MKIV ALS turns TFM-35X meter light into disco light, normal?

TNRabbit, I'm the original owner of the TFM-35x since 95-96, it has never been broken or serviced. BTW, I'm pretty handy, is there a good receipe for overhauling the 35x to make it perform better? Before the ALS, it was just driving a pair of DCM TimeFrame600 and the meter light just barely dim even when I crank the volume to insane level and my ear asked me to stop. Thanks also for the suggestion for the pwr conditioner, but $2200, it's just too costly and it started to sounds like pwr conditoner is not a good idea for big amp anyway, right?

mewisemagic, do you still have copy/link to the service bulletin regarding this?

beemers417, I've considered getting extra 35x and run them in mono, but many forum experts advised otherwise due to 4ohms dip for some freq range on these platinum ALS which is bad news for the 35x in mono mode. And many says mono mode actually would degrade the sonic performance of the amp. So I gave up on that idea.

Jag_97470, floor mounting unfortunately is just as difficult in my situation.


here is the email i sent/got back



Walter the unit needs some factory updates and other service & maintenance Please call for payment information
----- Original Message ----- From: "tony smith"
To: <hitechaudioltd@comcast.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 6:35 AM
Subject: carver tfm-35x


> hi, got your info from the carver audio forum and have a repair question. the tfm-35x amp i have will at around 60 too 125 watts on the meter scale the backlights will start to flicker with the music and sometimes at a higher volume closer to 200 the amp protection will kick in and trip it.i can turn down the volume a little and the amp will reset and continue too play. can you give me a ballpark guess as to what's wrong with it and a ballpark price too fix it?i know i will have too ship it to you,but is the return shipping included in the bill or do i have too handle that directly with fedex.
> thanks,
>
>
>





Thanks,

also,what was causing my protection to kick in ,was clusterfucked crossovers in my srs sda's. when playing at high volume levels the lights still flicker in beat with the music.

ummm, I would keep my eye open for a Sunfire 600X2 or pick up another 35 and try bi-amp? Just my opinion, I would go for more 2 channel power like the Sunfire.

And that's it right there ....600x2.......My ALS,s are a bit different then yours......they require min 350 watts with a max of 1200 I believe , so my little 35 just wont do the trick.....even if I decided to Bi amp , i think I would be in trouble when the ALS,s dip to 1 ohm......If I run my AL-III,s i used the 34 for the ribbons and a NAD for the woofers...They sounded awesome...better then my ALS,s do now......Bottom line you are running out of power in the 35.....As far as my Monster power conditioner , I have two dedicated plugs on the back for high current amps....it has a 15 amp fuse for protection....I haven't tried just plugging the 35 in to the wall directly....I doubt there would be any different....I know this much , If I wanted to blow a cap on the 35 , it would be no problem with ALS,s..... That is why they just sit there covered up most of the time until I get the right amplification....I dont think Bob designed the TFM-35 for these types of speakers.....But I will tell you what , when I seen it pull 7.9 amps , well that just blew me away....I will never get rid of that amp.....

Hi stevewithrow, i haven't had as much time to browse the forum as I'd like, but I saw your post on the Monster power conditioner. Aside from my mortgage paying job, I also "consult", install and calibrate AV systems in my local area here. One fellow with much more money than I wanted a power conditioner, he liked the wizardry he saw with the Monster AV-2000 conditioner. He wanted me to give it a test run. I connected it to my TFM-25 alone. My power connection for my audio stuff is not ideal, too many devices, too few outlets, and too little current available. I did a lot of A-B testing with this thing.
I have recently adjusted the idle current on my amp, but have NOT calibrated the meters yet. The left has always shown an higher reading than the right. I am driving a pair of recently acquired Paradigm Export Monitors and feel that they sound better than my previous homebuilt speakers, which I have donated to someone.
The difference in the before and after with this conditioner is actually hard to believe. I used my Systemdek turntable and my SDA-450 CD player. The meters are now balanced with a mono input. A previous unnoticed mid range graininess is gone. The high end seems extended and slightly less harsh. The speakers, albeit inefficient, and designed in the late 70's, seem to be able to handle a higher volume level. I am impressed with the AV2000 after using it for two weeks. if it wasn't so damn expensive I would buy one and sit and watch the variac rotating back and forth. I was skeptical about power conditioners in general, but this thing has sold me.