I just purchased the Carver 5.2 speaker system from Costco ($699.99). I had originally purchased the Carver 5.1, and was quite impressed with the sound, but the subwoofer quit working (yes, I checked the fuse). I returned it to Costco, and was going to get another set, but no more available. Instead, the Carver 5.2 was available. After doing a little research, and having listened to the 5.1s, I picked them up. In fact, I also picked up a set for my brother-in-law in Portland.
I have to say that these speakers are probably the best I have ever listened to, certainly at least as good as systems costing thousands, that I recently listened to in the stereo stores. There is a level of clarity in the sound that I find remarkable, and the bass is very tight, even when you crank up the subwoofer level beyond what I would normally choose. BTW, I should add that I am just starting an upgrade to home theater, and still need an AC-3/DTS receiver, (such as the Harmon Kardon AVR-65). I am only running the towers and the rear surrounds, through the subwoofer amp crossover, powered by a Carver C-1 preamp and a Carver M-400 amp. My previous speakers were Magnepans (which are now in the master bedroom).

The only disturbing problem with the Carver 5.2 system is the low-level electrical hum from the subwoofer amp (that others have reported), as soon as you plug it in, that is not in the signal path, i.e., does not get amplified -- in fact it doesn't matter if anything is plugged into it. The same is true for the set I got for my brother-in-law, so it sounds like a design problem. I will check the discussion area to see if anyone has contacted the company. I don't want to take these back!!!

Ability to deliver a large home theater sound. Built in subwoofers take up less space.

Great speakers. Very spacious sounding since they are dipole speakers. Need to sell. I use the 2 towers and center channel/amplifier. If anyone is interested in buying, please contact me at cgoldberg@mindpring.com. Will sell for $890 or best offer.

First off let me tell you what equipment I am using with these, a Denon 3600 receiver, a sony cd changer, and a panasonic 110 dvd player and 10 gauge speaker cable. These speakers were originally $2500 but I got them on clearance for $1500. They are attractive speakers with black mdf and a cloth covering over most of the mains. Because of the covering you cannot see the actual drivers which is a negative but then this could be the only drawback to these speakers. First off let me say I have owned three sets of speakers (first polk audio, then a pair of Kefs, and finally an NHT Superone/SW2pi home theater). For home theater the Carver 5.2 blows away all of the above, the 2 10 inch built in subs really make for great Low Freq Effects and the 300 watt amp is extremely good. The mains have a 2.25 inch rear driver for effects/ambience which is really nice during movies. The mids and the highs from the mains reminded me lot of Def Tech speakers but the bass is much tighter and more musical. The center does a more than adequate job of delivering crisp and clear dialogue and blends perfectly with the fronts. It weighs close to 35lbs because of the built in amps. One very good thing about the amp being in the center speaker is that if something were to break (and the amp would probably be the most likely candidate) you only have to take that in as opposed to taking/sending a huge tower speaker in to be fixed. The surrounds are standard dipoles and do a great job of providing rear surround effects for both dolby prologic and ac-3 sources. They have built in wall hanging holders, which is where I put mine and they sound great. There is a Cinema System 5.1 which has smaller mains and I would be interested in using these as rears with a good ac-3 dvd like Super Speedway but the dipoles do a fine job. I bought these new a couple of months ago and everything works great after many hours of use. Carver used quality five way binding posts for all connections and all adjustments can be made at the rear of the center channel. Hooking up the system was simple and straightforward thanks to Carvers simple yet concise manuals, all hookup scenarios are addressed. One thing to consider, these are all 4 ohm speakers so you have to make sure your receiver can handle this kind of load (your manual should address this). I keep looking for something not to like about these when listening to music but I have to say that they sound terrific with CD's. I use the digital out of the cd player so I am relying on the Denon's dacs(which seem to do a very good job). I have a pretty eclectic taste in music and these do a great job on rock/pop, jazz , reggae, and classical. Obviously you should shop around if you have $1000 to $1500 to spend but for an all purpose music/home theater solution I think these are hard to beat. Because these are being closed out you should be able to find some great deals on these. The one problem with these is that they are hard to find in stores to demo, you can order direct from Carver and I believe they have a 30 day return policy/trial period. Enjoy

I bought my 5.2's at Costco of all places. I was waiting for Circuit City to come down on their demo set but then I saw them at Costco.com for $699.99!!! This is no joke, this is probably the best set of HT speakers that can be had for under $800.00. Like the previous poster I love everything about these speakers and can't wait to keep testing them with DTS and any of the new formats coming out later. The lack of being able to move the subwoofers around the room (they are built into the towers) to the get the best effect is a drawback but the Carver Lightstar 300 watt amp take care of it. the crossover says it is at 100hz and the fusion it great, there is a bass tilt feature and a crossover bypass switch for the subwoofer input so you only use your subwoofer output directly from your receiver. Awesome for the price and quality.

Waited for the Carver 5.2's to come to my local Costco. What an incredible setup for $699.00. I had been trying the EOSONE RSF600, center and surrounds from Best Buy($1250.00) they were to brassy and not well defined. With the Carvers you can here every musical insrument and the home theater dialogue is outstanding. These speakers have a sound famialer with much more expensive speakers. The built in amp and Subwoofer out preform most seperate subs I've heard. There is no way you can beat this deal for the $$$. Thank You, Costco.

Someone's misforture is our good fortune. As most know, Carver is well respectedname with good products, but had been led by poor management. Now Bob Carver is
back and we will find out his intention later. Let's talk about Carver Cinema 5.2's and a unique opportunity. Carver(without Bob) designed these speakers with all the bells and whistles. Built in subs powered by a Lightstar 300 watt amp. High quality connectors. Bass management. Inputs and outputs galore. Rear firing drivers. High quality internal array and crossovers. High quality cabinets. Dipole surrounds. Nothing missing and high quality all around. Amazing sound, amazing power handling. Amazing adjustability and musicallity. Retailed for
$2500, discounted to $1500. Then Carver Corp. in essence ceased operation except
to sell inventory. Hundreds of sets of speakers in inventory with no marketing
operation. They had to be dumped. So now Costco.com has them for $699 plus shipping!!!Basically at dealers cost. This is a rare and unique opportunity to own something of value for almost nothing. These speakers combined with a Dolby Digital reciever (see my review of Sony DA50ES)and a DVD player makes for an incredible music and movie system for under $2000. Unbeatable value and performance. Get them now before they are gone...

Just bought the 5.2 from Costco for $ 599.00 for the display units. These are the best speakers that I have ever had. Great sound and great power, never have heard anything better

The Costco deal is, indeed, an incredible one and its disappearing rapidly around the LA/Orange County area fast. I had to drive 70 miles to find a store that still had them. Finding a good place to demo them is difficult, try Circuit City.
The units are well packed and heavy, make sure they will fit in your car before you buy. The instructions are well written. The system comes with cables for the fronts and center. The end of the cables are partially stripped, Carver left the insullation on so the ends wouldn't fray (that's attention to detail). Fit and finsih is excellent.

The bass output is incredible, deep and without distortion. The midrange response is slightly limited, I would demo the system before purchase if this might be a problem for you listening to music. High frequency response is good and smooth. The system is moderately efficient, I am using a 100Wchannel amp (20-20KHz). Don't go with an underpowered or low current amp, the system is 4 ohms.

Overall; for $700, this system can't be beat. It is a very good music system and an outstanding accompaniment to a video system.

Sherman, way to rip off! your fellow Audiophiles. Costco still has plenty left at $699.00

I hate my wife for not letting me get these speakers for 699.00. She is stupid