{"id":18164,"date":"2023-11-03T13:16:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T17:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audioresurgence.com\/?p=18164"},"modified":"2023-11-03T15:42:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T19:42:52","slug":"bob-carver-crimson-75-amp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audioresurgence.com\/2023\/11\/bob-carver-crimson-75-amp.html","title":{"rendered":"Bob Carver Crimson 75 Stereo Power Amp And Some Bob Carver History"},"content":{"rendered":"

I bought the Bob Carver Crimson 75 at an estate sale along with several other pieces of audio equipment from a seller in Maryland. I wasn’t able to test the amp as the fuses had been pulled and the screw cap fuse holders were missing. One generally doesn’t pull fuses from an amp unless there’s a functional problem with the unit, so obviously my presumption was of a technical issue with the amp, and it was priced and paid for accordingly.<\/p>\n

Before I get into the nuts and bolts, I thought a little history lesson might be appropriate and help set the scene. Firstly, I’ve been a fan of Bob Carver for many years. The bloke’s a genius, clearly, and a character to boot, in the vein of Nelson Pass and the late great James Bongiorno. I was an active member on both of the popular Carver forums for years and came close to being an attendee at the annual ‘CarverFest’ event, though missed the one opportunity due to a schedule clash.<\/p>\n

I haven’t owned a ton of Carver gear. Around two decades ago I picked up a Carver CT7 preamp with Sonic Holography, and I own that to this day though it rarely gets used. A decade later I bought a pair of Bob’s Carver Amazing Platinum speakers [reviewed here<\/a>], and had a long love-hate relationship with those power-hungry beggars. A couple of years later an audiophile friend loaned me his Carver Amazing Originals<\/strong> along with a Krell FPB-700cx<\/a> amp, and that was a fun time until a trigger-happy friend blew one of the honeycomb bass drivers by playing the speakers way beyond their volume capacity. (you know you did it).<\/p>\n

Here’s a blurry pic or two starting with the most recent system comprising the Carver Amazing originals:<\/p>\n

\"Carver<\/a>

Carver Amazing Original with Krell FPB 700 cx amp.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Carver<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Carver<\/a>

Carver Amazing Original with the James Bongiorno SST Ampzilla 2000 Amps<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Those were fun speakers. I’d probably own the Platinums to this day had I been able to find a replacement 60″ ribbon driver.<\/p>\n

There’s been quite a bit of controversy over the past few years surrounding Bob, his companies past and present, and some of his product design choices and statements. I won’t get into all of it here as most of it is old hat, but I will provide a couple of links and a very brief summary, in case you want to read up more.<\/p>\n

NOTE! I can’t guarantee the accuracy of any of the linked content or my own presentation of timelines and summaries below. I can say with some degree of certainty that ownership of the Bob Carver brand appears to have moved around quite a bit over the years, including licensing agreements for some of his technology and his name.<\/p>\n