This amp reminds me of the expensive ones that some obscure UK manufactuers made during the H-Fi boom era. The magazines raved over these amps but never showed you what they were like inside, but we found out and cursed the colledge graduate that designed them with zero regard to servicing them. Yes the better ones sounded excellent, but i still dreaded one arriving for repair, i have also had to replace a number broken speaker posts after a ham fisted customer used a crow bar to tighten them! Happy days.
Agreed. German stuff was the worst. Just like their cars. I get a got a laugh after a friend bought a BMW. Bring Money Weekly. Has cost him more to maintain then he paid for it and every time it goes into the shop it is a few grand. The mechanics all say the same thing. German engineering.
@@12voltvids Yep, the Germans think they are the masters at everything, but we know they are not Grundig tape recorders were horrible things to repair like Philips they used solid core wiring that broke if you dared to move it. I only owned one BMW and sold it before the warranty expired.
@tikkiu7345 Those older Volvos are a far cry from the latest ones, they have worked out almost exactly when the new ones will start to break, the old ones can be fixed at home.
@tikkiu7345 Volvo built them to survive the harsh winters in Sweden and with regular maintenance they just keep on going. Not like todays cars made of brittle recycled plastic,
We always called it a snubber circuit. All the old school guys if you called it RC network you got a blank stare. Then when you said the resistor / cap across the speaker terminals the response was "oh the snubber" Its used in many different applications. Akai used them extensively in their logic controlled reel to reel and cassette decks that used solenoids. To kill the kick back when changing modes or auto reverse from the solenoid kick back. They were usually orange potted components. So in an amplifier, when the speaker kicks back a voltage is produced from the coil moving against the magnet. They back emf mixes with the audio and produces some nasty harmonics that are in the odd order harmonic range which makes them sound NASTY AND DISTORTED (Sorry NAD) This removes the high frequency harmonics, as the capacitor passes these and the resistor takes them to ground.
@@12voltvids All correct. It also acts as a RF filter and stops RF entering the amp via the speaker sockets and getting into the feedback loop and becoming an oscillator. I had a Citation 16 and a Luxman M120A doing that and the cap on the RC network was open circuit in both cases. Both amps spontaneously bursting into oscillation.
I started trying to fix my TFM-35 many years ago and soon realised it was beyond my abilities. This makes me want to get it going again, one of the best amps I've ever heard. Definitely used some questionable engineering techniques, but very inventive at the same time.
It does both. It prevents noise from getting to the speakers by shunting and damps the back emf from the speakers from getting back to the amp. When I was in my training back in late 70s it was always referred to as the snubber circuit. This is what my instructors always referred to it as. As it was explained when the large woofer is swinging back and forth the energy generated will mix with the audio signal and produce many harmonics that if not removed will impact the sound. It "snubs out" the back emf harmonics. The name stuck.
The owner has been educated to not over tighten it. The amount of work required to change that binding post is far more then he was willing to put into it. Also disturbing other components to get the clearence needed to change the terminal would risk wires breaking ect. It's old leave well enough alone. The thing with elecrcicity unlike fluids is the connection doesn't need to be super tight. Just tight enough to get a good bond. There is a difference between snug and over tightened. This reminds me of my neighbour that took his car to a 10 minutes oil change place. The kid in the pit over tightened his oil drain plug and actually stripped the threads. His car devoloped a leak so back to the dealer he goes with his gt500. Mechanic tells him the pan is damages and how it happened.
European tv-antenna connectors do not have threads, they are more like RCA connectors but slightly different. Not possible to "over tighten" the coaxial here. But that was another funny story again on ths channel :)
Can't say I've seen one before. Another name for that "snubber" is a Zobel network (it helps to prevent the amplifier from going in to oscillation). And, also... wth? WHY, would you put a wrench on a plastic thumb screw terminal? Just, why?!
Sorry, my previous comment was wrong. You're right, those connections needn't be THAT tight! Yes banana plugs are much better. Especially when talking about the price level of this unit.
I knew Bob Carver. There was a picture on the net of me working with him on testing one of his little carverfest tube amps. He would sign any amp for you.
You commented that those with more money than they know what to do with buy these price point units. Like Mac Equipment? Beautiful equipment like a pre amps being sold for $2K, crazy!
That's right. They actually don't perform any better but they are priced much higher. Typically older fellas get roped in to the hype. They look at it this way, can't take it with you so why not spend it on something that looks nice. You could buy a much better amplifier, more power and cleaner but it's just a boring black box. That fancy one with the analog meter looks so much cooler.
Some products were designed to be easy to assemble but turn out hard to disassemble, and others easy to both assemble and disassemble, but this appears to be neither.
I'm surprised that you aren't going to repair the first problem. the terminal is damaged and turns as you said breaking the wire connections. I don't know how you might fix this component. It might tighten it up and then attach the wire and power resister.
Been playing with various "maggies" since the early 80's - the primary risk to bypassing the fuses is risking damage to the ribbon tweeters assuming one has a ribbon tweeter model. I've personally never heard of midrange panel damage (the woofer panel isn't fused) - - the benefit is most definitely audible - - better take extra care, mistakenly pulling an interconnect wire, for example, with everything fired up will prompt an exchange of new ribbons with Magnepan. What's even better is pulling the fuse panels and completely bypassing the fuse holders altogether from the back of the their panel. OCD Mikey sells solid silver wire which is also a good option if one simply wants to remove/replace the fuses with silver wire. Most all long term maggie owners do this 12vv, yep, had to exchange a set of ribbons on a set of MGIIIa's back in the 90's but it's impossible not to want the mod after hearing the difference. Goes without saying, my current 3.7i's are completely bypassed. If one is skeptical, do one speaker then pull the speakers near to one another in the center of the room then A/B back and forth using the balance control running a mono signal, swap the speaker wires to confirm it's not speaker placement - - I did this before I bypassed both of my 3.7i's, there's no mistaking the benefit. Wonderful speakers btw.
Well that's on him is he blows them. I popped a fuse on my B&W when i got a little carried away with my crest vs900. Good thing the speakers were fused
Carver is one of the most stupidly overengineered bougie audio brands to exist, there are ways to achieve sonic performance design goals in electrical engineering, then there's the assnine audiophile way to do things, then there is the Carver nude virgins on the planet venus assnine audiophile way to do things.
@@12voltvids in my opinion a vintage Pioneer SX series is sonically superior to these types of amps, a better sounding monoblock would be one made by McIntosh, but I hate them too for other reasons (pcb soldered tube sockets)
Personally, if it was my amp and somebody had told me that I had broke the terminals, and there were cracks in the plastic blocks, I think I would go back in and put a little Super Glue, or epoxy in those cracks to try to extend the life of that terminal block. It couldn't hurt I don't think unless you put so much Super Glue on that you couldn't even turn them anymore. But then again, stupid is as stupid does.
@@12voltvids having been in electronics repair my whole life, yeah I think I've heard of banana plugs. But personally I would never have tightened those terminals up so that they cracked in the first place. But like you said being it is going to be such a pain in the rear to replace those terminals, I might have just glued up the cracks to make sure that they lasted a little while longer before having to go through that pain in the rear replacement. Love your videos, keep up the good work.
The cracks are superficial. They do not go all the way through so no problem. He was educated. He actually has connectors on the wires and still cranked them on tight.
Manufacturers that make stuff this difficult to repair should repair it their bloody selves.....free. They might then change their approach and design it properly. I get sick and tired of this sort of gear on my bench and trying to explain to the customer that it will cost a fortune to change a banana socket! Just think, Carver could have made that terminal panel removable with just 4 screws, but no. Give me a Dynaco ST70 tube amp any day over this crud.
500 Canadian, that's a very fair price considering the work involved Dave. You would think if he can afford silly gear like this he would pay that in a heartbeat to have it right. It's a very hard trade to make a living at. @@12voltvids
What is your soldering iron? Since the age of about 12 I have been having bad luck with soldering irons every birthday / Christmas and all of them have kept failing except for one RS-components one I was given by college from about 1980 and one with a transformer in and a bimetallic regulator from around the same time that I found in the dumpster full of rust and iron oxidising bacteria before I restored it, can’t get tips.
@@ExtremeBogom Yes it is a Weller EC2000. Its my second one. The first one I bought in the 80s for about 420.00 and used it at the shop till my bosses brain dead kids cut the cord and blew it up. Made the boss fix it. He wasn't happy but it was his kids that he was babysitting in the store on the weekend that cut the iron cord. He replaced the iron with a used one, and the thermocouple went bad and I could not get a replacement. I still have it but no iron for it. This one was sent in as a donation from a viewer a few years ago when it was turned into the recycling facility he works at. Its a great iron, the best I have ever owned. I have a few other Chinese irons and they are in a different league.
OK, so here's a question. I've always been told to use neutral cure silicone sealant around electronics because of corrosive properties of acetoxy curing sealants like Dow 732. What's your take on that?
When he picks this thing up he'll claim the sound is tainted because you extended the wire and soldered it. "It sounds different on the channel with the repaired one!!" ... Ugh...
Golden that's right. That's why it is easy to sell a pair of 20,000 speakers to an old man because everything sounds about the same after a certain age. V
This amp reminds me of the expensive ones that some obscure UK manufactuers made
during the H-Fi boom era.
The magazines raved over these amps but never showed you what they were like inside,
but we found out and cursed the colledge graduate that designed them with zero regard
to servicing them.
Yes the better ones sounded excellent, but i still dreaded one arriving for repair, i have also
had to replace a number broken speaker posts after a ham fisted customer used a crow bar
to tighten them!
Happy days.
Agreed. German stuff was the worst. Just like their cars. I get a got a laugh after a friend bought a BMW. Bring Money Weekly. Has cost him more to maintain then he paid for it and every time it goes into the shop it is a few grand. The mechanics all say the same thing. German engineering.
@@12voltvids Yep, the Germans think they are the masters at everything, but we know they are not
Grundig tape recorders were horrible things to repair like Philips they used solid core wiring that broke
if you dared to move it.
I only owned one BMW and sold it before the warranty expired.
@tikkiu7345 Those older Volvos are a far cry from the latest ones, they have worked out
almost exactly when the new ones will start to break, the old ones can be fixed at home.
@tikkiu7345 Volvo built them to survive the harsh winters in Sweden
and with regular maintenance they just keep on going.
Not like todays cars made of brittle recycled plastic,
Like their tanks in ww2: so over engineered, almost impossible to repair in the field.@@12voltvids
Also, if the coax fitting oxidized and you couldn't get it off, the hex-head was very helpful.
Back EMF snubber as related to dampening factor. Very cool explanation.
We always called it a snubber circuit. All the old school guys if you called it RC network you got a blank stare. Then when you said the resistor / cap across the speaker terminals the response was "oh the snubber"
Its used in many different applications. Akai used them extensively in their logic controlled reel to reel and cassette decks that used solenoids. To kill the kick back when changing modes or auto reverse from the solenoid kick back. They were usually orange potted components.
So in an amplifier, when the speaker kicks back a voltage is produced from the coil moving against the magnet. They back emf mixes with the audio and produces some nasty harmonics that are in the odd order harmonic range which makes them sound NASTY AND DISTORTED (Sorry NAD)
This removes the high frequency harmonics, as the capacitor passes these and the resistor takes them to ground.
@@12voltvids All correct. It also acts as a RF filter and stops RF entering the amp via the speaker sockets and getting into the feedback loop and becoming an oscillator. I had a Citation 16 and a Luxman M120A doing that and the cap on the RC network was open circuit in both cases. Both amps spontaneously bursting into oscillation.
I started trying to fix my TFM-35 many years ago and soon realised it was beyond my abilities. This makes me want to get it going again, one of the best amps I've ever heard. Definitely used some questionable engineering techniques, but very inventive at the same time.
The RC network over the speaker terminals is actually a high frequency shunt to ground prevents "unheard" energy from reaching the speakers.
It does both. It prevents noise from getting to the speakers by shunting and damps the back emf from the speakers from getting back to the amp. When I was in my training back in late 70s it was always referred to as the snubber circuit. This is what my instructors always referred to it as. As it was explained when the large woofer is swinging back and forth the energy generated will mix with the audio signal and produce many harmonics that if not removed will impact the sound. It "snubs out" the back emf harmonics. The name stuck.
Good spot. I can't but think it would have been wise to replace the damaged speaker posts, it can still rotate so could happen again🤔
The owner has been educated to not over tighten it. The amount of work required to change that binding post is far more then he was willing to put into it. Also disturbing other components to get the clearence needed to change the terminal would risk wires breaking ect. It's old leave well enough alone. The thing with elecrcicity unlike fluids is the connection doesn't need to be super tight. Just tight enough to get a good bond. There is a difference between snug and over tightened. This reminds me of my neighbour that took his car to a 10 minutes oil change place. The kid in the pit over tightened his oil drain plug and actually stripped the threads. His car devoloped a leak so back to the dealer he goes with his gt500. Mechanic tells him the pan is damages and how it happened.
European tv-antenna connectors do not have threads, they are more like RCA connectors but slightly different. Not possible to "over tighten" the coaxial here. But that was another funny story again on ths channel :)
Happened weekly.
Can't say I've seen one before. Another name for that "snubber" is a Zobel network (it helps to prevent the amplifier from going in to oscillation). And, also... wth? WHY, would you put a wrench on a plastic thumb screw terminal? Just, why?!
Sorry, my previous comment was wrong. You're right, those connections needn't be THAT tight! Yes banana plugs are much better. Especially when talking about the price level of this unit.
Price means nothing other than some fool with more money than brains will fall for it.
Carving your hands into ribbons via Carver
I knew Bob Carver. There was a picture on the net of me working with him on testing one of his little carverfest tube amps. He would sign any amp for you.
You commented that those with more money than they know what to do with buy these price point units. Like Mac Equipment? Beautiful equipment like a pre amps being sold for $2K, crazy!
That's right. They actually don't perform any better but they are priced much higher. Typically older fellas get roped in to the hype. They look at it this way, can't take it with you so why not spend it on something that looks nice. You could buy a much better amplifier, more power and cleaner but it's just a boring black box. That fancy one with the analog meter looks so much cooler.
Some products were designed to be easy to assemble but turn out hard to disassemble, and others easy to both assemble and disassemble, but this appears to be neither.
It's a Carver. Need a say more! 😂
I've never seen anything like that. Different to me. Great.
I'm surprised that you aren't going to repair the first problem. the terminal is damaged and turns as you said breaking the wire connections. I don't know how you might fix this component. It might tighten it up and then attach the wire and power resister.
Can't get at the back side of the terminal block.No place to put a wrench. Some idiot designed this piece of shit so as it can't be easily serviced.
@@12voltvids Would some Cyanoacrylate adhesive work to stop the cracks spreading and the terminal post from spinning?
Lots of hot glue would be my first go to if I couldn't be bothered pulling it apart to change it, or epoxy, or similar.
I dont get the design sometimes. Ive built amplifiers, and you would find them a joy to work on!@12voltvids
oh Bob Carver! He's a fun one.
is that the painter!
Thats Bob Ross @@jessede1970
@@jessede1970 lol
Been playing with various "maggies" since the early 80's - the primary risk to bypassing the fuses is risking damage to the ribbon tweeters assuming one has a ribbon tweeter model. I've personally never heard of midrange panel damage (the woofer panel isn't fused) - - the benefit is most definitely audible - - better take extra care, mistakenly pulling an interconnect wire, for example, with everything fired up will prompt an exchange of new ribbons with Magnepan. What's even better is pulling the fuse panels and completely bypassing the fuse holders altogether from the back of the their panel. OCD Mikey sells solid silver wire which is also a good option if one simply wants to remove/replace the fuses with silver wire. Most all long term maggie owners do this 12vv, yep, had to exchange a set of ribbons on a set of MGIIIa's back in the 90's but it's impossible not to want the mod after hearing the difference. Goes without saying, my current 3.7i's are completely bypassed. If one is skeptical, do one speaker then pull the speakers near to one another in the center of the room then A/B back and forth using the balance control running a mono signal, swap the speaker wires to confirm it's not speaker placement - - I did this before I bypassed both of my 3.7i's, there's no mistaking the benefit. Wonderful speakers btw.
Well that's on him is he blows them. I popped a fuse on my B&W when i got a little carried away with my crest vs900. Good thing the speakers were fused
Ha! roger that 12vv - - side note: RIP Jim Winey, he passed recently - the founder of Magnepan.
Carver is one of the most stupidly overengineered bougie audio brands to exist, there are ways to achieve sonic performance design goals in electrical engineering, then there's the assnine audiophile way to do things, then there is the Carver nude virgins on the planet venus assnine audiophile way to do things.
It's a money trap. I have gear that sounds every bit as good and I keep going back to my tube gear.
@@12voltvids in my opinion a vintage Pioneer SX series is sonically superior to these types of amps, a better sounding monoblock would be one made by McIntosh, but I hate them too for other reasons (pcb soldered tube sockets)
McIntosh used to supply a wrench for the speaker terminals. I'm betting they learned that lesson the hard way.
Ya think.
Personally, if it was my amp and somebody had told me that I had broke the terminals, and there were cracks in the plastic blocks, I think I would go back in and put a little Super Glue, or epoxy in those cracks to try to extend the life of that terminal block. It couldn't hurt I don't think unless you put so much Super Glue on that you couldn't even turn them anymore. But then again, stupid is as stupid does.
Ever heard of banana plugs?
@@12voltvids having been in electronics repair my whole life, yeah I think I've heard of banana plugs. But personally I would never have tightened those terminals up so that they cracked in the first place. But like you said being it is going to be such a pain in the rear to replace those terminals, I might have just glued up the cracks to make sure that they lasted a little while longer before having to go through that pain in the rear replacement. Love your videos, keep up the good work.
The cracks are superficial. They do not go all the way through so no problem. He was educated. He actually has connectors on the wires and still cranked them on tight.
@@snakezdewiggle6084
Nope. They are fine.
@@snakezdewiggle6084lots of audiophools use them. Lol. 😂
nice edit had a few amps that powered down like that. lol
Hi Dave, clear Lexel works too !!
@12voltvids i disagree regarding speaker terminal tightness, the tighter they are the better(imho).
Negative. You don't want the wire or terminal spinning and loose but finger tight is more than enough. You don't need to put them on with a wrench.
I hope you used oxygen free solid copper wire for the repair!
Actually it's a lead tin copper alloy
Manufacturers that make stuff this difficult to repair should repair it their bloody selves.....free. They might then change their approach and design it properly. I get sick and tired of this sort of gear on my bench and trying to explain to the customer that it will cost a fortune to change a banana socket! Just think, Carver could have made that terminal panel removable with just 4 screws, but no. Give me a Dynaco ST70 tube amp any day over this crud.
I hear you. Told him 500 to change the plug. He asked how come and I showed him the video.
500 Canadian, that's a very fair price considering the work involved Dave. You would think if he can afford silly gear like this he would pay that in a heartbeat to have it right. It's a very hard trade to make a living at. @@12voltvids
What is your soldering iron? Since the age of about 12 I have been having bad luck with soldering irons every birthday / Christmas and all of them have kept failing except for one RS-components one I was given by college from about 1980 and one with a transformer in and a bimetallic regulator from around the same time that I found in the dumpster full of rust and iron oxidising bacteria before I restored it, can’t get tips.
It is the 'EC2000' by Weller I believe.
@@ExtremeBogom Yes it is a Weller EC2000. Its my second one. The first one I bought in the 80s for about 420.00 and used it at the shop till my bosses brain dead kids cut the cord and blew it up. Made the boss fix it. He wasn't happy but it was his kids that he was babysitting in the store on the weekend that cut the iron cord. He replaced the iron with a used one, and the thermocouple went bad and I could not get a replacement.
I still have it but no iron for it. This one was sent in as a donation from a viewer a few years ago when it was turned into the recycling facility he works at.
Its a great iron, the best I have ever owned. I have a few other Chinese irons and they are in a different league.
You're sounding even more pissed off than usual today. Is everything OK?
No
What can be done to help?
OK, so here's a question. I've always been told to use neutral cure silicone sealant around electronics because of corrosive properties of acetoxy curing sealants like Dow 732. What's your take on that?
I really don't care. How does that answer your question.
@@12voltvids Calm down. I simply asked you for your take. "Them wasn't fighting words."
@@ernieschatz3783
I am calm. I don't look at different specs. I use what works. It's not in contact with anything but the cement body.
When he picks this thing up he'll claim the sound is tainted because you extended the wire and soldered it. "It sounds different on the channel with the repaired one!!" ... Ugh...
Golden that's right. That's why it is easy to sell a pair of 20,000 speakers to an old man because everything sounds about the same after a certain age. V
Nooooooooooooo……..
how can anyone pay for it...regardless of how it plays..
i mean that amp..your repair is perfect us usual..@@12voltvids
@@maxwellmarcel The owner has plenty of expensive toys. Running Magnapan speakers. Go look those up. 12,000 a pair!
24:23 did you soil yourself?
My phone did
Not cool, an expensive amplifier, with cheap, cheesy terminals.
Sometimes you don't get what you pay for.