Prototype Bob Carver Silver 7

RogerD

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May 23, 2010
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BiggestLittleCity
Very nice. What do you like about these versus the stock ones? Thanks
 

dr k

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Aug 4, 2016
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Very nice. What do you like about these versus the stock ones? Thanks

I have not heard the stock Silver 7. However, Bob has told me the prototype Silver 7 is the best sounding amp he’s ever built. He said it’s noticeably more refined, especially the high frequencies and soundstaging and imaging.
 

dr k

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It’s not a complicated circuit. 18 KT150s as power output tubes, 2 KT150s for screen regulation, 1 12AX7 input tube, 3 12AT7 driver tubes, 1 12AL5 tube for DC restorer circuit. It produces 900 Watts and could double the output on peaks. Output tubes run cool at idle, around 8 watts per tube, but they can be made to even idle around 3 watts if desired. The amp only has 2 gain stages. It’s something special to hear when you have virtually limitless power on tap. There’s never any strain, just glorious dynamics and massive sound when called for.
 
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dr k

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Hi Dr K,
Please tell us some more of the special parts etc inside these awesome looking amps.
P.S I also have a pair of the ALS speakers .

Oops, sorry missed your question. The output transformers are specially designed by Bob and is different than the transformer in his standard Silver Seven amp. It has silver wire secondary windings, and the windings are slightly different as well. The tube sockets are virgin Teflon with Tellurium copper pins which are plated in silver and gold (no brass like almost all other highend pins). The grid resistors are NOS Shinkoh. The plate and screen resistors are custom wire wound resistors with temperature coefficient (TCR) similar to the best nude foil vishay resistors. The resistors in the signal path in the front end of the amp are nude Vishay foil resistors. The output coupling caps are hybrid silver/copper Duelund CAST caps. The signal path wire is gold/silver alloy. The choke loaded power supply contain polypropylene film caps, not electrolytic like almost every other highend amp. It has separate direct input and volume control input with stepped resistor attenuator. The RCA inputs are almost pure copper. The binding posts are the top of the line solderless, Rhodium plated, pure copper pin, carbon fiber housed Furutech posts. Well, this is just off the top of my head. The isolation on this amp alone is around 6 grand (not even retail). Paint job is another 5 grand. There's other stuff I'm missing.

I hired Bob to design a custom circuit for this amp different from his Silver Seven amp. It took the veteran amp designer Bob Carver 6 months to fine tune this amp. I'm thinking about bringing this amp to market, but the final pricing would be extraordinarily high in the six figures.
 
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RussR

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Dec 30, 2017
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Oops, sorry missed your question. The output transformers are specially designed by Bob and is different than the transformer in his standard Silver Seven amp. It has silver wire secondary windings, and the windings are slightly different as well. The tube sockets are virgin Teflon with Tellurium copper pins which are plated in silver and gold (no brass like almost all other highend pins). The grid resistors are NOS Shinkoh. The plate and screen resistors are custom wire wound resistors with temperature coefficient (TCR) similar to the best nude foil vishay resistors. The resistors in the signal path in the front end of the amp are nude Vishay foil resistors. The output coupling caps are hybrid silver/copper Duelund CAST caps. The signal path wire is gold/silver alloy. The choke loaded power supply contain polypropylene film caps, not electrolytic like almost every other highend amp. It has separate direct input and volume control input with stepped resistor attenuator. The RCA inputs are almost pure copper. The binding posts are the top of the line solderless, Rhodium plated, pure copper pin, carbon fiber housed Furutech posts. Well, this is just off the top of my head. The isolation on this amp alone is around 6 grand (not even retail). Paint job is another 5 grand. There's other stuff I'm missing.

I hired Bob to design a custom circuit for this amp different from his Silver Seven amp. It took the veteran amp designer Bob Carver 6 months to fine tune this amp. I'm thinking about bringing this amp to market, but the final pricing would be extraordinarily high in the six figures.


Hi dr k,

WOW!!!!!!!!!!
That is an amazing list of top of the line components ,you did not cut any corners with this project.
I have been away from valve power amps for a few years and vinyl ( due to Earthquake damage and the subsequent insurance battles) but this amp in this implementation has created a strong desire to revisit valves.
I have been running my Carver ALS with various ss amps Plinius SA250MK4 ,Ampzilla 2000 mono bloc , 4 xSachem mono bloc amps ,Sachem Pure V2 pre amp, Ambrosia preamp ,Lewitt FireFly deluxe valve pre with a Linn KDS Klimax Katalyst streamer as source SR power cables interconnects and speaker cable and power conditioner mostly Galileo level .I found the speakers took a long time ,hundreds of hours to loosen up and change they did and I am happy with them ,as the next level up is as you know many times the price of the ALS .
I have 2x sub rosa subs and used both in my last room but i only have one in operation in my new room at present ,I still have more work to do.
Thank you for sharing your journey with the speakers and amps you have a great looking room that I'm sure sounds fantastic.
Cheers
Russ
 

dr k

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Aug 4, 2016
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California
Hi dr k,

WOW!!!!!!!!!!
That is an amazing list of top of the line components ,you did not cut any corners with this project.
I have been away from valve power amps for a few years and vinyl ( due to Earthquake damage and the subsequent insurance battles) but this amp in this implementation has created a strong desire to revisit valves.
I have been running my Carver ALS with various ss amps Plinius SA250MK4 ,Ampzilla 2000 mono bloc , 4 xSachem mono bloc amps ,Sachem Pure V2 pre amp, Ambrosia preamp ,Lewitt FireFly deluxe valve pre with a Linn KDS Klimax Katalyst streamer as source SR power cables interconnects and speaker cable and power conditioner mostly Galileo level .I found the speakers took a long time ,hundreds of hours to loosen up and change they did and I am happy with them ,as the next level up is as you know many times the price of the ALS .
I have 2x sub rosa subs and used both in my last room but i only have one in operation in my new room at present ,I still have more work to do.
Thank you for sharing your journey with the speakers and amps you have a great looking room that I'm sure sounds fantastic.
Cheers
Russ

I just replied to your other post, LOL. Thanks again.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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That amp is what’s contributing to global warming....yikes. With twenty KT 150’s per side, I should think that one could heat up your mansion in no time...no need for central heating, lol.
Too crazy!o_O
 

dr k

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Aug 4, 2016
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That amp is what’s contributing to global warming....yikes. With twenty KT 150’s per side, I should think that one could heat up your mansion in no time...no need for central heating, lol.
Too crazy!o_O

Not as bad as you think. Each KT150 idles around 7 to 8 watts in this amp. So with 40 tubes, that's 280 to 320 watts. According to Bob, you can idle as low as couple of watts and wouldn't affect performance. But the idle current does affect the sound. Not bad for a 900 watt amp, eh?
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
Ok, but that’s still a lot of heat...and when the amp is working with some big drum whacks etc...wow, still must be a mini furnace. Not my idea of fun. YMMVo_O
 

RussR

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Dec 30, 2017
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Gold Coast ,Queensland,Australia
I would consider that amount of heat negligible in dr k's room ,I have the Plinius SA250 Mk4 and when in class A it generates in excess of 1kw of heat and that is easy to deal with even on the sunny Gold Coast of Australia .To each situation we make our choices 320 watts is not much more than your JRDG Model 8 operating ? 300w-1200w max for your amp is stated in the JRDG manual DaveyF ,I can't fathom your concern if I understand you correctly DaveyF.
 

sbo6

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May 18, 2014
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Is there a version with more tubes?
 

sbo6

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May 18, 2014
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Round Rock, TX
Beautiful amps, I had the old Carver M1.0 and cubes. Also had the ALS speakers.
 
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DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
I would consider that amount of heat negligible in dr k's room ,I have the Plinius SA250 Mk4 and when in class A it generates in excess of 1kw of heat and that is easy to deal with even on the sunny Gold Coast of Australia .To each situation we make our choices 320 watts is not much more than your JRDG Model 8 operating ? 300w-1200w max for your amp is stated in the JRDG manual DaveyF ,I can't fathom your concern if I understand you correctly DaveyF.

Russ, funny you should mention my JRDG 8, because the one thing that I absolutely dislike about it....is the heat it gives off! The amp is too hot to run in the summer months...without using the AC in the room. The room size is obviously a factor, but IME, amps that pour heat into the room and are the size of mini refrigerators are typically more difficult to live with. YMMV.
 

RussR

Well-Known Member
Dec 30, 2017
39
20
113
Gold Coast ,Queensland,Australia
Russ, funny you should mention my JRDG 8, because the one thing that I absolutely dislike about it....is the heat it gives off! The amp is too hot to run in the summer months...without using the AC in the room. The room size is obviously a factor, but IME, amps that pour heat into the room and are the size of mini refrigerators are typically more difficult to live with. YMMV.
I understand what you are saying ,I leave the Plinius in class A/B when it hits 40 deg C only to keep the lady happy as I love the heat ,she does not.
I like the JRDG stuff when I went to RMAF 2015 his room with the YG Sonya speaker worked the PS audio room sounded flat and the GTT audio room with Audionet max x2 was horribly bright I revisited the GTT room on 2 other occasions no change the PS audio did improve ,But JRDG was the pick of the bunch for me.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
6,129
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La Jolla, Calif USA
Russ, I am still very pleased with my model 8T modded, the amp is--at least IMO, still one of the best ss amps out there. Only complaint, the heat! everything else makes me love this amp. ( well maybe not the back breaking weight when we ( not I...me and at least one or two other lads) have to lift it, LOL.
 
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