Pharsyd

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Great little product from Carver's earlier line. Have used this little gem with high end pre/pro's like meridian and EAD just to see the differences between higher end amps like EAD, ATI, Bryston etc... and i tell you, although there are definite differences, for the price of the 405, compared to the higher end stuff, the money difference compared to the performance difference is quite huge. This will drive speakers well, and don't even try to compare it to recvrs..... as the clarity is much different. I have not encountered the grounding problems others have mentioned, but i have dedicated lines with porter ports and thats it, but nice clean sound. I have compared to HK, and me personally is the other way around from previous posts, i find it quite strong against others in its small price range. Its a great stater piece while waiting to move up in the ranks. I have been using this amp for about 4 years now in my masterbedroom and it is still a great sounding piece.

Strengths:
For the price, everything!

Weaknesses:
seperate power cord would have been nice and some better cooling fins, but still doesn't run too warm

Similar Products Used:
HK, rotel, EAD, Meridian, ATI, bryston, classe...

Canuxican

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $325.00 from internet

Summary:
This little amp is fine for the 1st step up from mass produced AVRs. It isn't the best effort Bob Carver ever came up with, not by a long shot, but then, I doubt that was the intent. If you are looking for something with greater clarity and depth than a stock AVR this is for you. If you really want to improve the dynamics of your home theater move up the the Sunfire or Bryston multi-channel line. Of course the price is substantially increased as well. The next best option would be multiple amps for each function (my preference) money and space providing.

Strengths:
Dependability

Weaknesses:
middle of the road power at best (front and center) with underpowered rears. Not recommended for two channel music.

Price Paid:  $265.00 from eBay

Summary:
I have owned several amplifiers, receivers and integrated amps, including the Carver AV-405, Harman Kardon PA-5800, Marantz MM-9000, NAD 7100 and Musical Fidelity A-300. The Carver AV-405 is definitely the worst sounding component in this group. The HK is similar in price but sounds w-a-a-a-y better. The Carver has inadequate noise filtration. I had to buy a line filter to reduce the very annoying hum produced by the Carver. The HK does not require a noise filter when plugged into the same outlet that the Carver uses. Moreover, the HK is much smoother sounding and less fatiguing. The Carver does play loud, but it is not very listenable in my opinion. It is very harsh sounding. One more thing: Carver was in bankruptcy in the late 1990's (I'm not sure what the company's status is currently). With Carver in bankruptcy, service and parts for repairs are hard to find. I ended up giving the Carver away to Goodwill. If you are looking to spend under $300 for a five channel amp, seriously consider the HK PA-5800 over the Carver AV-405. You might also want to consider the NAD 906/916 or a Rotel amp. Stay away from Carver, IMO.

Strengths:
Plays loud.

Weaknesses:
Needs line filter, harsh sounding, Carver went bankrupt.

Similar Products Used:
Harman Kardon PA-5800, Marantz MM 9000

Price Paid:  $650.00 from computability

Summary:
This has been a great amp, but I am ready for something new - I have been waiting for something to happen to this
amp, so I could justify buying a new one, but I think this thing will be around longer than me.

Strengths:
Have had this amp for about 6 years and have had no problems
yet. The sound is great!

Weaknesses:
None that I can tell

Price Paid:  $700.00 from Carver Direct

Summary:
Owesome amp. If you are not ready to spent over $1000 for a audiophile amp, this amp is the one to buy. Power steering technology helps deliver more power to the rear chanels when watching DTS movies . It has delayed power up and power down feature that helps get rid of speaker pops at power up or power down (excelent feature).

Strengths:
Very powerfull, very musical (unlike my ADCOM) drives 2 ohm loads at all 5 chnals. Power steering technology helps deliver more power to the rear chanels when watching DTS movies.

Weaknesses:
Runs worm if played at low volume.

Similar Products Used:
ADCOM