ATTN: All Carver Owners Re: Sunfire/Carver Service in danger

Well, It's this "Gordon Gecko" thing run amuck. I would blame "conservatives" because a big pile of the blame is on them (the party of "greed", etc.) but unfortunately they've been the biggest spendthrifts of the last quarter Century and that is the opposite of what true conservatisim is. The cliff notes version of it is this:

If they bankrupt the economy and make it dependent on military industrial "pork" barrel spending then there is nothing left for ANYTHING else.

The long version is on "The Project for the New American Century" website, in greater detail. Remember they and their board members (a lot of the occupants of the present WHITE HOUSE) when your taxes go up to pay for these wars THAT HAVEN'T BEEN FACTORED INTO ANYBODY'S BUDGET YET!)

I know this isn't a political forum and I don't mean to turn it into one, but if you want something done different to protect and enhance life inside THESE borders, then people are going to have to vote differently and the opposition is going to have to offer an alternative that we voters can have some faith in.

I don't normally boycott foreign products but as out of hand as this has become, I think I just crossed off the newer stuff with Bob's name on it myself.

I'm saddened beyond the ability to express myself......

I have to agree with you. You hate to not buy something just because of who made it, but on the other hand we are all being fooled into thinking that "competition" and "market forces" are to blame here. I am willing to stake my reputation that the only thing in play here is greed. As I stated earlier, Sunfire product prices should plummet if all of the competition factors were true. Instead, corporations are gobbling up "names" and taking advantage of peoples ignorance that these products are indeed a true quality American product. As long as our government condones "war for oil and screw the American worker values than we are truly walking down the path of destruction. Ignorance is not bliss, but more is akin to stupidity. Where are all of our jobs? At Walmart of course. Get sick? Well we do not have insurance for that. God help our kids.

It's a shame isn't it?... In the 80s you had stereo components made in Japan and most of those were high quality and are still worth repairing. Then they were made in Korea though still Japanese companies... later made in Taiwan and now cheap disposable Chinese made crap that nobody repairs-just replaces.

We used to b!tch about the Japanese made products and the unfair trade balance. Now the Japanese workforce are fighting to keep their manufacturing jobs in their country and they have been losing that battle for 10+ years now... when it comes down to it slave labor always wins out. I guess the Japanese are finding out what it is like to be a "service economy" these days.

You would be shocked to know how many mindless consumers still think that a Sony cd player is made in Japan and a pair of Nike shoes are made in USA. No one should be for boycotting all imports. I love my Swiss Watch, German tools, and of course Mrs. Boomer-X loves her Italian couture. But we are talking about corporate greed and slave labor and the effects of those on our manufacturing base.


We used to have and (effectively) use tariffs to protect our manufacturing base here but lobbyists and talking heads convinced us that we had to have a "Global Economy" which now means that all of the 100.00 tennis shoes that kids have to sport are made in China for less than 10.00 a pair. We were supposed to have a choice whether or not to buy cheap imports (i.e. cheap kid's shoes on a single mom's salary) or more expensive yet better made US goods but that didn't pan out.

It is not a Democrat/Republican thing (I'm Independent). Multinational corporate elites run both political parties and just give us "issues" to debate while they make all the big decisions. Bill Clinton signed Nafta into law so quick his labor union supporter's head's were still spinning as the ink dried.

I'm off my soapbox - the whole thing disgusts me and losing Sunfire/Carver Service really leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

Boomer-X

[DaveS]

Anyone wanting to send Bob an e-mail can use Carver@sunfire.com they will see that he gets them.

Well, It's this "Gordon Gecko" thing run amuck. I would blame "conservatives" because a big pile of the blame is on them (the party of "greed", etc.) but unfortunately they've been the biggest spendthrifts of the last quarter Century and that is the opposite of what true conservatisim is. The cliff notes version of it is this:

If they bankrupt the economy and make it dependent on military industrial "pork" barrel spending then there is nothing left for ANYTHING else.

The long version is on "The Project for the New American Century" website, in greater detail. Remember they and their board members (a lot of the occupants of the present WHITE HOUSE) when your taxes go up to pay for these wars THAT HAVEN'T BEEN FACTORED INTO ANYBODY'S BUDGET YET!)

I know this isn't a political forum and I don't mean to turn it into one, but if you want something done different to protect and enhance life inside THESE borders, then people are going to have to vote differently and the opposition is going to have to offer an alternative that we voters can have some faith in.

I don't normally boycott foreign products but as out of hand as this has become, I think I just crossed off the newer stuff with Bob's name on it myself.

I'm saddened beyond the ability to express myself......

Well said
Im from a investment banking back ground and have worked for the Fat cat , he was alittle different feild than this one but still all in the same , when you look at the basics ( greed and money ) , I live up in Canada and we run a similar system up here .
It s really sad that we lost Carver Corp. to this many years ago ( Bob selling out and the quality going down ) and now his new company .
Im great fan of Carver equipment and have had mine CT-17 since new ( and just bought a CT7 off ebay last week ) . Ive had a Bryston 4B Since the time i bought the CT-17 ( mustbe over 20 years now ) , my Bryston power switch went on it and i got Brand new sent to me for nothing for nothing not even shipping charges ( my Bryston was over 20 years old at the time and no more warrenty ) . Its to bad we cant get Bob Carver to back his great products like Bryston does , Bryston , there service is top notch and worth every penny for there Amps . Back then i would have rather bought a Carver amp , but decided on Bryston .

Hi,
I don't have paragraphs to say about the current situation, but here is my take on this.
I started buying Carver equipment back in 1988. That is when Carver stuff was still the real deal. In the 90's, when people came over to my place they saw the complete Carver line up, Silvers, mono amps, the whole Carver system. A couple of upgrades since then and I still have the system. Even now, after all of those years people are still shocked and awed by a system they can't buy in stores today. I am so proud of my investment. What now no service, great, the small time repair shops have suffered the same fate as the small manufacturers. Thank you Dave S. for hanging in there with ribbon repair.
For the most part I don't disagree with any of your posts on here regarding this bad news, however, it is inevitable that small companies such as Sunfire will be swallowed up. I don't care where something is made, as long as it is a quality product. I don't see quality at Best Buy, Circuit City, Ultimate Electronics, WalMart, Sam's, or any other normal shopping venue. Go to a specialty audio store, if you can find any, and you will find the real good stuff in a little room all by itself. But they still sell crap on their main showroom floor. Oh well!
I have also sent an e-mail to Mr. Carver. It probably will not do much good, but I thanked him for introducing me to quality sound back in the day, and how much disappointment to see it all slowly disappear in the last 20 years. Perhaps I should buy myself a good Onkyo sound system for my movie viewing and shut my Carver stuff in a little room to listen to on special occasions. What a damn shame!
I guess the life and times for company/brand loyalty is over. I highly doubt if anyone today will have their JVC 6.1 SS receiver in 20 years. We are a lost breed, keeping our systems will be just a little more difficult now if NO ONE will step up. Dammit, we are growing old too fast.

Those subs are looking a little "ghetto" to me !!!!

http://www.woofersbybobcarver.com

Even owning this website, and keeping everything up and running, I gave up on Carver a few years back. The only thing I even use anymore are the ribbons I rebuilt into the AL-5s
I have a TFM-45 in a box that needs repair, and a CT-25.1 that only has (2 video inputs)... kinda useless now-days (also in a box).

I bought a 6.1 Pioneer Receiver for about $450 that had about 8 inputs, and 7 powered outputs...

I know it's not up to (Sunfire) quality, but either is the old Carver equipment!

Carver was GOOD, POWERFULL, and affordable, don't get me wrong, I LOVED my Carver equipment... I just hate to see the $$$ being more important then the product now !!!

Wow! Thats sad! It looks like something you would see in a JC Whitney catalog, and who came up with that name? "Woofers By Bob Carver"
What a shame.


Aaron H.

It looks like something you would see in a JC Whitney catalog, "Woofers By Bob Carver"
What a shame.


Aaron H.

HOLY SHIT !!!!!! You were right !!!!!!!!!!!


Go look !!!!!
Woofers By Bob Carver Go BIG TIME

I always thought that there was a circumstantial parallel between what happened with Mark Levinson and Madrigal, Cello, etc. and Bob and Phase, Carver, Sunfire, but this is just pitiful.

Genius that he is (WAS?), this has caused his credibility to drop farther in 72 hours than any character assassination attempts by TAS, Stereophile or the like could've EVER accomplished.

This is more like seeing an ad for a "Gobzo Sound" amplifier series with one dim Blue Output/Power LED and sticker reading 4000wpc with 100% distortion at RAT SHACK with a sign at the bottom reading:

Brought to you by the Gordon Gow Amplification Doobies and Watt Whomper Farm. Then the models use alpha numerics like GGAD-AWWF-ULL 1, 2, 3. Etc.

The McIntosh guys would never put their names out on the street in crotchless panties, fishnet hose and clear heels like this, though....

What happened, did he get ANOTHER divorce or something?

Somebody lock him up in his lab and throw away the key, wouldja please?

I think I'm going to be sick........

To a certain extent I do not fault Bob on this one. At least he made maoney on the deal. If he does not keep Carver Service in buisness though he is cutting off his own foot. It is a money making buisness for Christs' sake. Elan on the other hand can GTH.

I actually posted the Guest post above, but couldn't get the Login to work.

I see your point Chuck and I still love the gear, but I wouldn't do that with MY name, and I'd bet you wouldn't with yours either. Besides, it's been done now what, three times?

Every time it happens surely to God, he realizes that the value of the very thing he's selling (his name) deflates with every cycle.

Well maybe his next company will be Blue Tulips, to be inline with Mark L and Red Rose

Or....it might be what he'd have to do and use to get a secure loan. Now, that I think about it ML might've named his after the target instead of the tools of procurement......

Maybe Bob IS starting another company with a lesser goal included to support his other company's post-mortem (and his pre-DOA) reputations.

But I don't think so....

Is anybody out there supporting the original Phase? Of course it didn't have extremely proprietary Power Supplies like a lot of the Beginning and Middle period Carver stuff did.

Let me start out by saying I agree with all the anger over Carver Repair closing.

But we need to give Bob Carver more respect. He has gave us 30yrs of his Heart in the products he has put on the market.

If it was a because of an Ex-wife that he left Carver Corp and started Sunfire than he should have all our respect that he kept going and still was able to give us his Sunfire Amplifiers.

Am I happy that Elen now controls Sunfire Hell No. But how many of us have layed down the cash for a sunfire product. I just now bought my first Sunfire and used at that. So Sunfire made no money from this sale.

So if Sunfire makes no money because we are diehard Carver lovers than maybe Bob Needed another company that has the power to keep Sunfire running in the best and worst of times. Than I can Under stand why Bob Carver sold to Elen. Close shop or get outside help. We have not lost Bob at least not yet and I hope not for a long time.

We should be grateful that he even opened Carver Repair for us in the first place. How many other company's would do that for us. Just think about the last time you called HP computers for help and wanted to just walk the computer to the curb.

I am not happy with the way Sunfire is now but lets see what happens and Bob Carver is still ok in my book.