Loaner amp...

[bearjew]

Does anyone have an amp that would comfortably power Carver Line sources that they could possibly loan out for as much as two months?  It will be kept safely in a smoke free environment where the dog doesn't really go.

[OldiesButGoodies]

I think you should consider one of these Behringers as a temp/backup amp:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer/iNUKE-NU3000-Power-Amp.gc?pfm=sp

I know it sounds crazy and counter-audiophile-culture to recommend anything Behringer,  but I have experienced a couple of demos recently that were jaw dropping good and when I looked in  they were using inuke amps. As a temporary solution they are hard to beat (and for subs they are great).   Can you rent one at Pianos & Stuff just to try?

[bearjew]

I think you should consider one of these Behringers as a temp/backup amp:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer/iNUKE-NU3000-Power-Amp.gc?pfm=sp

I know it sounds crazy and counter-audiophile-culture to recommend anything Behringer,  but I have experienced a couple of demos recently that were jaw dropping good and when I looked in  they were using inuke amps. As a temporary solution they are hard to beat (and for subs they are great).   Can you rent one at Pianos & Stuff just to try?

I'm hesitant to do this, but I have thought about the inukes just as an extra beater.  They certainly would power those beasts though.  I guess I'd have to buy a sharpie also to cover up the brand name.  The speakers are supposedly 92db efficient, so they don't actually need as much power as they're rated for.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Unless it is from a first world country, brand name is practically meaningless any more.   All that stuff comes from the same few factories (design aside, of course, but I have heard good things about those amps).

[bmwr75]

Weighing in at 6.6 lb. and putting out 400 W into 8 ohms doesn't seem to add up.  But what do I know about Class D amps?  Nothing.

[OldiesButGoodies]

The common concerns raised are what Scott mentioned (light),  the level controls,  and the fan noise. 

I could not hear the fan where I listened to these (he was running two bridge for L and R)  and the power and resolution were definitely there.

I think getting one as a backup amp for PA in backyard/summer block party would be a good use case. But many "audiophiles"  are using them full time.  A slight step up would be the Crown line up.

[AdamG]

The common concerns raised are what Scott mentioned (light),  the level controls,  and the fan noise. 

I could not hear the fan where I listened to these (he was running two bridge for L and R)  and the power and resolution were definitely there.

I think getting one as a backup amp for PA in backyard/summer block party would be a good use case. But many "audiophiles"  are using them full time.  A slight step up would be the Crown line up.

These are fantastic. Dead silent background noise, active cooling when needed, built-in protections and crossover utilities, and gobs of power at a reasonable price. Heard them in a larger set of infinities. Also have adjustable input sensitivity to match better with home-level gear. It would be between these and Emotiva for my $ if I were buying new. http://www.crownaudio.com/en-US/product_families/xls-drivecore-2-series

[Kingman]

I might have an extra if you can stop by.....

[Jim Pittsburgh]

I have both a small Adcom and a Robertson you are welcome to try/ borrow....

[bearjew]

I might have an extra if you can stop by.....

An extra?  I think you have 40 extras haha.  It sounds like James will be shipping them up though, but if he doesn't, I'll definitely be coming by your way.

Class D amps are all over Audiogon and US Audio Mart these days.  They're getting insanely popular.  I guess now could be a good time for me for myself how they sound.  I'd probably go with a Crown though, like AdamG suggested.  regardless of what people say about the behringer quality of today, my experience with them has left a fairly bad taste in my mouth, considering the sound, as well as the reliability.  Maybe they're better today, but I'll leave that to someone else to figure out.  Either way, I'll probably just try to acquire one of these amps via eBay for as cheap as possible.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

If you are going to go pro sound, don't rule out QSC.   Many of their amps are still made in the USA and sound really good.

[ataudio]

Off topic...but since several class d amps have been mentioned I thought I'd through this out there

I am a huge fan of class d amps.  Properly executed ones.  I have found them to be very neutral, extremely musical, not sterile and overall
just plain fun and engaging. Explosive dynamics, seemingly endless power and bar none the best woofer control I've ever heard. Very tight bass....nothing any of my tube amps (push pull, single ended, still own my Decware SET) or any of my SS amps could ever do.
Most class d amps have great dampening factors.  Starts and stops a woofer on a dime.
Micro dynamics are superb. Macro dynamics (again, the feeling of endless power) is spectacular.  Are they perfect?  No.  Do they work with all types of speakers? No. Horns don't seem to like them from what I've read on several websites.  There may be the tiniest ( And i mean super tiny amount) of hiss from certain tweeters.  They do far more right than wrong.  I least the ones I've heard.  So don't rule them out yet.  They are getting better and better.  You must allow yourself a paradigm shift and keep an open mind.  I have no secrets...you don't have to agree..but my goto amp right now is the Crown XLS2500.  Superbly musical and engaging.  I've owned some pretty good tube amps over the years as well as SS amps.  I've borrowed and traded for many years with other friends and havnt had one itch to trade my Crown amp.  Smooth mids and highs, tight and deep bass.  It's far better than any old school audiophile would think.  Just my opinion gained from direct use and comparisons. YMMV. Your system's synergy may not like it.  Don't whole heartedly discount them entirely.  My Crown at a few hundred bucks has performed well beyond my expectations.  Good luck with your project.

[bearjew]

If you are going to go pro sound, don't rule out QSC.   Many of their amps are still made in the USA and sound really good.

I actually forgot about them.  I used one for a while when I was gigging in Virginia, and I liked it a lot.  It seemed to push my 15" driver and my 4x10" rather effortlessly.


I probably do need to take a step back and look at these class D amps though.  When I first heard the line sources, they were paired with Carver Silver 9's, and Silver 7's, so I have this impression built in my head that I won't be satisfied with anything less than unobtainium, but realistically, I have no reason to discredit Crown or QSC, considering my experience with them is lacking and/or good, respectively.  It certainly would be an easy way to provide ample power, considering the Silver 700's cost literally 100 times more.

[OldiesButGoodies]

Off topic...but since several class d amps have been mentioned I thought I'd through this out there

I am a huge fan of class d amps.  Properly executed ones.  I have found them to be very neutral, extremely musical, not sterile and overall
just plain fun and engaging. Explosive dynamics, seemingly endless power and bar none the best woofer control I've ever heard. Very tight bass....nothing any of my tube amps (push pull, single ended, still own my Decware SET) or any of my SS amps could ever do.
Most class d amps have great dampening factors.  Starts and stops a woofer on a dime.
Micro dynamics are superb. Macro dynamics (again, the feeling of endless power) is spectacular.  Are they perfect?  No.  Do they work with all types of speakers? No. Horns don't seem to like them from what I've read on several websites.  There may be the tiniest ( And i mean super tiny amount) of hiss from certain tweeters.  They do far more right than wrong.  I least the ones I've heard.  So don't rule them out yet.  They are getting better and better.  You must allow yourself a paradigm shift and keep an open mind.  I have no secrets...you don't have to agree..but my goto amp right now is the Crown XLS2500.  Superbly musical and engaging.  I've owned some pretty good tube amps over the years as well as SS amps.  I've borrowed and traded for many years with other friends and havnt had one itch to trade my Crown amp.  Smooth mids and highs, tight and deep bass.  It's far better than any old school audiophile would think.  Just my opinion gained from direct use and comparisons. YMMV. Your system's synergy may not like it.  Don't whole heartedly discount them entirely.  My Crown at a few hundred bucks has performed well beyond my expectations.  Good luck with your project.

I agree with the above and it reinforces what I heard at a recent demo,  though one of the demos I heard included an inuke driving  a horn-loaded tweeter and it sounded beautiful to my old ears (so as atudio states,  system synergy means result may vary).   

I looked back at my audio porn photo album (the stuff I have purchased and sold over time) and noticed I did own a Crown XLS 2500 for a few months.   It drove my Infinity RS 1 towers beautifully,  but I eventually sold it because the (crude) servo system in those old speakers did not like amps that invert polarity - it creates a feedback loop and your speakers and amp can self-destruct if you don't catch it fast enough.  Without the crossover it sounded great though. I should have kept that amp,  it gave the Bob Carver 305s a run for their money (this is where the late Rev would go into convulsions and Papabear will start crowing about how he still owns the first tape deck he bought in 1972... let it begin...).   The point is - there are some pretty decent class D designs out there,  I suspect we should give them a chance (and absolutely do that for woofers in biamped systems - refer to the damping factor comment). 

Would like to hear StephenWVU's comments on his recent experience with the Devialet 200 - an absurdly expensive integrated amp($9K) with class D amps.  He is about to sell it but he had good things to say about it too. 

Regards

OBG

[scorpio333]

Interesting stuff here, good learning about something I wouldn't have considered.