It seems like that was the golden age of audio amplifiers, and
sites like DIYaudio.com frequently mention amps from that period,
including Carver's. I use a 75W/channel @8 ohms Leach amp built
from an article published in Audio magazine article from the era.
It was well reviewed but also very rugged and stable. I was really
happy that it didn't blow up when I first plugged it in because a
friend of mine told me that an amp he built from another magazine's
plans oscillated and shorted all its power transistors in the first
few seconds. His amp was not Ampzilla, which I wanted to build but
couldn't afford.
That Behringer equalizer's "feedback destroyer" seems like a handy
feature to have. My equalizer is just an analog unit, from another
1970s magazine article, only the dB scale is way off because I was
supposed to use "W" taper slide pots but couldn't find anything like
them so used linear pots instead.
Sounds like you know what you're doing, and then some. Never heard of
a W measure on pots, but imagine it's a logarithmic/linear thing if
the decibel "action" is out of whack;- I'd sooner have that then
unbalanced channels, which drives me nuts (I've a power meter for
measuring them, can see source signal output and wattage movements
from what the speakers are being fed).
Feedback monitoring, as well as a chipped routine for running through
a noise generator and microphone loop, optimizing the equalization
according to some preset Behringer engineers determined. Couple of
other things such as stage (speaker distances) delay timings that set
it apart from most EQ boxes.
I've never used either the above features, although may, especially
the feedback;- the room's acoustics analyzer is totally useless the
way my walls are setup: one speaker's firing into a void (my dining
room), where the other is directly reflected back from a partial wall
behind the couch). "Sweet spot" doesn't really apply as much as
moving lots of air.
I also got mine when it was $200 (its went up $100 since then).
For everything I really don't know, didn't at the time of combining
both old technology (carver) alongside new (the art amp) -- it all was
haphazard and just sort of fell into place. All that started by
recording a friend's vocals and culminated with this...
http://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-Audi..._sbs_pc_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JA23J55XCZB3MEEA12S
A couple very decent dub-overs while using the PreSonus (I made him
buy that for himself);- For me, (aside from delivering what I told him
I would - highend recordings by studying and transposing what he
already knew, told me what do from old analogue gear), I learned
recording, getting a tasty taste for what others are doing with
computers, sound equipment options, are about in revolutionizing home
recording.
What you see is what you get. In my case it happened, falling into
place piecemeal without any integral planning. I'm suitably amazed,
though. Been a "music lover" all my life.
Wouldn't mind someday getting up to your speed with a push-pull Class
B kit. Aroundabout 80-watts in a 4 6L6 or EL84 configuration might
make up for lower output from a Class A amp. Dunno. I'm not that
sophisticated or experienced with circuitry principles and design.
Least to mention anything in that quality, elegant gear, "newly
engineered," at the bare minimum beginning out of Hong Kong from
Chinese/Ebay kits;- a bare minimum -- at my total -system- outlay for
the price I piecemeal built this new solid-state setup -- considering
the power I want, (I am not buying speakers again for efficiency
matching), easily could be double the price. A lot of money for
gambling with both operator expertise, at such levels of equipment,
and quality issues, somewhat, off the Pacific Rim.
Big dreams for diminishing returns, really, at some point, being
basically satisfied with what I have in solid state. I've never even
heard/listened to a valved setup, except for the valved amps I use
both for nylon classical and electric guitars. (Even though I do
pretty much detest playing an instrument through solid state;- In any
proper musicological dictionary that is what is called a Tone Whore.)
