Carver Amazing Line Source: Absolute Sound Review

TitaniumTroy

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2011
136
6
925
South Bend IN
Just speculating but I assume Bob Carver, did some serious tweaking since they were introduced at RMAF a couple of years ago. They were not well received at that show, or maybe it was just show conditions.
Anyway we now have a rave review in The Absolute Sound by Robert E. Greene. A lot is made of how their dispersion is very different than other speakers, even other line sources.

Dealers to hear these speakers is currently in the offing, as Bob Carver was purchased by Jade Design who owns Emotiva. Who has plans to open brick mortar stores in major cities.

I find it curious as their is no mention of Bob Carvers Sub Rosa, subwoofer. Unless you count specifications at the end of the article. It would be nice if you could use your own subwoofer, as I really like my SVS Ultra Plus 2. Is this the sin of "omission" as the reviewer did not like the sub so let's not mention it. And since that magazine does not use specs, thats the end of it.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/carver-als-line-source-loudspeaker-system/
 

TitaniumTroy

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2011
136
6
925
South Bend IN
From Bob's webpage:


Amazing Line Source
$17,495 USD


So what happened? Why are line sources just now becoming popular with audiophile listeners, Hi-Fi dealers, and the press? Well, the answer is because it has been difficult to understand their detailed operating principle. Lots of advanced math, complicated room interactions not easily understood, and the difficulty of developing a practical method of actually building one. The scientists at JBL®, Bose® and others have tackled the problem, have written papers that ARE easy to understand, and the world now knows how to do it.

I actually learned my craft from the early work of Dr. Harry Olson, and from my colleague Leslie Williams, a physicist for whom the math was a walk in the park.
http://www.bobcarvercorp.com/#!als/cwgy
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Actually, the price went down. The intended MSRP that Bob wanted was closer to 23K per pair.

Tom
 

TitaniumTroy

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2011
136
6
925
South Bend IN
These speakers can be "in wall" or stand alone. When I heard the Wisdom Audio in walls, I thought they sounded like a wave of sound coming from the front wall. However it was a very diffuse soundstage, so no specific location for individual sounds. Might be good for movie night or Monday Night football with lots of guest's, but not so much for music.

Regarding pricing:
"Not surprisingly, Jade is dropping the price of Bob Carver’s amps significantly, as a result of the increased (and more efficient) manufacturing process. The Black Beauty 305 (VTA305M) monoblock, which used to retail for $13,000 or so per pair, will now sell for $7999 per pair. The Cherry 180 (VTA180M) monoblock is dropping in price from $9,000 per pair to $5,999 per pair. And the Black Magic 20 (VTA20S) stereo tube amp I reviewed last year for Residential Systems is dropping in price from $2,100 to $1,690."
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,459
961
1,290
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
They were not designed to be wall, FYI. ;)

Tom
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
The trick with these kinds of speakers is the proper integration of the subs to the mains.While they are certainly not the same speaker, the first 5 times I heard PipeDreams, I thought they were one of the worst speakers I ever heard. Awful. (I had heard them in a friends home and in 4 different show venues. Then I heard them at WBF's own "Marty's" home and thought they were one of the very speakers I have ever heard. The differences? There were many but the most critical was that Marty was (is?) using a TacT audio preamp to both integrate/time-align the subs with the mains and provide room correction. He also replaced the "barrel subs" that were the standard PipeDream issue with JL subs [and the room and electronics he had driving them were also over the top].

If I had multiple rooms [and multiple "monies"], I would love to listen to a pair of these in my home.
 

audio.bill

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2013
547
79
340
Chicago suburbs
While the sale of Carver's company to Emotiva was at one point in the works, Bob Carver later decided to opt out of the deal and maintain his ownership. You can read some articles detailing this here.
 

Avidlistener

Well-Known Member
Feb 18, 2013
156
64
933
Has anyone here heard these speakers? Though completely different, I have heard the Sceana 's which are also line source numerous times and thought they were amazing.
 

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