We love a good supergroup, especialy when the collaboration can create something well worth your time and a slot in your AV setup. Bob Carver LLC has certainly created some good buzz, announcing a new company as well as the Cherry 180 and Black Beauty Tube Amplifiers.
Bob Carver LLC is a collaborative effort between audio inventor Bob Carver and home automation pioneer Bob Farinelli. The two worked together at Sunfire years back, and have over 75 years of design experience and 51 patents between them.
The newly formed company's first endeavor is this duo of stylish, powerful vacuum tube amplifiers. Designed to drive the most demanding speakers, the Cherry 180 is conservatively rated at 180 watts RMS into 8 ohms, with the Black Beauty coming in at 305 watts RMS.
"These amplifiers stand with a small handful of the world's great vacuum tube amplifiers," says Carver.
Each unit boasts a high impedance input, an automatic DC restorer circuit, a "set and forget" bias adjustment, and low idle current. That current supposedly increases output tube life. Other features include ultra-wide bandwidth output transformers with interleaved windings, a special current feedback circuit, and a transformer output impedance that can deliver more voltage to the loudspeaker at very low frequencies. Also, selectable feedback control allows the user to change the sound of the amplifier from vintage classical to modern contemporary.
"Today's discerning audiophiles listen to a wide variety of content and appreciate the warm, rich sound that vacuum tube amplifiers provide," said Farinelli, who serves as the president of Bob Carver LLC. "Other products found in this price range simply do not compare in overall performance."
Both models are expected to ship next month. The Cherry 180 (VTA180M) will list for $3700, with the Black Beauty (VTA305M) priced at $6450.
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