degree of rotation than at higher settings.
- The residual mistracking of channel levels in the Volume control will more closely approach its 1dB maximum specification at settings below "8:00.""

It then goes on to explain that a simple mod can change the output gain in 3,6,and 8 dB steps to extend the range of the Volume control.

So, by changing a few resistors I can get better s/n ratio more accurate tracking of channel levels and less sensitive volume control. Cool. I go ahead and fire up soldering iron and make the mod and switch it to the lowest recommended level.

I further read that the output levels of the mm and mc phono sections can similarly be modded with just the change of a couple resistors. I'm currently using a very low output (0.2 mV) moving coil cartridge (Sony MC-3) and the output level is much quieter than the cd player at a similar setting on the Volume control. So I do the mod to increase the mc phono output gain from 60 dB to 70 dB total. The mm phono stage has a total circuit gain of 35 dB which is fine so no mod needed.

I put it back in the system and put a record on. Voil

dudeinaroom

Way cool. Gotta love it when you can do something your self with out the head ache of searching for information.

Face

My Mapletree Line 2A also has something similar outlined in the owners manual.

hearingimpared

Great stuff Kelvin. My Spectral pre has a plethora of options to set the gain and loading of MC cartridge on board as well as position where you can customize the loading by simply plugging in a resistor in the case of MC or a capacitor in the case of MM. The manual goes into great detail.

My problem is that I have to boost the gain so high in the MC stage that I get a hiss when their is no music playing which drives me nuts.

RichP714

One of our member (BillD) has a modification for the Carver C-1 that turns it into a giant killer

http://www.thecarversite.com/yetanotherforum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=52456#post52456

http://www.thecarversite.com/yetanotherforum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=67831#post67831