10/14/2019 Carver Cm-1090 Manual
About ten years ago, a friend gave me a 'found' Mac 1700 Receiver. I fix it and then flipped it. Should have kept the thing, as it sounded really nice. A few years later, that same friend gave me a pair of AR tower speakers. Must weigh 125 pounds each, and he borrowed a van and hand cart to bring them here. Mind you, if I speak to this guy once every few years, it is a lot.
Threads Tagged with carver cm-1090. AVSForum.com is an independent audio visual enthusiast website. AVSForum.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with AV Science Inc. ORIGINAL CARVER CM-1090 Integrated Amplifier Service Manual - $9.95. Carver Service Manual This listing is for original Carver Manual.It is not a PDF.
But he is obviously a good guy, as his actions demonstrate. The speakers needed many new surrounds, and a new tweeter. Fixed the tweeter, then waited a few years to order the repair parts. Looked for the parts a few months ago, and the same caretakers for my DAD who stole all my scotch had also taken the repair parts. When my friend brought over the speakers, he had mentioned that he had also found a Carver amp. Obviously, I asked him for it, even offering him money for it. Answer was 'No.'
Fast-foward to today. Friend calls me. Sounds aweful. He tells me that he is getting a divorce and is very dispondent. He also offers me the Carver, which he admits he had never tested.
So, the nice guy that I am, I took him out for Italian. This picked him up a bit. Took the amp home, and the wire is chewed, and the case has been cat-peed on. The case top is rusting and the vinyl peeling. It was HIS cat. The inside is not too bad, though. Ever see a resistor that has been peed on?
The tinning on the leads gets eaten away. Anyway, I cleaned the boards with wet Q-Tips and after it dried, plugged in my Koss 4AA and a turntable. It worked on one channel, then after using some cleaner in two pots, everything worked. Interestingly, the amp looks better than it is actually built. The boards are thin phenolic resin, like on a cheap radio. I would have expected more from such a company.
I need to torch-off the vinyl, sand the metal, and spray it with black textured paint. Edit: The food did not sit well with me. I will attach some speakers to try her out. The weather forecast today on the news is far from good. I have already lost the front soffits on my house. EDIT: Hooked up my speakers.
Phono sounds great, though the mid-range tone control needed to be lowered a bit for best fidelity. I initially thought that the amp is broken in some way, as the volume knob needs to be cranked for loud listening.
But after finding the specs, it is nothing more than the phono amp having a lowish gain. I found a 'new' case for it on epay. Snagged it for $25 + shipping. And found the pig-tail meter bulbs. Ordered those as well. I now have the service.pdf but no owner's manual. Also, I wonder if the missing remote is worth purchasing somewhere or other.
Only worth it if there are features not duplicated on the front panel. Wonder where it was made.
A naked example on epay shows 'made in Japan' printed under where the power wire exits the cabinet. Mine shows nothing. Also, other naked pics from other sites show different little changes in design. Funny how it sounds so very different from any of my other amps. I just played a few records that I am very familiar with, and as far as drums go, each time the stick hiits the skin, that single sound begins and ends before the next hit of the drum.
Must be a higher damping factor exerting better control of the woofers. And treble is sometimes grainy, like in a cheap amplifier. But transistors are transistors, and I still prefer my sloppy tubes. But not bad for a free, cat urine soaked amplifier. At least the smell is less than a few days ago.
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I got this amplifier as second hand in the year 2007. I used to pair it up with my Kef Q15 standmount, sources being Technics SLQ 2 Turntable,( Shure M44 ), Maranttz CD63 SE, and I still use a Yamaha Cassette deck. Previuosly I used a MArantz PM57 AMP. After using the above combination for the last 10 years I had the oppertunity to connect the souces with the CARVER 1090 Amp. I was blown out by the difference the amp made.
The Q15 sounded huge with clarity was excellent. Lately I had bought Dynaudio Audience 42 again used product.With this speakers I think I have reached the end of my search for a perfect sound. The bass is more than I can bargain and coming to the mid it is that I can touch the singers.The drive power is awesome If I can turn the voulume control to 11 O clock position it will shake my whole listening room( 20 X 18). The Dyn's and this Carver is made for each other. Get a used amp if you can get one. Great listening. I got this amplifier as second hand in the year 2007.
I used to pair it up with my Kef Q15 standmount, sources being Technics SLQ 2 Turntable,( Shure M44 ), Maranttz CD63 SE, and I still use a Yamaha Cassette deck. Previuosly I used a MArantz PM57 AMP.
After using the above combination for the last 10 years I had the oppertunity to connect the souces with the CARVER 1090 Amp. I was blown out by the difference the amp made. The Q15 sounded huge with clarity was excellent. Lately I had bought Dynaudio Audience 42 again used product.With this speakers I think I have reached the end of my search for a perfect sound. The bass is more than I can bargain and coming to the mid it is that I can touch the singers.The drive power is awesome If I can turn the voulume control to 11 O clock position it will shake my whole listening room( 20 X 18). The Dyn's and this Carver is made for each other. Get a used amp if you can get one.
Great listening. Found this 100W class integrated amp at a pawn-shop for 350. Power is veryhonest, compared to newer units in this price and power range; bass is more adequate but highs are a little shrill, I added 1.5 ohm dropping resistors to my aged Norman Lab model 7 spkrs. Holographic filtering adds nice depth; but spkr placement is very critical, hard for those of us with odd-shaped listening areas. My worst gripe is Carver Corp. Has either been sold, or is out of business.
It was a real ordeal to find a replacement balance pot. For my money, it was a good buy, though. Solid sound and power in a 2-ch unit, and in a very modest price range, is nearly extinct.
Found this 100W class integrated amp at a pawn-shop for 350. Power is veryhonest, compared to newer units in this price and power range; bass is more adequate but highs are a little shrill, I added 1.5 ohm dropping resistors to my aged Norman Lab model 7 spkrs.
Holographic filtering adds nice depth; but spkr placement is very critical, hard for those of us with odd-shaped listening areas. My worst gripe is Carver Corp.
Has either been sold, or is out of business. It was a real ordeal to find a replacement balance pot. For my money, it was a good buy, though. Solid sound and power in a 2-ch unit, and in a very modest price range, is nearly extinct. Great product. While 10 years old (built only in 89-90), this integrated amp has the appearance of a contemporary amp and has wonderful sound.
Very heavy, too (almost 30 pounds). Holographic sound seems to work on this model better (quieter) that my experience with other Carver Holographic products. Has direct CD and ability to direct ambient sound signals to second set of speakers (B connection).
Or use B hookup to biwire speakers. Glad I purchased it (can be found occasionally on eBay if you search long enough). Will be a keeper in my home office. Great product. While 10 years old (built only in 89-90), this integrated amp has the appearance of a contemporary amp and has wonderful sound. Very heavy, too (almost 30 pounds). Holographic sound seems to work on this model better (quieter) that my experience with other Carver Holographic products.
Has direct CD and ability to direct ambient sound signals to second set of speakers (B connection). Or use B hookup to biwire speakers. Glad I purchased it (can be found occasionally on eBay if you search long enough). Will be a keeper in my home office. I have always loved good integrated amplifiers, although they have fallen out of fashion these days with all the emphasis on home theater. Found an open box at the Good Guys a few years ago when they lost the Carver account. Have two pairs of speakers(both 8ohm) hooked up to it and get significant output from the amp.
The sonic holigraphy is a matter of taste and depends a great deal on speaker type and placement. Pure direct can be a bit bright on some CDs'. Also, the level of increase in db's from the bass is a bit weak and it is hard to tell exactly what the crossover point there is. Conversely, the midrange is quite usefull at toning back older recordings with peaks in their midrange. All in all, a nice amp that has never needed work, sounds good, looks good and should be a great value if you can find a used one, mine is not for sale. I have always loved good integrated amplifiers, although they have fallen out of fashion these days with all the emphasis on home theater.
Found an open box at the Good Guys a few years ago when they lost the Carver account. Have two pairs of speakers(both 8ohm) hooked up to it and get significant output from the amp. The sonic holigraphy is a matter of taste and depends a great deal on speaker type and placement.
Pure direct can be a bit bright on some CDs'. Also, the level of increase in db's from the bass is a bit weak and it is hard to tell exactly what the crossover point there is. Conversely, the midrange is quite usefull at toning back older recordings with peaks in their midrange. All in all, a nice amp that has never needed work, sounds good, looks good and should be a great value if you can find a used one, mine is not for sale.
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