Bob Carver Raven 350 Series Tube Amps

[Sonnie]

Okay guys... what color do you like best... or rather what color you think will look best in my room? Please vote!

My initial thinking was black... it just matches... but those red ones do look nice. They will sit on each side of the center cabinet.

 

[Tony V.]

Gee Sonnie, are you trying to make me jealous? LOL

I guess it depends if your trying to draw attention to them or hide them. I like the Red but it may be more noticeable in the dark.

 

[AudiocRaver]

Always thought of you as a solid guy, Sonnie. Solid state, that is.

 

[JBrax]

That's a tough call but I think I'd lean towards the red. You've got a lot of black and I think the red would give a very classy offset to everything. Although going with black would be the safe route? Tough call…

 

[Tonto]

Hands down Red. You need some color, more so with a specialty amp that's begging to be appreciated! In a dark room with the lights out, tubes glowing, it will look perfect.

If you really like them, you could always change the room to match. Maybe some different fabric on your panels & different jackets on your cables. But that might be a bit eccentric.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I'm throwing a vote in for black

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

Obviously, I cannot abide any color that resembles Crimson. Love Purple, Live Gold!

 

[NBPK402]

Depends...do you want them to blend in our shout out that they are there?

 

[Sonnie]

I am not much on flashiness... as you can see in the room... kind of laid back. I think I would indeed be safer with black... and they would not grow old on me either.

This means I will now have my beloved Parasound for sale. Such a fine amp!

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

In the dark, the glow from the bottles will be more of an issue than the color of the chassis. I'm partial to red, because that coordinates well with your carpeting and wall panels.

 

[Tonto]

Get 4 small boxes, wrap 2 with red wrapping paper & 2 with black. Set them where you will have them post a pic each way.

 

[Sonnie]

I don't think these are that noticeable with glow.

 

[Todd Anderson]

How big are those, Sonnie? 14-in wide?

 

[Peter Loeser]

I'm generally all for red accents but in your room I'd have to vote for back. The red doesn't go with the carpet to my eyes. Very cool looking amps either way though!

 

[Tonto]

Just reading a review, now I understand why you are getting them. These things will be perfect for your ML's. I think you will feel complete after you get these beauties hooked up. When are you expecting to get them?

 

[Sonnie]

They are 12" wide... Dimensions/Weight: 7.2” X 12” x 14” (H x W x D) / 44 lbs. per chassis.

I hope to be able to get them in the next week or so.

I think you are right Peter... I just don't think the red is going to look right in there.

 

[Todd Anderson]

They're big enough that they could potentially stick out... I'll keep with my vote for all black (and agree that the added color might not blend well with your color scheme).

 

[Sonnie]

Yeah... something tells me to stick with black and don't get to brave with the color.

 

[AudiocRaver]

Go red!

It will be interesting to compare the frequency response measurements for the Expression 13A with the Raven 350 vs your Parasound. Not saying that it will sound anything less than great, just curious if it will sound a little bit different. Tow of the cases where I have heard a difference between amps was where a tube amp was compared to a solid state amp. Damping factor and frequency response with an electrostatic are likely to make an audible difference.

Another fun little experiment!

Monoblocks are good, too.

 

[Sonnie]

No doubt that will be one of the first things I do. Measure the 13A's... swap over amp connections, play the amp for a few minutes, then measure the 13A's again.

I went black... I was too scared to try red. It's not something that is easily swapped out.

 

[AudiocRaver]

Probably for the best.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Besides, everyone knows that black lacquer sounds better than red lacquer. Those 'Logans should be able to resolve the difference between 15 and 20 coats, too!

 

[Sonnie]

Now you got me thinking... the number of coats will have to be considered.

 

[Tonto]

Yeah, but who has that many coats this far south!

 

[Sonnie]

Well... this purchase has been tabled for now. I have decided to go a lesser expensive route in the meantime and will come back to these later on. Thanks for the input... and black will ultimately be the color.