Price Paid:  $300.00

Summary:
This review is for Carver M1.5t.This is an outstanding sounding amp! Not grainy at al l,plenty of low end punch,midrange is superb! In fact its great through the whole spectrum.I run mine,at times, a little on the load side and it never gets hot.These amps deserve recognition .I have used the Krell KSA150,McIntosh 2205 and 240,B&K's,Rogue and I honestly have to say the M1.5t is as good ,if not better than any of those.I never fatique listening to it.The "T" in the model is for "T"ube sound.Very well done Bob Carver.

Strengths:
Full sound spectrum accurately and pleasantly delivered with all the cleanest power you'll ever need! Also,its very compact and light (16 lbs) .

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
mentioed above

Price Paid:  $300.00 from ebay

Summary:
I absolutely love this amp. It has an abundance of power and I agree that any lack of bass that people experience is not the fault of the amplifier. The real reason I wanted to write this review is to alert users of how to avoid that annoying thump when powering off. Here's how: When turning on/off the amp do this process very slowly, in other words do not just flip the switch. This works every time! Enjoy.

Strengths:
Plenty of power. Tube-like warmth. Simple, clean design.

Weaknesses:
Amplifier humm is a little louder than most and can be annoying when listening at low levels.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from State St. Sound, Por

Summary:
I've owned this amp since 1990, bought used when traded in for the 375/ch version (with headroom that exhausted at the same level as the M10.t...).

First - any lack of bass is not the amp's fault. Second, unless your amp has some age-related defects, something that sounds like the Conrad Johnson it was ABX tested against can't sound that horrible. Unless of course you're mad you spent so much on the Conrad Johnson by comparison.

This isn't best amp on the planet, but I've been amazed continually with speakers ranging from 88dB to 92dB. I love the tube-like sound. My current LSi15s sound wonderful (sorry, my budget priorities don't allow for a 5-digit audio budget). They get plenty of power and sound wonderful in my home. I use this amp in stereo and bypass the amp in my Denon 4308.

I do not recommend buying this amp if you're worried about what the audio-snobs might say.

I highly recommend buying this amp if you enjoy the quality of your music and willing to suffer the "indignity" of not devoting all of your discretionary money audio gear.

Weaknesses:
Audio thump at power on/off. Small amount of buzzing in amp, and speakers when volume is quite low.

Similar Products Used:
Does my review opinion change if I way I've listened to $30,000 mono blocks in a dedicated listening room of a co-worker?

Price Paid:  $195.00 from audio specialties -

Summary:
Prior to purchasing the M-1.0t i was using a M.5t which I thought was a marked improvement from the Pioneer SX-1050 I had been using for the 5 years prior. Switching to the M-1.0t was a world changer. To me, it's what an amp should be, gobs of power, good blend of lows, mid and highs. It never gets hot. I've not had the upgrades to get rid of the thump but as I'm in Oregon it probably will be on my list of things to do but not until I get a second one and run them as mono blocks.

My main source is vinyl and it was with that in mind that I sought out the Carver as it was initially designed by Mr. Carver to reproduce the sound of quite expensive designer tube mono blocks.

After reading all 46 reviews prior to my typing of this I would have to agree that $ for $ there probably isn't a better amp for the money especially if you're powering a mid priced separates system.

I will say that I believe another important component in the sound is the NAD 1240 pre-amp i am using in concert with the Carver. I've had a few other pre-amps hooked up to it but the NAD really makes it come alive. I recently purchased a NAD 4155 tuner and I've never heard the radio sound so good.

I've been using the same speakers for all three amps I've had over the past 5 years and I am basing this review on the fact that the Carver really made the speakers come alive whereas the other amps were fair to average. I have had the good fortune of being able to listen to top of line ridiculously overpriced systems and while I know the sound I am producing is nowhere near the level of multi-thousand dollar systems, for less than $500 I have a system that top of it's class and knocking at the door of systems far more expensive and esoteric.

Do your homework and if you can always bring your music with you to listen prior to purchase, read these reviews and others like it. I'm sure in the end if you purchase the Carver you'll be satisfied. If not, they don't loose their value, so you wouldn't have to be concerned about not being able to resale it.

Good luck. Hope this was helpful.

Strengths:
Clean power for days. Clean almost minimalist design.

Weaknesses:
Loud thump when powering down. Can be repaired via updates.

Similar Products Used:
Luxman M-120A
Carver M.5t
Pioneer SX-1050
Marantz 2226B

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Pro Audio

Summary:
I see there have been no reviews of this amp for about a year, so this may lack relevance now. I've own one or more of these for nearly 20 years. This amp, when it was released, was aboslutely astounding. In 1987, I used the first one to drive a set of KEF 104/2's (w/KUBE) with delicious results. The detail was amazing and the clarity would simply take your breath away. Back then, I was using a Denon DCD-1500-II single disc CD player and an NAD 3150 as a preamp. Not high end, but worked extremely well. The sound produced by this combo was nothing short of superb. Tight bass, sweet mids and sharp highs. No harshness, no weakness.

Fast forward to the present: The same speakers and CD player (speaks very highly for them) and now two M-1.0t's driving one channel each. No preamp when playing CD's as the Denon unit has variable output. No, they aren't what they used to be, but they still pump tunes with authority. These amps do have a tendency towards requiring TLC or repair. I have had the original amp back to Carver a couple of times over the years. The annoying "thump" still persists, but here's a tip. Always make them the first component to be turned on AND off in your system start-up and shut-down routine. Pull a lead to each speaker before you turn them off and don't re-attach them until you have turned the amps back on the next time you use the system. "Thump" solved. If you can get one of these at a good price, and that should be pretty easy now, try it. I think you'll like it.

Strengths:
Sound quality, gobs of power, clean design.

Weaknesses:
Reliability and "thump"

Similar Products Used:
N/A