Speaker and component repair

I have two Carver systems, both hand me downs from my father who bought them in or around the early 90's.

One (the cheaper of the two) has two large square speakers (Anyone knowing what kind these might be would be helpful), a CT7 pre-amp and an M-500 Power Amplifier. Both the CT7 and the m500 have problems- I am trying to fix them. Any suggestions would be helpful, because I really like the way they sounded before. (the problem is that the CT7 will not play any music, I turn it on and the numbers turn on but don't do anything. The M500 actually makes a very disturbing buzzing noise and smells bad.) So I am willing to fix them, but I am not sure where to bring them to be fixed.

The nice system has two speakers, using the 48 inch ribbon, so I think they are Amazing Silver... but I am not sure. They are coupled with a 4000t which runs to two "Silver Seven t" mono- amps. I also have a Carver TLM-3600 CD player, the combination is very nice, but in this case one of the ribbons is ripped.

As a college student I am not sure if I can afford to fix that, clicking around at Carveraudio I found the speaker ribbon repair, which would require sending them out and 325 to fix just one. The problem is isolated to the bottom part of the speaker ribbon, I wouldn't mind creating a temporary solution by just finding a way to make the speaker continue to work.

So if there is any advice on how to fix it myself, or if I do, how to send them out (The speaker is connected to the cross-over by wire that is sautered at both ends... should I heat the contacts up and pull the wire out? Or is there a better way to do this?)

Just getting on this site, Dave I am sure you'll read this- I have pictures of what is wrong with the speaker and am willing to send it anytime that you think you could fix them.

Also- Even though they both have 3 10 inch (Measured myself, might be wrong) woofers, the bass is minimal, due to the high fidelity audio. Is there a subwoofer that you would recommend to add to the system later?

Hi,

Since you're short on funds, fix the ribbon and leave the "cheaper" of the two systems alone for now. Un-solder the wires at the crossover (easier to do there), but make sure you mark which one goes where.

"the bass is minimal, due to the high fidelity audio." You've lost me on that one. What do you mean? You should have plenty of bass without the need for a sub.

[DaveS]

Cyguy,
Send the pictures, it can`t hurt. Anytime I unhook a ribbon from the rest of the speaker the subs don`t sound good, they never seem to work well alone. I guess it`s your ears playing tricks on you because as soon as the ribbon is hooked up again the total sound is back to normal. If you want call me after you send the pictures.

PS I LOVE the way you spelt soldered

Well first I'll say this- I was tired, so I wasn't paying attention. I live in Maine, so all my professors pronounce solder as sauter, and I just didn't bother to check on the spelling

But yeah, I'll work on the spelling, I'm an Electrical Engineering student so I have to deal with it, but I never have to spell it. Its easier that way.

F1nut- I'll plan on only fixing the nicer system, but any idea on how much it would cost for the other components? Also, you said to unhook the wires at the crossover... that requires taking the grill off, opening up the box, and then doing it. Is there any advantage to that, or would I be alright just in unhooking them at the bottom of the ribbon, which is in plan view?

As for the subwoofer idea- Well, I wasn't sure how to describe it. Basically my uncle and I discuss it, he prefers the way they are now, I would prefer a little more bass. It has good bass, but not thundering... I think I like having just a little more, plus if I ever hook them up to a TV, I want the movie effect. I was trying to describe how, while they have three 10's in each speaker, it surprisingly doesn't have the amount of thunder you might expect, but it does have crisp clear bass.

Hey DaveS,

I am working on getting the pictures, I'll have them by tonight I think. So you can see, I am pretty sure that I have to replace the ribbon because I found another tear.

As for the woofers, I will wait to pass judgement until I have both speakers working fine, but I was just wondering if any of you had recommendations? A sub would either be a present or in the future, I am deciding whether a 400 dollar sub would do it justice, or whether I should wait for something like the Carver Shadow sub or even better, the Sunfire Signature one. (I am definitely planning too far ahead on that one)

I just figured since you all know equipment pretty well, you could set me up with the info.

Thats just my thoughts. But hey- since I don't know systems, is the setup I described (4000t, Silver Seven t, Amazing Silver speakers) a good one? Or is that average for Carver products? I don't plan on selling them but I was trying to figure out how good that is

(I also remembered that I have a PMA2100 car amp powering a 10 inch sub in a custom box... both from Carver. I guess my dad just went there and bought a lot)

thanks guys

Cy,

Sorry, no idea what it would cost to fix the other stuff. You could take it to the repair shop for an estimate, might cost you $50.00 or so.

No real advantage to removing the leads from the crossover now that I think about it. It was for me because I was removing everything from the panels anyway and it just seemed easier at the crossover.

The bass issue, for music bass should blend with the rest, but I understand you want more for HT. In that case you will probably want to get a sub. I'm a 2 channel only kinda guy and don't own a sub, so I can't help you there other than to say I hear a lot of good things about SVS subs. I also understand that the 7t's aren't the best at bass slam, perhaps trying a different amp (maybe a friend has one you can borrow) might be worth looking into.

Just posting the pictures

Cyguy,

If you call Carver's service department (360.862.1742) they will be able to help you. When I called on a Carver Tuner & CD Player repair they informed me that they do not repair these items in-house and gave me a number of an outfit that is authorized to do the repairs (sorry, don't have the name or number handy). When I called, they informed me that their flat rate is $185.00 for repairs, and if they can not complete the repair, its free minus shipping.

I believe Carver/Sunfire will repair amplifiers in house, but I'm not sure about their repair pricing.

Call, you have nothing to lose.

Good Luck!

Big Nate,

For ribbon repair the guy you'd want is none other than Dave S.

F1

For ribbon repair its Dave, but Nate was replying to all the other components that I want fixed. If they're that much I'll wait a bit- its not that important. But thanks, I will call, and see whats up.

Thanks guys
Cy

Big Nate/Cy,

Oops, you're right......must remember to think before posting at 3am.

The only problem with removing the solder from the bottom of the ribbon is that if you don't have a good soldering iron or gun and it doesn't heat up the solder properly you might pull the etching up off the little board on the end of the ribbon. This can cause you major problems down the road. I would either cut the wire in the middle or preferred unsolder it from the crossover even if you do have to remove the grill and then the back to get to it. Just my humble advice

I am attempting to rebuild 2 pairs of the Platinums and one pair of silvers. I have completely ruined the little card on the bottom of the ribbon of one of my ribbons because of having a crappy soldering iron and not getting the connection heated up properly. Ran out to Sears immediately for the proper tool.