Vintage Carver Stereo Amplifier Revealed - M-500t Best Sounding Carver

[@fifthsymphony3221]

I've got four of these Carver M-500t amps. There is no better amp for the money in the world--and I have listened to many. Bought my original M-500t in 1986 and it's still working flawlessly, wonderfully all these years later. I added three more (I shopped for ever so patiently on eBay about 10 years ago, in great used condition) to drive my home theater setup. One M-500t drives the left front speaker, bi-amped; one drives the right front, same. And one drives the center speaker, bi-amped as well. To my mind, these amplifiers are unrivaled. The warmth! The power! My original is still in use for my stereo system, music only. All four are running perfectly after all these years. Even the lights in each (one has slightly dimmed over time). And there is nothing like watching the needles bounce, perfectly weighted, as the music plays or as the action takes place in a movie. Great amp, man. Hope you have it up and running.

[@gattigail]

Yep...excellent amp!! Most Carver experts and collectors agree that the M500t is the best sounding Carver amp.....I only have one though. There are still plenty out there available for sale.....Bob made thousands of them. They were very popular. Thanks for viewing !!!!

[@joeseefeld190]

Bought my M500-T in 1983, C-1 preamp, Klispsch heresy, still the best sound after 30 plus years !

[@Drummerpocket]

Nice Classic Carver Gear from the 80's !

[@gattigail]

Yes!! Thanks !!

[@keithtaylor1567]

Nice Carver amplifiers you have .Nothing like vintage Carver equipment .And parts to boot .Good luck I'll be watching for the flip side of your video

[@gattigail]

@Keith Taylor Thanks for stopping by. Yes...The amp was fixed meticulously by one of the Carver forum experts. Great sounding amp. I'll try and get an update out on youtube soon. Thanks again !!

[@nelsono4315]

I have had the M500t for over 30 years and I love it. Only had it repaired once. Paid $550 for it brand new. One helluva power amp

[@gattigail]

Only $550.00 brand new? Wow...I didn't know it was so affordable when new. Back in 1988 I paid nearly $1000.00 for my Carver C16 preamp new.

[@nelsono4315]

@@gattigail a little over a dollar per watt, I had my eye on the Carver cube amp but I got the M500t instead.

[@gattigail]

@@nelsono4315 good choice !!

[@nelsono4315]

@@gattigail yes indeed! :-)

[@Robert_Mann]

Love these amps! I bought my M-500 in 1998 when I was a sophomore in high school. It still works great to this day but I now want to send it off to get recapped but don't know who to use.

[@gattigail]

There is a forum of Carver enthusiasts called TheCarverSite. Lots of very loyal Carver experts there to help you with getting your Carver gear refurbished...they are the best of the best. Bob Carver himself associates with many of the members.

[@Robert_Mann]

@Joe Salsa Thanks! Yep I found them as carveraudiorepair.com/ I also found nelionaudio.com/index.php?/services.html/carver/carver-amplifiers/carver-m-500t-mkii-restore-and-upgrade-r1/ which has mods that nearly double the power!

[@53patsfan]

I have been a BIG Carver owner for years, even spoke to Bob once.I have never owned the 500t, but am shopping for one now. Always had tfm-35/tfm-55's and so on. WORKHORSES, trouble free for 30 years! How many amps last 20 PLUS years!

[@gattigail]

Cool that you met Bob....Did he share anything interesting with you about his amps etc? I like Carver...I have a few Carver amps and preamps. I like how they sound.

[@briancampbell7712]

does a Yamaha m2 compete with this amp...both have 250 x 2 into 8ohms❓both also made in the same era

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Very nice unit, definitely have this fixed , looking forward to seeing this in working order, left a like

[@gattigail]

Thanks Rome!! Its been sent to a Carver expert and is being repaired as we speak. I will keep y'all advised with an update video. Thank you !!!

[@kevinhoronzy6011]

How did the modify relay work?

[@robertcorey479]

Using my Carver HR732 as a second system. 60watts per channel and a nice everyday receiver. Still going strong for 30 years with no service .

[@gattigail]

Love Carver... Thanks for stopping by !!

[@scottlowell493]

I liked the look of this amp over the LED display. The VU meters are attractive. This amp was a vast improvement over the M-400. It's built better, and sounds better. Not sure if it's the best sounding Carver- but it's awesome. I compared that amp vs a host of Japanese amps back in the day. The Carver sounded much cleaner and more accurate. By compare, Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon etc...all sounded polite, a little murky and rolled off. Yamaha made some Carver products according to Carver specs. They tried to rip off the magnetic field design with a pyramid-shaped amp. I've got a stack of Carver gear all getting overhauled and upgraded at Carver audio repair. By Sept 2020, I'll have a "better than new" Carver system.

[@bryfar6178]

Are you still running the m500t ? If so how's it been performing? I was shocked to read the repair tech said caps were good. 20 years is old for caps and you're were 30ish years old at that time. Just had my M400 recapped. Bought it new 1980.

[@gattigail]

The tech I used was a reputable member from "TheCarverSite" . He advised me that he checked the values of all the caps and they were still in spec. All I can say is that I hope they are.

[@rubenp8750]

I am about to recap my m500t. Never had a problem with the relay. I am the original owner and I love mine. Have you fixed yours yet?

[@gattigail]

Yes. I had mine fixed by one of the Carver experts on the Carver forum. Since the original relay is no longer obtainable, the Carver experts make a replacement relay with a retrofit adaptor board which he installed. Its very neatly done. He precisely repaired the traces on the board too. There is a company called Circuits and Concepts that make these and other Carver replacement parts. I was going to have mine recapped too, but the Tech from the Carver club that repaired mine tested all the caps and tested the amp. He said all measurements meet or exceeded factory specs !!!

[@JuanGarcia-kv7yv]

Hey man I have 1.5t that has a small humming noise. Can you point me in the right direction for the Carver Club so I can see if one of those folks can fixed it? Regards

[@gattigail]

Hey...Go to thecarversite.com/ Great bunch of Carver experts on there that are always glad to help and keep Carvers alive. Good luck and keep us advised !!

[@CompetentSalesUSA]

The M500 is the best sounding Carver amp. Of all time. My $4000 Sunfire Ultimate receiver does not sound as good....

[@gattigail]

This is a great sounding / looking amp. Thanks for viewing !!

[@limomangeno]

Yes i have the m-500 beautful unit ,on!y difference no power button on front of unit..

[@gattigail]

Great Carver amps !! I have the TFM-55 and M1.0t also. But I think the M series are better....that's when Carver was at his peak. He wasn't 100% involved during the TFMs. I believe Carver was having difficulties then with the Board Of Directors when he took the company public.

[@nutsackmania]

There are more differences than just the power button.

[@scottlowell493]

I'd say the lightstar was the best sounding carver along with the silver seven and silver nine. Not working means BROKEN and INOPERATIVE, not mint. "Gently used" means its WORKING. MINT means it LOOKS and WORKS like factory new. Psst...Yamaha made them. TFM was 90's, not 80's. FFS. Get some facts.

[@gattigail]

Thanks for your comments. However...never said it was MINT. Watch the video. I commented that it is PHYSICALLY EXCELLENT....which it is. It is still HARDLY / GENTLY used no matter what. Please don't manipulate my narrative with speculative definitions / statements as facts. Thanks. I respect your thoughts on the Lightstar and Silver Seven / Nine amps. Nice amps. Everyone has personal opinions in audio, which makes this hobby so interesting . Not my opinion...but most Carver fans...in my narrative...say in the forums that they think the M500t sounds best of all. Ive also read that some Carver fans have varying opinions on the Silver Seven / Nine. Interesting about you mentioning Yamaha making them...Credible sources at the CarverSite state that Benytone of Japan / Marubeni Corp. Osaka made the entire M500t line as well as other Carvers. Let me know your findings. Be careful and Thanks and enjoy !!

[@bluelithium9808]

"Get some facts." Damn, why so angry? TFM is 80's. It was on the M1.0t which was 85 and used in the Stereophile challenge. Also, I'm missing the part where he says it's 80's, can you time stamp it for me?

[@bobsibert1968]

@@bluelithium9808 Lol, the only person who seems angry is you,, low IQ nutwack!