The Possible Resurrection of CARVER Corp....

[kingman]

The Phase Linear table was a very well regarded version of a Pioneer Linear Tracker as I remember. They do pop up from time to time.

A nice one at a reasonable price is very difficult to find...

[cmk59]

Cool; like "Alien Resurrection", but with "Carver Resurrected"~

I think you you have a brainstorming session for a specific name with everyone, and the one you pick gets a pair of the new speakers~

I like "Carver: We're BAAAA-AAAAAACK!"

or

"Carver: The Sequel"

or

"BOB Audio"

or

"Carver Audio Creations"

or

"Carver Creative Concepts"

or

"Carver Innovations"

or

"Inspired Designs by Carver"

or

"Clever Creations by Carver"

or

"Creative Designs Imagined by Carver"



you get the idea~





James, you realize this news is going to spread like WILDFIRE, right?

I think the most succinct thing would be: "The Best Thing Ever To Happen To Quality Audio Is Back."

OK, and if you'll forgive an old ad guy/journalist/designer a bit of hubris:

"Bob Carver, maverick engineer & audiophile is back with a vengeance. High-end, quality audio has gotten a bad name in the past from 'audiophiles' with more money than knowledge; indeed, that kind of thinking by 'bean counters' and audio snobs caused the decline and fall of the original Carver Corporation. Bob in the past even earned the mean-spirited sobriquet of 'Sideshow Bob' for innovative naming of his design ideas - but if the idea's crazy (or oddly named) and it works, is it indeed worthy of such childish and pathetic slings and arrows? What's wrong with reasonably-priced high-end audio? For those who think with their ears and not their egos, we give you the reborn and revitalized Carver Corporation." (OK, I know Magneplanar is on a 'budget-conscious' kick/campaign now, but I think it's a good thing...High-quality, reasonably-priced audio MADE IN THE USA is something to crow about, especially in these economic times.)

Mr. Carver, I'll work for you for minimum wage. And my audio system.

[angelod307]

"IATOFTS" is the name bob said his next company would be called. I Am Too Old For This Shit....

[angelod307]

and oh yeah, i will work for food and being your understudy......

[Magic_Physicist]

Ok I better go fake sleep now after reading this.......Carver Corp. has been around me since 1975 so I see it every day right here in my house.

Other than the money part (good old Ben Franklin)

I think he should be back in Lynwood or farther to the NW where I live......he can give me something to do.

Now I will take the wife shopping all day so I can get back home and play the complete Fest 2010 on youtube....maybe on my 82in DLP

it's 5:11am.....goodnight!

[Rainman]

that kind of thinking by 'bean counters' and audio snobs caused the decline and fall of the original Carver Corporation.

I'm pretty sure the decline of the original Carver Corp. was started by the board of directors at Carver Corp. when they fired Mr. Carver from his own company, and the fall of the original Carver Corp. was initiated by that same board of directors who were running Carver Corp. without something that you should probably have at Carver Corp. and that would be Mr. Carver!
The fall of Carver Corp. was finalized by this board of directors because by the time they figured out you kinda need Mr. Carver to have a Carver Corp. the Carver Corp. bank account only had $1.87 left in it which was likely spent to use a pay phone to call Mr. Carver for help.
I don't know how much effect the "audio snobs" actually had on any of this, but if you look back at the numbers etc. Carver Corp. wasn't having any trouble selling plenty of Mr. Carver's gear right up to the day he was fired from his own company.
Rainman

[Don]

that kind of thinking by 'bean counters' and audio snobs caused the decline and fall of the original Carver Corporation.

I'm pretty sure the decline of the original Carver Corp. was started by the board of directors at Carver Corp. when they fired Mr. Carver from his own company, and the fall of the original Carver Corp. was initiated by that same board of directors who were running Carver Corp. without something that you should probably have at Carver Corp. and that would be Mr. Carver!
The fall of Carver Corp. was finalized by this board of directors because by the time they figured out you kinda need Mr. Carver to have a Carver Corp. the Carver Corp. bank account only had $1.87 left in it which was likely spent to use a pay phone to call Mr. Carver for help.
I don't know how much effect the "audio snobs" actually had on any of this, but if you look back at the numbers etc. Carver Corp. wasn't having any trouble selling plenty of Mr. Carver's gear right up to the day he was fired from his own company.
Rainman

At this tear's Carverfest, Bob mentioned the number of units he was selling every month and the number was vast. As I understand it, the Board over Bob's advice and ultimate departure, went into the mass marketers and Big Box retailers which in turn cost Carver Corp. a number their loyal dealerships. These mass marketers did not know anything about selling higher end audio products. (Remember saw a pair of ALS at Circuit City) When this finally caught up with corporate Carver Corp., Bob was asked to come back. However, fatal damage was already done to Carver Corp.

[BillD]

It's an archetypal example of corporate greed in America, which is, unfortunately a product of the fact that scientists typically make poor administrators. Had Bob been a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs, Carver Corporation would be around today. But those aren't typical scenarios.

What most technical innovators do is different from what Bob did, and he got caught up in his own involvement with the Company and his products (to his credit and downfall). Most innovators form a private company, develop a successful product line, take the company public, make a fortune on the IPO and then sell the company to some investors and move on. Bob executed perfectly on the front end of this strategy, just not the back end. Some innovators successfully hold on to a position in their company (think Amar Bose and Matthew Polk), but most of them have to stifle their visions of greatness for the realities of the mass market. Bob couldn't do that. And, the Board of Directors couldn't execute in the mass market, either.

[mbskeam]

I think in the end, Bob could not let all his work go.......
that would be a hard pill to swallow......

you know that as he refers to his amps as his children.....

[BillD]

And I understand that... I would feel the same way. And I'd be a lousy entrepreneur.

[nooshinjohn]

you know that as he refers to his amps as his children.....

With all the work going into building my own, I understand EXACTLY how he feels. I bet he shed a tear or two every time a truck backed up to the loading dock to take away the next production batch.

[BillD]

I'm sure he probably takes great joy in seeing a well taken care of example of his work, too.

[kingman]

I'm sure he probably takes great joy in seeing a well taken care of example of his work, too.

I know he does...he was smitten with my Phase Linear 400 at Carverfest 2010. He said he was just a kid when he invented the curcuitry and design.

[Toy Maker]

I'm sure he probably takes great joy in seeing a well taken care of example of his work, too.

You bet your ass he does !!!!
You should have seen the jaw-dropped-blank-stare-look on his face as he said, "OH MY GOD"... as he walked in and saw this last year:

[BillD]

Well, shit, you'd have to be dead not to get that reaction from that stuff.