I just bought 2 Carver A500x from Circuit City at a closeout price of $450. I wanted to use them for my front channels of an HT system. I currently have an Adcom GFA555 that I was going to use for the rears. After listening to the Carvers and the Adcom I was not satisified with the Carvers. They sounded a little harsh on the highs and thin on the midrange compared to the Adcom. I also invited two friends over to do blind listening tests. ( I wanted to make sure that I wasn't "hearing" things.) They picked the Adcom as the better sounding amp ever time on every type of music. I'm going to return the Carver's and look for a 3 channel amp (maybe Adcom, Acurus, Parasound, ???). I know it's going to cost more money but aftering hearing the difference, there is no doubt that it's worth spending the extra bucks.

This amp list for $1000, sells for $799 from Carver online and can be found cheaper is you shop around. I drive a pair of Martin Logan CLS electrostats. At the 2 ohms the amp sees, it puts out close to 750 watts/chnl. This amp is current limited at 1 ohm. So much for techno...IMHO this is a nice amp. For relatively low cost the bang for your buck is high. Good clean power that can run all day and stays warm to the touch. This is not audiofile equipment. The case could be thicker material, the speaker posts could be heaver but these are minor things. To get an improvement you could easily spend twice as much money and more. So if you have a difficult load to drive this amp is a great choice below $1000.

The Carver A500x is an excellent amplifier. It has plenty of clean power, 250 watts into 8ohms or 400 watts into 4 ohms. I needed an amplifier that would drive my Magnepans with power to spare. The Carver does an excellent job with the Maggies. I would highly reccomend this amp, I have had no problems with it and it has a great price/performance ratio.

the carver a-500x is a good bang for the buck ampwith 250 watss into 8 ohms it will power just about anything
and the front panel meters are wonderful
the only complaint I have is that it will not take spades
but for the money little can touch it!

This is an awesome amp for the price vs it's performance. The analogue meters in the front is a nice feature that lets you know the output power going to your speakers. I am very please with my purchase and how it powers my sound system.

I have owned several Carver, and now Sunfire, amps and the A500X is by far my least favorite. It is evident that it is not a Bob Carver amp, rather a Carver Corporation amp. It does not have the Bob Carver tube sound, i.e. mellow and smooth. The amp is edgy and very thin sounding. Additionally, the amp does not take spade speaker wires. The amp is clean and very powerful. But, if you want a Bob Carver amp, this is not one...look on the used market.

I use 2 of these amps to power Infinity sigmas. I bought each amplifier separately about a month apart and incidently noticed that there was a difference in sound between the two amps, together, until about a week of normal playing when the harshness of the newer amp disappeared. Or maybe my head got softer.

Enormous power and dynamic handling. Very good sound stage. Never heats up.

Initially harsh in the highs, gets better with time. It needs to be " burnt in". The cabinet and some other details ( screws) could be more sturdy. The connections should be able to take spades.

I am a Norwegian audio enthusiast. I have used the Carver 500x for about one year and is generally very happy with it. The first thing that comes to mind is a great power supply which can drive almost any speaker. I have a couple of Dahlquist DQ10's (modified) which used to run with a Threshold NS10/CAS 1 amplifier set( I still have the NS10). With the Carver the DQ10's get new life dynamically because of the extra power. The soundstage is very good and the transients are nearly perfect. I have had a problem, especially in the beginning with a little harshness in the upper mids and highs. It seems to sound better in the evening and after som "pre heating". You should have it connected for at least 2-3 hours before playing. When "smoothed out" the sound is excellent. I have noticed that many other reviewers have the same experience. Does it have to do with the "magnified current" (switching mode) technology? I use a Micromega Premium 18 CD player and Nordost Flatline cables.
At the price/power this amp is a hit with very few competitors.

Similar Products Used:

Threshold CAS1

I have been in the market for a pair of amplifiers to drive my bi-amped setup for quite a few months now. Most of the "hi-end" amplifiers are way out of my price range, so I was looking at the usual offerings at the mid-fi level:
Rotel RB-991
Parasound HCA-1500A
Adcom GFA-5500
B&K ST3030II
Acurus A200

Even at this price level, it would still run close to 2 grand for a pair of any of the above.

I was surpised last week when I saw a message posted on one of the nets discussion boards, that onecall.com was offering the Carver A-500x for $351.26 each. $350 for a 250w /channel amp is unheard of compared to ehat I had been looking at.

I decided that even though Carver is in difficulty right now, I'd have to go for it anyway. I called onecall.com, and had (2) A-500x's arrive at my door a few days later, for $751.02. I'd have a hard time even scrounging a nice used pair of Adcom GFA-555's that that price.

Two days after I ordered, onecall jumped the price from $351 to $466. Apparently, they greatly underestimated the response they were going to receive on this special - but that's a whole different story.

Got the Carver's out of the box - Both boxes were still factory sealed, as were the units. Cosmetically, I have to rate these amps as a 10 out of 10. They are very handsome indeed, and the power meters are a welcome addition.

Took one of the units and hooked it up to my HT setup for a quick test. Yamaha DSP-A3090 for the preamp, DV-414 for the source, Polk LS-90's for the mains.

At first listen, I noticed two things. The Carvers have ALOT of power! This was the first time I'd ever had an amp of capability driving the LS-90's. However, even though the sound was good, there seemed to be a slight edge to it, especially in the upper treble range. It wasn't fatiguing, just noticable.

I left the Carver hooked up, and ran it for a couple of days. Last night I sat down for my first "serious" listening sesson - What happened here! The edge that I had noticed two days before was now totally absent! I had never really bought into all the hoop-la of having to "break-in" an amplifier, but now I believe it! You to run this unit for a good 24 hours and allow it time to smooth out.

The amps personality has totally changed. I'd now have to describe the sound as excellent, with no edge at all. It has a very warm sound, and really takes control of the LS-90's. The bass has deepened and tightened as a result of using this amp. I could live with this sound forever!

If the Carvers hold up for years, I'll be a happy Camper. As I mentioned, I got them for a steal. I'm sure there are better amps out there, but not at the price I got these units for.

Not to be confused with the 500-X. This model offers two channels with 250 wpc at 8 ohms, 500 wpc at 4 ohms. I really like this model because I switch back and forth between 4 and 8 ohms and can't really notice any difference in sound quality. It is stylish; having 2 analog thin-needle total wattage output meters on the front panel. This is a nice feature, especially in controlling power. If you're looking to get a powerful amp that doesn't sacrifice sound QUALITY, i highly reccomend this model. The highs and mids seem to be right on the money and the bass is incredible, very deep and clear. Great for the money and I don't think I'll switch for a long while. over all 4.8stars.