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Reviews (16)
21 November 2019
Good Welding AC Power Cable
Makes a good welder extension power cord. 50 amps capacity is what was needed. (I don't like ~50 A going through 8 AWG.) Cable is very flexible for 6 AWG wire cable..
24 March 2017
Very Reasonable Replacement Battery
I bought these batteries to replace the same SLA batteries in an APC Smart-UPS 1500. Those batteries lasted not quite 3 years. Each of those batteries had a shorted cell which caused the output to be about 10 volts. Considering the life and cost, I repurchased. I've had more expensive batteries last longer, but not that much better (had 12 volts to the end, but little amperage).
10 September 2015
Good Classic Carver Amplifier (with some reservations)
4 of 4 found this helpful The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
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The Good.
The TFM-25 looks very professional, has sleek black plated aluminum finish, and a set of analog meters on the front panel. There is no user audio power level adjustment. The TFM-25 seems to be a Class AB amplifier. It does have a multi-tapped AC transformer as the power source for the main linear power supplies (three voltages for power mains). This cleaver design does not generate as much heat at low output power as traditional designs do (running on a single high voltage supply). Using three power supply voltages make good sense for reducing the heat power dissipation. When high output power is needed, the higher voltage power supply is used. Otherwise the lower voltage supplies are used to allow the reduction of heat generation in the output drive transistors. The TFM-25 is a bipolar transistor design. Therefore this amplifier avoids some of the audio industries’ early power MOS FET issues that haunted the audio field just a few years after the TFM-25. This is one reason why I like the old Carver bipolar transistor designs. Besides you can still find most of these parts for repairs of the unit.
The TFM-25’s design goal of vacuum tube amplifier’s soft limiting seems likely in part to be addressed by the design having the three power voltages. But anyway, the TMF-25 claims to overcome many of the old arguments and controversies of vacuum tubes vs transistors. Still, I am not sure what a high power vacuum tube amplifier would sound like in my environment so I have to take Carver’s word on the issues.
I auditioned the TFM-25 using a good CD player, a Carver CT-28v preamp, and Infinity RS-3B speakers. The RS-3Bs do not require much power, so I couldn’t challenge the TFM-25. The sound was good or perhaps I should say at times slightly different as compared to my reference amplifier (A Denon amplifier of a slightly later era). My setup did not allow for a quick amplifier change, therefore an A-B test was difficult. My imagination said that the Carver was slightly better.
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The Bad.
The Carver “Magnetic Field Power Amplifier” moniker seems to have no technical meaning but is just a name of the product. In anyway case, the name/title looks cool.
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The Ugly.
I really don’t like to see the over use of fire resistant resistors. Carver should have used ½ or 1 watt resistors (fire resistant or not) for numerous ¼ watt fire resistors. The TMF-25 that I originally bought didn’t have “Carver Corporation Service Bulletin, Service Bulletin #TFM-25-2, 4/15/92” implemented. If your TFM-25 has not implemented this bulletin, then do it or have it done. Under high power output loads without these modifications, the PCB will cook and turn toasty brown around a number of components. As the PCB turns toasty, the copper traces will start lifting from the board and servicing is much more difficult. A further Carver issue is related to a cost reduction measure, Carver does/did not use plate thru holes which would have helped anchor the traces and components (also components solders in better with plate thru holes).
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Summary.
The TFM-25 is really a nice amplifier. It sounds good too. It has the cool Carver round analog meters that I like so much. It is worthy of your consideration, especially after the service issue is resolved (or you find a post service bulletin production unit). I would have given it a Five Star rating if it was not for the hot parts.