Price Paid:  $550.00 from EBay in September of

Summary:
This CD player, along with "The" Carver Receiver I purchased just a few months ago have transformed my music listening experience. My system up til now could not be considered the dogs knackers but none too shabby all the same, with Denon 3700 reciever, Philips 963SA DVD and Polk's awesome RT5000 speaker system (RT3000P, CS1000, F/X100)seving as the foundation of the audio/vidoe system. Now this system sounds good, largely because the Polk RT5000 system are some of the best ever made. The Philips does a very sound job of reproducing music, and the Denon has warmth and power. Gee, I thought, I really can't do an awful lot better than this... Well I'm still blown away by how much better in every respect my 'new' audio-only setup is, and thats just in two channel stereo. I am using the Carver DSP-33 Surround sound processor to drive my F/X1000s, but quite frankly, compared to the Denon's sophisticated rear channel circuitry, the Carver on this point (and this point only) sounds relatively crap. Driving my audio-only system is 'The' Reciever by Carver (always thought the name was a bit funny). The Denon is powerful..ish, but is is just not in the same league as the Carver were talking clean, we're talking cajones here. I have a the Carver CD3100 also, and let me tell you that this player is very respectable too, despite its age. Also have the Sonic Hologram generator which can range form sounding out of this world beyond brilliant to almost sounding a little vague in the mid-range with some tracks. Also have the Carver TD1500 tape Cassette - truly excellent. Which brings me the the truly sublime Vacuum Tube player 390T. I really mean it, this player is simply jaw-dropping. For me, the essential qualities that make this player so good are its abilty to extract every detail from the CD, and to do this with a beautiful airy openness, with a sound thats just spot on soft when it needs to be, and in your face when it needs to be. Whether playing classical, rock, jazz, Clannad or Zakir Hussein, the sound envelops you in all the right ways. It is simply in a different league to my A/V setup, even in 5 chanel stereo. If you are looking for one of the best ever products made, and truly exceptional value for the money, you cannot go wrong with the 390T. Those tubes and the 90's 'ultra sophisticated' soft EQ really do make a phemonemal difference. The player is also exceptionally well made particularly by today's standards where contemporary products seem positively flimsy by comparison. Finished in beautiful gun-metal aluminum on the face plate, this player is very good looking. Incidentally, the tubes are run at 25% of there actual capacity, to increase longevity. I also highly recommend Carver's 'The Reciever' as a truly exceptional power-partner for this player.

Strengths:
Stunning sound quality. I would venture to say that its every bit as good as (if not better than) some of the very expensive players I listened to including two Krell models.
Beautifully finished with superior quality (just look at the loading tray)
Very fully featured with extensive programmin capabilities.
Just has that Carver 90s ultra cool thing going on, you know what I mean?

Weaknesses:
The disk loading tray can be rather noisy when changing th disk.
Seems expensive for an older player(believe me its worth every penny)

Similar Products Used:
Philips 963SA, Sony 777es (great player too but not as good)

Price Paid:  $300.00 from D&S Sound Labs

Summary:
First I need to point out that I own the SDA 490t which is the single disc version of the 390t.

The sound stange, depth and clarity of music coming from this player is simply beautiful. I was not expecting much of a change replacing a basic Yamaha 5 disc changer with a ten yr old CD player. I was wrong, thew difference in sound stage is huge. Music is opened up, sounds a lot more natural and realistic. Smooth and warm, a pleasure to listen to. Some CD's that sounded harsh, or dull on the Yamaha are now much more open and clean sounding.

Strengths:
Ease of use, beaufitul sound stage and sound quality

Weaknesses:
Carver is no longer around, rack style front panel does not blend well with other components

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha CDC-565, Sony ES

Summary:
I have owned this machine for over a year now, and I have never failed to be impressed with it. I don't know if the sound is truly influenced by the tube output, or if it is just that this is a high quality CD player anyway, but the sound is first rate. The "soft EQ" function is pretty cool, too, it is useful for those early CDs that we all have where the mastering was real poor. This function emphasizes certain frequencies and cuts other, making older CDs sound much better. But beware, it can make any newer CD sound kindof muddy - it should not be used except when needed.

I must admit that I am still in love with that traditional Carver look - the wide black metal chassis with the rack handles. I hope that when Carver reorganizes they keep true to this style - I don't want to have to replace all my Carver stuff!

Strengths:
Exceptionally clean sound, looks great, Soft EQ function

Weaknesses:
Display can be a bit small from a distance

Summary:
The Carver SD/A 390t is by far the best sounding and functioning 5-disc cd player I've had the pleasure of owning. The unit features linear single bit D/A conversion for increased sonic defenition and detail. It has two 6DJ8 vacuum tubes in the final output stage, providing very low static and transient distortion while providing extremely high dynamic headroom. Carvers "Soft EQ" circuit prevents the loss of front to back depth imaging as well as the extreme brightness associated with cd recordings. A "Level File" feature adds the convenience of memorizing up to 100 discs to play back at optimum volume levels.When the SDA 390's vacuum tubes warm up to their low 25% capacity, the music is incredibly warm and detailed. Nothing but stars for this one!