Amp Rrepair Video - Carver M500t

[@PeterMilanovski]

Tony! My only gripe with this video is that it only lasted 45 minutes.... I feel like watching your videos is like spending time hanging out with you talking electronics LoL... Reminds me of when I was a kid and mum would be calling out for me to come home but I just wanted to hang out with my friends.... Oh well! Maybe next project is going to last longer.... Right from the get go of this video I thought oh boy this carver has a lot of problems and I know what that means..... 30 minutes later on and it's fixed and we are at the end!!! Nooooooooo! LOL.

[@lilmangofast]

I'm brushing up on Carver repair rewatching your vids. I heard something that made my veteran senses tingle. I heard bohica. I missed it before. Hillarious!

[@nelsono4315]

I've had a Carver M500t for about 30 years and had it repaired just once. It is a great power amp.

[@janakapriyadarshana5835]

Do yu have the service manual of it?

[@nelsono4315]

@@janakapriyadarshana5835 I might have it but if I do it is buried somewhere.

[@janakapriyadarshana5835]

@@nelsono4315 thanks, if yu find it, just inform me..

[@troybrown9817]

Love your videos. You have an excellent teaching manner. You are also to be commended for your humble attitude! You talk about shipping problems and resulting damage. Do a video or a segment about properly packing and shipping an amp such as the Carver. Keep those videos coming just as they are!

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks Tony! VOM's are still useful on the bench. I always have a laugh when someone says that they are worthless. I bought a mint BK Precision 114A on eBay. It is beautiful inside and out. I think that I was the first person to ever use it.

[@isoguy.]

Your vids are so awsome. Well explained, comprehensive, very interesting, addictive and thank god no music over your voice. Thank you for making these vids and sharing with us. 👍 👍 👍

[@ajra6805]

I learn something new on everyone of your videos Tony..the analog meter test was quite impressive, the old techniques are sometimes the best ,thanks for revisiting ..I actually have one of those old meters that use to be my fathers when he was still around fixing and installing Xray equipment for GE

[@TY-ob7fz]

Hi Tony. Thank you to giving us a trip thru your repairs/upgrades and sharing your thought process of what repair shops and technicians should have in their mindsets. Too many bulb changers in the field.

[@joeyscott4299]

I love your channel Tony !!! I really enjoy watching you work on all these amps ! I've been into electronics for a couple years and about a year ago solar and motor projects led me to audio . at 46 years old I've been cramming as much info as I can about circuitry and I learn many things every time I watch one of your videos . Thank you much ! Have a great one !!!

[@joeyscott4299]

I just posted this comment on an old video so I thought I'd post it on the most recent . It all still applies .

[@mndx89]

Great job! I really enjoyed how you troubleshooted the problem and how you chosen the right spare parts using datasheets. There are a lot of repair shops that simply replaces the faulty parts without taking care of the stress that surrounding components may have sustained. My opinion is that audio amplifiers needs specific knowledge and more care when being serviced, specially when they are high end or ancient ones.

[@donalddeorio2237]

It was a popular Amplifier from Carver, beast with the meters. Wanted one for a long time.

[@CompetentSalesUSA]

500t The best sounding Carver Amplifier of all time.

[@Thujaplicata1]

Awesome video! I really like the way you describe how circuits work. I learn new things with every video you do. Looking forward to the next!

[@toneyisaiah408]

Carver is another legendary brand of audio equipment.

[@fatwood8642]

Great video again, thanks for sharing your work with us. Very much appreciated. Seems that carriers used to care about the packages they delivered but now with everything being bought online their overwhelmed.

[@ArthurJS123]

I should hire you to recap my M-500t. It looks and works flawlessly, but I’m guessing it could benefit from recapping. It’s a great amp. Trivia on the M500t- it’s the same amp that Ferris Buehler listened to. Watching those analog meters move is still the best.

[@_Ramen-Vac_]

that 3-Stooges clip interjection was LOL supreme.

[@burkhardboer5524]

Klasse Video und gute Arbeit, du Experte!!! Abo und Daumen hoch. LG :-)

[@redrobbosworkshop]

Great video as always. Seeing this and the Sansui video reminds my why I hate over complex circuits. Give me robust and simple like in the old Pioneer and Marantz receivers any day.

[@dennisduran8500]

I bought a Carver HR772 Receiver on eBay. It was double boxed and in mint condition. Sounds great.

[@davidh2674]

Hi Mr. Tony, liked your video and expertise on the carver M500t which I also own. One day last year I engaged the power button and there were burning smell and smoke bellowing out, immediately I disengaged the power and since then reboxed and put into storage and looking for a reputable tech to repair it. First, what caused the situation and who would you recommend in the New York City area? Or Better Yet, I would like to have you do the repair. Please text advise and either way, Much appreciate🙏

[@Nolepower]

I have a Carver M500 t that needs maintenance. How would I get intouch?

[@Tinybench]

Another fantastic video!!! You are the best!!!! Once again, thank you very much for sharing your knowledge!

[@justicelut]

Agree entirely, the trouble with modern equipment is imo one problem can cascade through and take out multiple components.

[@hpelisr]

Awesome work Tony, I have a unit for my audio/ video system that needs a look. It is A RCA -RT225OR I am not in a hurry to have it check out, would like to know what or if you can do some day?

[@jikester]

Some of my favorite amps, thanks for the great video.

[@williamchow1624]

Great job on the diagnostic and repair. Very through.

[@nikoladivic2786]

Bravo, bravo!!!!! Gratings from Croatia .

[@82abn34]

Some would say that Carver amps of this type are no better than or even not as good as more conventional amplifiers. I've only had one of them on my bench and after the initial mind warping settled down I found that this type of design was pretty straight forward to troubleshoot. More importantly, when I'd finished with the amp, a TFM-55X, it sounded wonderful. I told my customer that I'd like to buy it if he ever wanted to sell it. It'll be interesting to see if this was representative of a larger sample size.

[@82abn34]

@Martin M, I can't disagree as I've only recently picked up the hobby of repairing audio gear in the last couple of years. I've not had the pleasure of listening to high end gear yet. I spent my early years in the trade repairing missile launchers and, while they can produce a big sound, it's not quite the same :-)

[@johnnytoobad7785]

I had a Phase Linear 400 for many years. (1973-1990) Basically got tired of the "sound". Eventually upgraded to a Hafler XL-600 (?). Much better sound and build quality. Then when I finally upgraded to more effiecient speakers I went with lower power distributed amps. For my "Boston" speakers I'm actaully now using a 7903 "chip amp" which sounds remarkably good.

[@editorjuno]

I've given up on all those old behemoths. I now use a sub-$100 Class D 2.1 amp that's more that adequate now that I've given it a heftier-than-stock power brick -- I don't miss my (excellent!) old SAE preamp and Adcom GFA-535 power amp one bit. IMO, the evolution of Class D has made the big, overly complex amps of yesteryear pretty much obsolete, with even "high end" audio companies building amps with four-figure price tags around Class D modules from companies Like ICEPower and Hypex.

[@antraciet]

Thank you to give some tips and tricks to find the problem, i can use them.

[@andymouse]

another fine tutorial...cheers!

[@moodyga40]

Adcom we sell and service under warranty thats a good preamp

[@mspysu79]

Where did you get those ceramic thermal pads? Do you know if there is a TO-3 version? I think they would be nice for the moto driver transistors in a DEC TU-56 tape drive.

[@davidgriffin79]

This transition frequency thing is interesting. The problem is I can't see the transition in power happening at a high frequency. I just can't see the power supply having to transition to higher power mode at, say, 20kHz. More likely, the power supply will have to switch up a gear at somewhere between 20 - 200Hz. So doing the maths for a frequency of 200Hz, the time per cycle is 5000 microseconds; zero to peak will be 1250 microseconds; very conservatively let's assume you need to switch at a delta of 1/10 of that as you rise up the waveform so that's 125 microseconds giving a switching frequency of 8kHz. Obviously you do have to take into account the max frequency of 20kHz (but the chances of having to switch at this frequency are infinitesimal) but that still only gives a switching frequency of 800kHz. Working backwards from 4Mhz, thats a delta of 0.25 microseconds, a rise to peak of 2.5 microseconds and a wavelength time of 10 microsecond giving a frequency of 100000 Hz; way overkill.

[@xraytonyb]

I'm no expert on this sort of thing either, but I was more concerned about rapid changes in amplitude, regardless of the frequency. Remember, most of what we listen to is a complex waveform, made up of many frequencies with rapid changes in amplitude. The rail switching transistors have to work in step, or possibly even faster than the output transistors. Again, this is just my theory on this, as I am no expert on the subject. I also wonder if this might explain why so many people report multiple failures in these amps. When they are being repaired, they may be using replacement transistors with lower transition frequency and they are failing. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for the comment! A lot to think about!

[@bixy9347]

Thanks, love your channel.

[@p4spooky]

Awesome Tony as always. Couple of things: Noticed you did not use dim bulb for initial power up after repair (major) - May be you did but was not obvious. Also looks like you did change the broken front face plate. Will be good if you can do a quick follow-up on how you did this.

[@xraytonyb]

Thank you for the comment! The magnetic field amps don't really play very nice with a dim bulb. My dim bulb socket also has a fuse inline with the receptacle. Even when I bypass the bulb, the circuit is fuse protected. When in doubt, I just install a small value fuse which will blow before any damage is done. As for the faceplate, it was very easy to install, as it was a bolt-on kit sent by the owner.

[@moodyga40]

bob carver amps are good i love the phase linares

[@kgsalvage6306]

Love your videos! Just been wondering. Do you use any type of current limiter when powering up unfamiliar amps?

[@edifierbass7821]

I noticed that you're not using a line bulb act as fuse it will light up in case there's a short when you turn on power, much safer than praying and hoping No pop up or magic smoke, anyway nice tutorial video keep it up

[@samuelnorton7012]

Are you Ritchie Rouge from the ipw?

[@tsamplifiers6493]

My Carver 1.5T was American made, high quality and very simple inside. Lots of empty space and small boards with 4 TO3 output transistors per rail, 16 total. The lower end models were sourced from contract builders in Japan and Korea. They are needlessly complex and a mess inside. Bob Carver had to know it.

[@toneyisaiah408]

Sir, in the video I've noticed that you are working on a Carver stereo amplifier.

[@erhman2004]

You mentioned a site that you bought the back face plate to replace the damaged one. Where did you get that replacement face plate?

[@Scott-K7sce]

awesome job tony

[@gearheadted9210]

Cool vid man,thanks for sharing!

[@stevemate6294]

At the beginning when you tested the power supply, it looked like you had the neg. probe connected to the - power rail? Thanks for the vid.

[@xraytonyb]

Sorry. I do that a lot. Sometimes I forget I'm shooting a video. I really don't worry about the polarity of the probes when doing these tests. I'm just looking at absolute voltage levels and moving on. Thanks for watching!

[@galbraithmp]

Do you offer repair and /or upgrade service for the m500t?

[@Wizardofgosz]

I need to get one of these to recreate the Ferris Bueller stereo system.

[@thomashero9779]

I’ve got 7 of them!

[@dennisduran8500]

Always buy insurance when shipping.

[@bamboozled9120]

I have yet seen a single Carver amp running original transistors . Used to own a Carver magnetic field cube amp and got rid of it due to too many issues . I often tell people stay clear of these . Most have been butchered through the years .

[@1959Berre]

Carver amps are needlessly complicated and over-engineered, hence the never ending stability issues followed by defects.

[@gingerbaker1]

I have had a Carver A 500 X Thx since they came out. Zero problems. Lucky, perhaps.

[@SingapuraTreasure]

awesome . thank you

[@videoproboston2450]

Hi, I’m thinking of replacing my 500t faceplate with a new plate. Looks like you did the same. Is the swap difficult? Did you replace the plastic lens as well?

[@videoproboston2450]

Answering my own question in case someone wants to do the same. Replacing the faceplate very easy and only took about an hour to do. Slow and steady and it should be a breeze to change for anybody.

[@Wizardofgosz]

@@videoproboston2450 Was it an aftermarket replacement?

[@videoproboston2450]

Richard Wielgosz Yes. I bought through EBay. Search Carver Amp Faceplate and a person named Russkall will pop up. The faceplate he sells is top notch. It looks better than the original! He doesn’t sell the plastic lens so you’ll have to use your original. He said he’s looking into selling them at some point...maybe.

[@JelckedeBoer]

Learned a lot. Thanks!

[@richardinolozano]

HI. I have 2 TOSHIBA´S transistors shorted. 2SC3546 and 2SA1389 seems to operate at 30 Mhz. and there are very hard to find. So i have a pair of 2SC3281 and 2SA1302 with different shape and about 25 Mhz. of transition frequency Can i replace them without any problem ? Thanks. Best Regards. Richard

[@garbagemanify]

how do you spell "repair"?

[@rlwings]

Good video, but after highlighting a new face-plate installation you didn't show it's installation. - I kept waiting for it. :(

[@jamesgilmore-thewaterplusg5470]

I wonder if "Amp Rrepair" can be edited?

[@23chilled]

Very similar parts that have been lifted from a nad 2200

[@jussikuusela7345]

You don't happen to know what the song is?

[@alanmaier]

Bought one of those new, never quite warmed up to it. My Realistic STA-2080 receiver sounded much better, which I also bought new. Sold the Carver eventually and do not miss it. It was a looker but that was about it.

[@kennethrichardson8105]

Second, lol. Hey man, love your channel. Peace

[@DJ_Renn]

Always a 👍.

[@ThresholdZhor]

I use to have M400t and this M500t, this M500t was way better than the M400t, more reliable, I used it on a disco as a bass amp for 15 years and no problem but sound has not the punch and bass control as the Crown MT-1200 or the BGW whcih was the bass authority in those 80's, later in the 90's came the Crest Audio 8001 wich was the punchiest amp on earth and then in 1997 came the Crest Audio CA-12 which for me is the best combination of musical fidelity rivaling audiophile amps with huge power of 700w at 8 ohms with an incredible bass control thanks to it's damping factor, and from that amp anything newer is not as good, lighter, cheaper but not as good sounding

[@marnav9205]

If you liked those try a 9001/10001 or a CA18. Also the Crown Macro Techs were nice too. I like the old "iron" myself.

[@ThresholdZhor]

@@marnav9205 I have repaired 9001 and CA18 but I prefer CA12 in sound quality, 9001 delivers a lot of watts and the CA18 but not with the sound quality of the CA12

[@dennisduran8500]

If they bought insurance on shipping they might've been reimbursed for some repairs.

[@johnnytoobad7785]

Magnetic Field PSU is ALL Hype. Seems like a "why simplicate, when you can complify"...design. Yes, it might improve amp. efficiency but at a price...

[@jimomertz]

I never liked Carver because of this. I never heard a Carver amp, but I can’t imagine this is a good idea switching the power rails like that. It must generate enormous RFI and send that noise all over the amp. There’s no way I’d trust hooking those amps to my expensive speakers.

[@CompetentSalesUSA]

We all use John Fluke meters.

[@saintsi6997]

Solid

[@TrevorsBench]

1986 goodness

[@melockavich9596]

No thay dont I have 4 carver amps that work great. 25 years old.

[@pedrocavasos100]

Are they for sale

[@82abn34]

Thanks

[@barryredman2803]

You'll notice he's using a Fluke meter.

[@EmilioGarcia-fr5po]

Wow you are something else. Give me your brain please haha

[@jamesfrancis233]

Please contact me on one for sale, I'll kindly be appreciated.

[@robertcaldwell7737]

Carver build quality is notoriously bad. Loose screws, dangling wires, hot-snot everywhere etc etc...

[@1959Berre]

First!

[@Coffeebreak6329]

If you have commercials you get 👎

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Between the individual who worked on it before and just pieced me old hack shit through it together butchered and sodomized that poor unit. The individual who clearly had no clue how to properly package and audio unit for delivery to the Postal Service was responsible for the other half of the damage. Nowadays it’s just a given we know our poster service FedEx UPS DHL plays football with your packages. So it’s up to the customer and beyond common sense that they need to be double boxed they have to have rigid foam and properly packaged if they want their unit to arrive safe and in one piece.