Re: Tom's thoughts on Bob Carver's new tube amp.
Tom talked of Bob Carver as if he never heard of the man and his legacy in the audio world. Not only is Bob Carver appreciated for his legacy of high quality gear, he is congratulated for putting out over the years some very nice and high performance gear and often not at terribly high prices.
As per the new tube amp. Sure Tom said he likes tube amps for how they look and that stuff but he's NEVER listened to one let alone Bob Carver's new amp, yet Tom felt it his prerogative to make a comment on Carver's new amp and of the words Bob Carver chose in describing his satisfaction and happiness as to how his new tube amp performs.
Without hearing this amp Tom has no qualitative opinion on the amp and how it may perform and add to the sound of an audio system. It's like trying to have an opinion on say a Ferrari 458 without having driven one, YOU CAN'T!
Tom in a snide way back handed the 20 watts per channel power rating as if that is a negative. But Tom should learn or already know by this point in his hi-fi life that tube amps handle power ratings differently than solid state amps. They first do not hard clip. The grow in distortion as they soft clip. well, err really they just compress the audio wave form as they are driven beyond their measured limits. Therefore a 20 watt tube amp can deliver satisfactory audio that may rival the output of say a 100 or more watt solid state amp. Since tube amps clip and distort more gracefully in comparison to a solid state amp they can impart a real pleasurable and authoritative sound output. Rolling tubes (ie: swapping out) tube sets for different brands can tune and shape the audio sound of a tube amp.
Some audio geeks and overly anal retentive types like Tom was particularly here denote how tube amps measure poorer to solid state amps. I too was once just as anal about that crap! BUT I SUGGEST TO LISTEN TO THE DAMN THINGS!!! Maybe if Tom or Audioholics staff can try to get a demo model of Carver's new tube amp he/they may actually be able to give a qualitative opinion as to what they hear from it.
As to Tom and Liz bashing Carver's choice of words including his "surprise" at how good the new amp sounded. REALLY!?! REALLY THE TWO OF YOU!?!
Carver is a hi-fi buff too and an quality engineer of these such things. Sure his electrical engineering side probably had a preconceived ideal as to what he figured this new amp may sound like. The fact that after it was built he was even more surprised only shows he's human with emotions and can appreciate that his work created an amp that figuratively blew him away. Why bash him for such emotional words?
Any true audio buff knows who Bob Carver is and knows he is a square shooter in the industry but he is a real hi-fi buff too and wants to get pleasurable fidelity. Tom surely desires that in the general modest priced/quality gear he often reviews and is asked to give an opinion on. Those same typical electronic brands, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, H/K etc. (BTW all perfectly fine brands to which I have and do own pieces from) also put flowery and emotional driven words in selling their gear and often the gear they make falls quite short in delivery. Tom may think a $400 A/V receiver is the cat's meow in modern hi-fi but he surely does not attack these brands for picking emotional and often overly hyped rhetoric at times too. So why attack Bob Carver?
Tom and to a lesser extent Liz give emotional views as to what they think about and hear in the gear they listen to, but Nooo they feel Bob Carver just should not use a emotional words to describe his views and feelings as to what he thinks and hears in say this new amp of his.
GET ONE OF HIS AMPS AND REVIEW IT BEFORE YOU BASH A HALLMARK MEMBER IN THE CONSUMER AUDIO INDUSTRY!
