Picked up a Carver M-500 at the thrift store...

...and it lights up OK (yes, even both meter lamps work!), but no sound comes out of either channel. Is there some internal fuse or other simple 'gotcha' that I should look for? I know nothing about these units. Thanks.

Pop the top and look....I'm not sure but congrats!!!

Does yours have a switch on the back ?? Maybe it's in the wrong position or between positions ??? Just a thought.

Wow, great thrift store find. You might need to replace a tired capacitor - look for signs of bulging, and of course have a technician trouble-shoot if there's nothing obvious that you can address. if you don't have a good local tech, check the forum resources here for good reliable shops, including Bob's shop in Snohomish, WA.

Track down a copy of the service manual - there are scanned PDF files available for free download. I think the HiFi Engine site has them, if they aren't available here.

Some people have all the luck. What a score ,hope its a simple fix.

Well, my initial attempt was to connect the unit to my home stereo. That is what I did, unsuccessfully, prior to my post. Afterward, I took the covers off, checked several 'suspicious' connections, bent the bottom cover out slightly (it had been pushed in, somehow) and put everything back together. Convinced I hadn't done anything, I took the unit out to the garage to connect it up with some other pieces in an attempt to troubleshoot it. I connected it up and Voila!, it worked. I let it play all afternoon, and it continued to work. At this point, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is wrong with the unit, that perhaps the speaker connectors I was using in the house (banana plugs) don't work with the native output connectors on the M-500, because in the garage, using stripped, 18 AWG wire, everything seems fine. Fellow M-500 owners: Do the original output connectors not work with banana plugs? Thanks all for the ideas!

Congrats on your find!! It seems I've had the same trouble with the binding posts, can't recall off hand if it was that model or not, its been quite awhile since I've had a m-500t.

Congratulations! You're the first person here I've seen spell Voila! correctly~

Well, my initial attempt was to connect the unit to my home stereo. That is what I did, unsuccessfully, prior to my post. Afterward, I took the covers off, checked several 'suspicious' connections, bent the bottom cover out slightly (it had been pushed in, somehow) and put everything back together. Convinced I hadn't done anything, I took the unit out to the garage to connect it up with some other pieces in an attempt to troubleshoot it. I connected it up and Voila!, it worked. I let it play all afternoon, and it continued to work. At this point, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is wrong with the unit, that perhaps the speaker connectors I was using in the house (banana plugs) don't work with the native output connectors on the M-500, because in the garage, using stripped, 18 AWG wire, everything seems fine. Fellow M-500 owners: Do the original output connectors not work with banana plugs? Thanks all for the ideas!

CONGRATS! REALLY NICE FIND!

cool,
so what is the story of the thrift shop...
details...

cool,
so what is the story of the thrift shop...
details...

I walked in (a Goodwill store), saw the unit sitting on the shelf, plugged it in, saw that the meters both lit up and no smoke was emanating from inside, nor did it smell burnt, so I bought it.

"Details" means...How Much ?

well what goodwill, and price would be nice....

the only thing I find at the 2 I go too is crap.....
when I asked the kid unloading cars about whether they get any good audio stuff.
he says, "oh you mean like Bose"....
no I tell him.
he then starts to ramble off a few other better brands...
he then says, "yeah you can go to our auction website, that's were we put those"......

so dude, you got reallllll lucky to find that put out, somebody screwed up.....

Congratulations! You're the first person here I've seen spell Voila! correctly~

Yeah....there is a bit of difference in meaning with spelling it correctly!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/voil%C3%A0