The 895 I pbrobably the best ive heard w/ my passive jbls 10in 3way front & 8in 2way back
and 8in sub. my 60's dynaco kit st-70 in 1969 was a great inroad in audio at least for my price range with my ar 2ax's but of course doesn't hold a candle to the 895 but wish IHad the ars back.

i have had my hr895 since new in 1994 it has awesome sound and have enjoyed listening to it for years. i do have a problem with it now ,that the left channel has a intermittent cracking sound.most times it will do it and some times it doesn't,the volume plays no part (soft or loud) i have had the cover off and put air to the components,not having changed anything. i am open to suggestions or to someplace that fixes carver units

Loads of power 110x2, 75 and 35x2 plus a great aray of inputs Video and Audio, and a great remote control

gets Hot, Tape monitor turns off every time you select another input (I use it for my EQ) and the layout of buttons are poor.

I have found the Carver HR-895 to be a great sounding Amp. It reproduces music and Movie soundtracks very nicly. I have found it to get very HOT and thus needs to be placed outside of the rack in order to keep it cool. I find that the buttons as many others have stated on here to be placed in a strange order but once you are used to it I don't mind. I also like the channel seperation on this amp it is very sharp and crisp. I run Mission 765 fronts, Mission 762 rears, yamaha centre, and ADS sub. I will be intrested in selling this amp as I am looking at upgrading to 5.1 you can contact me at tony_c_vdb@hotmail.com for more info.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSPE-300, Carver 6250

It has plenty of inputs for the most discerning audiophile.Plenty of power to handle just about anything you can hook up to it

It needs alot of air space to keep it cooling,i will eventyally have to add a separate exhaust fan to keep it from burning up

I find the front panel to be confusing for the most part.It does however,produce quite a bit of clarity to my Boston's(rears) and mtx(15"-3 ways).I recently put into use a pair of braun 3 ways as backups.The unit has no trouble handling these babies

Similar Products Used:

I used to have a Denon avr1100 receiver,which this replaced.

It has plenty of inputs for the most discerning audiophile.Plenty of power to handle just about anything you can hook up to it

It needs alot of air space to keep it cooling,i will eventyally have to add a separate exhaust fan to keep it from burning up

I find the front panel to be confusing for the most part.It does however,produce quite a bit of clarity to my Boston's(rears) and mtx(15"-3 ways).I recently put into use a pair of braun 3 ways as backups.The unit has no trouble handling these babies

Similar Products Used:

I used to have a Denon avr1100 receiver,which this replaced.

Great sounding amp, especially for music. Pro Logic processing top notch, sonic holography.

DSP doesn't switch with input, confusing remote, user-hostile front panel layout.

I got one of these for $250 at Circuit City when they were closing out their stock after Carver went out of business.

What I must mention is that Carver didn't make the sound processing input-specific. For instance, if I'm watching a film on the LD in Dolby Pro-Logic, then switch to the CD input, I have to change the processing to stereo, then back when I want to watch a movie again. My Sony, which was 5 years older, and my new Marantz, both have individual settings for each input, so the DVD input stays in Dolby, and CD is always straight stereo, and changing one doesn't effect the other.

On the front panel, the buttons you use the most, like the Surround mode button, (for the reasons mentioned above) are the smallest, and in odd places. For instance, the test tone button is large and centered, while the surround is identical to, and right next to, the multi room button? How often do you use those buttons? If you're lucky you only use the test tones once, and I never needed the multi room feature. Other buttons are similarly mis-arranged.

However, the amp sounds great. My Sony kicked out static from the surround speakers while using Pro-Logic, and music was always flat and lifeless. Not so with the Carver. There was plenty of headroom, no distortion, and the separation was fantastic, even without the Sonic Holography turned on. I got near-Dolby Digital quality out of the Pro-Logic decoder. I convinced a number of friends to upgrade to Dolby and DVD's with a showing at my place. Other great features include 3 S-Video inputs & 2 outputs, subwoofer out, 5 channel pre-outs and input level control.

Bottom line: If you can get a deal on this used, and you don't need Dolby Digital, you won't be disappointed by the sound this thing puts out. It may not be that user friendly, but let's face it, there's always something you're not going to like about any given product. 4 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Ultrx & Sony receivers before, upgraded to Marantz SR-8000 recently. Used Pioneer, Harman Kardon, and NAD in shared apartments.

Great sound of a tube nature as is common to recent Carver produsts. However, the lack of all of the latest surround modes I am reluctantly changing to a Yamaha 2095. For the past twenty plus years I have been a faithful Carver user: mono block amps, Amazing loudspeakers, pre amp, turner,etc, and I am certain that I will miss the hologram, but time moves on and since Bob left the company the innovative edge is no longer present. If one can get by on Dolby Pro Logic alone this is a great unit, and if some one out there wishes to give me a bid on a well maintained unit I can be reached bernard.reese2@gte.net

I tried the Carver with my B&W 801's and felt that the audio lacked dimension and depth. I am thoroughly dissatisfied with this model and plan to return it.

I've had my HR-895 for five years. It still plays as well as it did on day one. No noticeable deterioration in anything. It's a shame it's a Pro-Logic unit, but that's the price we pay for being ahead of the curve. As Pro-Logic goes, the matrix works very well, indeed, and I'm still highly satisfied with the sound qualities both for music and for home theater. It drives my old speakers (JBL 4312s) reasonably well, but I think they are my next upgrade. I'm looking to upgrade to Digital 5.1, and I'm so happy with the HR-895, I'm looking to supplement it with a Vantas "adapter" rather than toss the Carver out the window. Oldies still can be goodies, especially if they have that elusive quality: they're paid for.

I have enjoyed my HR-895. I purchased in 93' and have enjoyed the warm tonal qualities the Carver produces. I am not too satisfied with the reliability of the unit, however. Currently I am totally unaware of a Carver sponsored website so I can contact the company about my most recent problem with the AMP. Overall, it's a great product - when it's working.