Vintage HiFi Audio Forum
Audio Discussion => DIY => You Gotta try this on your system... => Topic started by: tinpan on August 03, 2012, 06:24:06 AM
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(http://images60.fotki.com/v661/photos/6/111916/10282712/IMG_6039-vi.jpg)
The new Carver VTA20. It's the bomb, I just got mine in and I gotta tell you this thing rocks.
You can get a price from Tom, it's under $2,500. If you've been waiting for an affordable quality tube amp
this one is for you.
I really cannot believe how nice this amp sounds
Best of all it's made in the USA.
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Congrats, that's a beautiful amp. We'd love to see a review if you have the time.
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Congratulations!
I've heard the carverfest kit amp
They are impressive too and that was a prototype.
Did you pick that up from Tom?
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Robin, how about a comparison to the one I built?
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Looks great - congrats - like the base you put it on top of. Is the soundstage as good as described in the net?
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That thing is sexy!
You should post some more pics, perhaps some night-glow shots. :)
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Robin, how about a comparison to the one I built?
The Carverfest Amps you built sounded like crap...as long as I had them on crap speakers. :-*
When I finally put them on the Khorns they made the Khorns sound the way the were supposed to sound. I know a lot of folks say just put a tube amp on the Khorns and they will sound dreamy, but that hasn't been my experience. I put two different 300b amps on them and as far as I am concerned the 300b tube doesn't bring the bass out in them at all. The pair of mono blocks you built finally delivered the full range of sound I was looking for from them.
How do the Carverfest Mono Blocks compare to the VTA20? It's too early to tell. Currently I am running one VTA 20 in stereo mode on the Khorns and using a Sonos connect as a preamp/dac to drive it. I had the CF Mono Blocks hooked up to a Grant Fidelity DAC and used the GF DAC for volume control. So I need to pull the second VTA20 off the Klipsch CF3s and run a pair of VTA20s to compare them. Or I need to put the GF DAC back in to see what that does to the volume control situtation.
Using the CF Monobocks and GF DAC I can get a comfortable listening level with the volume control at 9 o'clock. Using the VTA20 in stereo mode and a Sonos connect for volume control, I have to get to 12 or 1 o'clock to get the same levels. Is that a function of 40 wpc vs 20 wpc or is that telling me I need a preamp and dac on the VTA 20? Don't know yet, but I aim to find out. I think that maybe the answer because the other VTA20 is running on my Audio Note preamp and AN DAC and that setup is delivering unbelievable volume and sound at 9 0'clock on the preamp volume control.
I'll let you know more when I finally a/b them, but my initial impressions would be it will be hard to tell the difference, they are both that good
Congrats, that's a beautiful amp. We'd love to see a review if you have the time.
I promise a review when I am done playing
Did you pick that up from Tom?
No, I wish I could have because I like buying from Tom, Carver is offering a trade in program where you can trade in your CF amp plus $1,000 and get a VTA 20. I used that to trade in 2 CF amps to get 2 VTA20s. I suspect when all is said and done I will need two more VTA20's down the road and those I will get from Tom. Really, what people should walk away thinking is that there is a great tube amp that can be bought for under $2,500, being able to buy it from a local shop is a huge plus.
For Example:
a) person buys a $2,500 chinese amp off ebay. If they buy it from a local shop a couple hundred bucks stays in the local community and the rest of your hard earned money goes to the enemy...I mean China.
b) A person buys $2,500 amp off ebay from China...all of your hard earned money goes to China
c) A person buys a Carver VTA 20 from Tom, a couple hundred bucks stays in the local Pittsburgh economy and the rest goes to Kentucky ( Made in the USA Carver amps). All of this money stays in the USA and supports local jobs. I know I am a nut, but I look at things like this. When I buy Audio Note stuff, they are built in the USA with parts coming from Canada and England so i like where my monet flows to. When I buy blue jeans for my kid I buy them from Texas Blue Jean company, my money goes to Texas and stays in the USA. Told ya I was a nut ;)
Is the soundstage as good as described in the net?
The sound stage is unbelievable. When i talked to Tony Ferraro, he mentioned that Bob thought the sound stage on the VTA20, Cherry 260 and the Black Beauty 305s should all be the same.
(http://images59.fotki.com/v684/photos/6/111916/10282712/IMG_6055-vi.jpg)
Here you can see my second VTA20 driving my Klispch CF-3s. You can also see my Cherry 260s in the same pic. I wanted to AB the VTA 20 with the Cherry 260s. These CF3's will deliver bass that shakes the floor. These are the same speakers I used on my Sunfire Classic tube preamp and Sunfire 600 x 2, that combination was probably the best overall sound I ever put together. I can still deliver volume levels like I did with the 600 x 2 but with a richer sound, and I can do this with either the Cherry 260s or the VTA20s. Keep in mind the CF3s are pretty efficient @ 100db. Granted, the VTA20s might run out of steam on less efficient speakers, but I was shocked at how nice the VTA20s sound on these speakers.
Initial impressions are at 9 or 10 o'clock on the volume control the VTA20 delivers the same through your chest bone rattling bass notes as the Cherry 260s or the Sunfire 600 x 2. I still need to spend some time comparing the two set ups, but out of the box I am very impressed.
I have to run now, but I will have more later.
Right now
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The difference in the volume position on different equipment is simply the sensitivity of the amp and the output/input impedance differences. No biggie~