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Many people purchase a piece of audio gear after
reading a glowingly positive magazine review of it, only to be disappointed by finding that it's not quite as good
as the review claimed. Truth is, magazine reviews are often awarded by virtue of how much money a company spends
on advertising in it. By the same token, you'll also sometimes see "testimonials" that have actually
been written by vendors who sell to the manufacturer of the product, who are naturally going to praise the product
to increase its sales, and in turn the sales of their own goods as well.
At Vaughn Audio, our firm conviction is that there is no better advertising than a real-life customer who is pleased
with the sound of their product. Below are actual testimonials from our customers, as well as non-customers who
have heard our products. These quotes are from music aficionados like yourself, not paid "reviewers"
or shills, nor from a review in a magazine that we spend a fortune advertising in, because we don't advertise in
them! We choose to let our products speak for themselves. Here's but a small sampling of the great things music
lovers have to say about our products:
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My Carina landed with a bang a couple of hours ago.
It's my first tube amp and I didn't know I could make such a great decision. But then again all of you helped in
a special way. Your questions and observations about tube-life and related stuff convinced me to order. Eddie's
posts (though when technical - way over my head) satisfied me that this could work nicely with the Brines FT-1600s.
I echo the thoughts of the other new Carina owners as to the early surprise at how good the out of the box sound
is. If it gets kicked up in 100-200 hours I can only hope to develop the ability to communicate what I'm hearing
and do my part to spread the Carina message. My wife asked that I convey her thanks to Eddie. So, Eddie consider
yourself thanked from a very sincere lady who knows what she likes!
In the past hour I've listened to stuff that I consider "fun" music. Mostly long versions of 70's/80's
dance music because I thought it would be good to sneak up on Ms. Carina. She caught me and convinced me that she
would and could handle whatever I might send her way. Without any expectations I will devote some time to Eva Cassidy,
Ella Fitzgerald, Phyllis Hyman and other female vocals. Ms. C said it that it "would all be good." I
believe her.
C.C.-- Queens, NY
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From the first time I had the pleasure of meeting
Eddie Vaughn and then heard several of his modified amplifiers that were originally built by other manufacturers,
I was impressed enough to want to hear an amplifier that he designed "from the ground up".
So, I ordered a Carina and it arrived last Friday. My Carina was ordered with the Teflon V-Caps, so I expect to
be in for somewhat of a "bumpy ride" for the first 100 to 200 hours as the capacitors break in. As might
be imagined, the soundstage is a little vague at times with less than 30 hours on the amp, but on the occasions
when everything locks in, I get a very tasty preview of things to come.
Eddie swears that this amp will not produce any serious bass until 100 or more hours have been logged, which has
me scratching my head wondering what he considers "serious bass"...... Even in the early stages of break-in,
the tonal balance, weight, focus, timing and air are excellent. The detail, openness, focus and air around instruments
and voices is like nothing I have ever heard before. On one Patricia Barber cut I played last night, I believe
that I heard some specks of dirt that were stuck in the strings of the acoustic bass. ; ) I have been listening
as much as possible since the arrival of the Carina and probably have about 50 hours of burn-in time. It's obvious
that things are sounding better and by 200 hours this will be one very fine sounding amplifier .
Acoustic guitar via the Carina is a revelation ..... body, strings, harmonics, fingering sounds ..... they are
all there in a natural and realistic balance. The only downside is that I was listening to music last night until
almost 4:00 am and had to get up at 7:30. Many of the amplifiers I have owned (and sold) were very highly regarded
in the audio community, so when an amplifier "gets my attention" it has to be something special, and
the Carina has my attention ..... in spades. For an amplifier that puts out less than 2 watts a channel (in Triode
Mode) to make the kind of tuneful bass that the Carina does and have this kind of control and the spaciousness
of soundstage is an absolute miracle, IMHO. Clipping? What's that? This is one "muscular" amplifier,
and having great finesse and delicacy at the same time. 3-D palpability of voices and instruments ..... indeed.
As more new Carina owners post their thoughts about
their amplifiers, it seems that all of us are hearing pretty much the same thing ..... either that or Eddie has
found a way to exert some sort of mind control over everyone who has purchased this amplifier .....
A few of the common observations :
Amazing bass ..... deep and tight
Impression of more than the rated power
Liquid sound ..... at the same time excellent detail
Silent background
Wide and deep soundstage
Instruments and voices explode from soundstage and decay gracefully
Natural tonal balance of instruments from top to bottom
Unusually good palpability of vocals
Yep, sounds like the description of a world class amplifier to me.
The only way to really appreciate how good the Carina is ..... is to hear one.
R.R.-- Alexandria, KY
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According to Plutarch, the now infamous words by
which Julius Caesar described one of his victories in Latin were the words “veni, vidi, vici” and in plain English
- "I came, I saw, I conquered". Well, yesterday, "Miss Carina came, saw, and conquered"-my
ears! Mr. UPS delivery man was sweating bullets in our heatwave as he hoisted Miss Carina off his truck and climbed
the dozen steps from the street up to my front door. As he approached his first words to me were, wow this box
is heavy! Hehe, well we know, why don't we? Miss Carina ain't no lightweight flimsy piece of plastic, she's a hefty
28 pounds of iron.
Well, first, before I continue, let me just say hi to everybody here. I've been a reader of this forum for some
time now, I think since January, and have very much enjoyed the information posted in these forums. This will be
my first post and it is in no small way prompted by yesterday's arrival of Miss Carina. I thought I would share
with all of you some of my initial impressions.
So, where do I begin? Let's start with the emotional response. Of course no sooner had the UPS truck pulled away
from the curb and I rushed to slice open the box and extract those 28 pounds of iron. In a flash I connected all
the necessary cables, powered up and I remember the very first thought that entered my mind within the first 60
seconds of music playback were the following words: "You've got to be kidding!!!.” I was immediately shocked!
I listened carefully for the next few minutes waiting for what might happen next. Well, so what did happen next?
My mouth opened, my jaw dropped and I listened in puzzled bewilderment. I thought to myself, "No way, it is
absolutely not possible that the music sounds this good right out of the box." At this point I'm feeling very
confused because I thought the Carina would need hours upon hours of burn in. Isn't that the way this is supposed
to work? Isn't the burn in process a lengthy drawn out affair consisting of at least one or two hundred hours?
That was my understanding but the Carina had other ideas in mind. My final "first emotional response"
that I will share is this. As I sat on my couch I just closed my eyes, relaxed and listened. But then, not once
but twice, my brain was tricked into thinking the vocalist was so real and present in my room that on some level,
my brain perceived the voice as being so real that the brain issued orders to my eyelids to immediately open up
and have a look around the room because my brain thought somebody was really there. As this is happening, the logical
and reasoning area of my brain said to me, hey dummy why did you open your eyes-you know perfectly well it's just
your audio system you're listening to. Nevertheless, the vocalist sounded real, eerily real. And then I think,
no, this can't be, this is not possible, it can't be sounding this good. I just unpacked it not more than 30 minutes
ago!!
Leaving behind the emotional responses, I shall try to share some objective observations. The facts, just the facts.
First and foremost and at the risk of repeating myself-the music sounds amazingly real and lifelike and "musical",
effortlessly musical. There is a mesmerizing, delicious abundance of micro detail and instrument tones are truthful.
I don't hear any harshness or glare on trumpet, clarinet, violin or saxophone. The bass response on piano and cello
is present and very satisfying. Prior to Miss Carina's arrival I had nearly come to the conclusion that I would
someday be forced to acquire a subwoofer in order to obtain adequate bass. Hearing the remarkable bass that the
Carina so gracefully and effortlessly delivers, I don't feel the need for more bass, or to put it another way,
I don't feel as though any bass information is missing.
As for the soundstage, it is significantly more three
dimensional. I had always struggled to get a good 3-d effect, but the Carina's soundstage is delivering the goods.
I intentionally didn't alter the placement of my speakers when I hooked up the Carina so I know the improvement
in the soundstage is due to the Carina herself and not the result of any changes to speaker placement or toe-in.
One final observation. I guess I'm going to have plenty of headroom because with the volume turned to just 10-11
o'clock I'm getting enough decibels to enjoy perfectly adequate moderate playback levels and this is in Triode
mode. As I understand it the Carina will produce even more gain in Ultralinear mode. My room measures 22 x 22 feet
with an 11 foot vaulted ceiling, and the entry to the room is just an open archway (no door) that leads to a long
hallway that opens to the living room, again no doors on either end of the hallway. So, all this air space has
posed problems for my previous equipment in terms of producing satisfying volume and bass without clipping. But
the Carina is producing all the volume and bass I want and I've not heard her clip yet in her efforts.
And to add to my amazement that the Carina sounds this good right out of the box is the fact that yesterday I spoke
with Eddie and he says it's going to get better. Better he said, just like that. And I'm thinking. Better? It already
sounds great! How can it sound greater than great? And yet I know he's right. I'm looking forward to the post burn-in
period.
R.K.-- Nashville, TN
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Got mine (Carina) on Wednesday and have been running
it non stop since then. Loud when I can and quiet when I am sleeping. Eddie said it won't truly settle in for at
least 100 hours.
My initial impressions are smooth, smooth, smooth. I am running the Hornshoppe Horns and went back and forth between
choosing the standard voicing or the lush voicing. I am glad that I choose the standard. Its a perfect blend between
detailed and tubeyness. I have been running it in UL mode. Man oh man does it have some weight and bottom end.
The Horns really came to life with the extra wattage.
Giorgino was asking about complex orchestra music.
While I don't listen to much orchestra I did put on some Mingus Big Band for you. At pretty loud volumes it covered
all the changes with speed and ease, didn't sound sound strained at all (Hows that for non technical jargon?) It
showed no signs of clipping and the dynamics were rendered correctly (is that better?)
Oh yeah, this is all with my crappy EI power and
signal tubes which I have designated solely for the purpose of burning in because they suck so bad. After another
week or so I will pull out the Mullards. Can you imagine how I will be gushing then?
three weeks later
"Wow" is appropriate for how I feel about this amp. I have been running it pretty much non stop for about
3 weeks and feel like the burn in is pretty much complete. So I can comment on it now. I can honestly say that
I have probably just had the best 3 hours of listening to music that I ever have had. I will throw the playlist
out there just for fun:
Bill Frisell
Garage a Trois
Aphex Twin
Jacky Terrason
Iron and Wine
Marc Ribot and los cubanos
Jack DeJohnette
The first thing that I want to comment on is organic sound of the amp. The music is alive and breathing. I know
that sounds corny but I have never heard music that breathes this much. I think it stems from a super quiet black
background where the sounds jump out into their proper place and then decay away perfectly. I heard Eddie describe
it as 'fireworks' and this is a great description. The individual instruments explode in and trail out perfectly.
I guess this is called decay, man is it good.
The tonality is perfect too, piano sounds deep and
like a piano. No shrill to the highs, just perfect like you are sitting there listening to a piano. Vocals are
amazing, super present and the decay is amazing. Tenor sax is perfect, just enough bite but you can hear that it
is a metal instrument.
I have been into SETs for a couple years now and believe I will most likely always have one for my home. They just
sound right. I have always enjoyed going over to my friends house and listening to his big bass set up - Conrad
Johnson 300 watt amp ---- B&W 604s The tonality was never as good but the bass and dynamics were something
that I enjoyed because I didn't have it at home. With my Carina--- Horneshoppe Horns the dynamics are way better,
and the bass is all there. I am psyched for him to come over and quit ribbing me about my "acoustic"
set up. The Carina is so full sounding in Ultralinear with the Horns. Before this amp I thought I may get a sub
someday, now no way. This combo in Ultralinear is awesome. The UL really wakes the Horns up. The center image is
so solid and deep I can't believe it.
Eddie said it would continued to smooth out for 200 hours. Right now I am probably at 100. I went back and forth
between the voicings between lush and standard. I chose standard and it is like he says, balanced. I think this
amp is smooth enough that I could have gone with the hyper detail voicing and have been alright.
I have not heard another amp (and i've auditioned
many in my home including Audio Research, Krell, Pass, Cr Developments, Sonic Frontiers, etc.) do what Eddies amps
do for me. The ballsiness, the bloom, the decay. You can't believe you are listening to less than 4 watts per channel
in ultralinear and less than 2 watts in triode. Take a look inside if you haven't already to see the care that
the product is made with.
I want to thank Eddie for answering all my questions
more thoroughly than I ever deserve, I definitely bugged him enough about the voicing differences. I am excited
to see what his next offering is. Someday I hope to be rich enough to own two amps (Eddie's 2A3) but for now I
can only afford one and I can tell you the Carina isn't going anywhere for a long time
J.R.-- Lincoln, NE
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The amp is still breaking in at only about 40 hours.
Right now it still is a bit hard sounding, yet very promising. The amp throws a very nice sound stage. While perhaps
not quite the equal of a highly modified Sun 300B I once owned, using Western Electrics, it is at least 90% there.
This is the area I am most interested to see develop with the break in process. But it is much more engaging than
the Sun 300B. I found it boring after a while. Some say it needs a pre to wake it up, which I did not want to do.
The Carina is much more lively. It is smooth yet lively. Not so smooth to be boring. Not at all. Just very musical.
Did I say very, yes, very musical.
Detail galore. At one time I thought for sure I could hear the recording engineer eat pretzels in the control room.
Definitely new sonic cues have appeared due to the great detail portrayed. It has impact, punch, and great bass.
Iron fist in a velvet glove indeed. The highs are very well done as well. Some single ended triode amps offer smooth
highs but lack the sparkle and shimmer cymbals offer. So far the Carina does a great job on these. And bells, let
me tell you how wonderful, lively, and shimmering they are to behold.
R. V. -- Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
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After I hooked it up yesterday (Carina) I had to
unhook it to A/B it with my Zen C. Out of the box this amp blows away the C, which is already well broken in and
sporting Mullard EL84s. It is already imaging better. It is already placing vocals beside each other on the stage.
The bass, although it did come and go some, was definitely head and shoulders above the Zen in weight and accuracy,
especially weight.....and hey I hadn't even gotten to Ultralinear mode yet. It may sound odd but the bass has been
amazing for no more hours than I have on it. If it gets better with burn in that will be just a plus. The only
thing I notice is the imaging is a little all over the place but that does not keep you from enjoying. Instruments
like acoustic guitar and steel guitar are starting to sound very real as well as male and female voices. It is
going to be scary good I believe.
It is by far the best SET amp I have ever owned.
It is probably the best amp I have ever owned. It is very warm and musical. It is open and extended in the
highs without being harsh, no sibilance. The bass is very good. In triode with the right music it is amazing but
put on a little rock in ultralinear mode and she can get 'er done. I am amazed at the headroom I have. I thought
that may be the only drawback with a 'flea' powered amp but it even does classical very well. All in all it is
exactly what I asked for.
My son-in-law came over last night to hear the amp.
Listened to a bunch of stuff in Triode Mode and he was very impressed but did note that he still likes the way
the HH Scott did rock with the added bass slam so I switched the guy over to Ultralinear and cranked Dazed and
Confused up on the Zep One album and left him shaking his head in disbelief. Me thinks he has a new outlook.
Thanks for building me such a fine amp.
M.W. - Salisbury, NC
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Even though some of you may want to read about how
this amp can place a voice or instrument on a pin-head, or how it can flawlessly move from quadrant to quadrant
in great phase coherency, the sheer musicality of this amplifier, IMO merits discussion first. This amp offers
a very addictive connection to the music. I have consistently noted a euphoric connection to the amp during every
listening session, from dusk to dawn times of day. I have not needed to wait for a certain time at night or on
weekends to connect with this amp. Once things start to calm in the evening it happens, always. I have never heard
music so consistently enjoyable as it is when heard through this amp.
I was actually not expecting this amp to have the bloom that it does, that is the biggest feature I like about
it. The sound both swells and couples with me in a rather intimate way but also the bloom off the decays is not
something I am used too. I was expecting no ear-fatigue but the bloom thing is unexpected. It is as if this amp
is taking the sound from my head, then unfolding it in front of me as things dance and decay. The decay ability
is very impressive IMO. Eddie best described it as having fireworks exploding in front of you then the trailers
breaking off and flaring. The best thing I like about this sound is that it doesn't sound syrupy or get boring.
I really love the consistency of this amplifier as I know sitting down that it is always going to sound great.
Congratulations Eddie on a very musical and very, very involving sound.
I am beginning to think that separation of the instruments/voice and the decay are really one in the same after
hearing this amp for many hours. To hear a piano through this amp is a real treat and my favorite thing to hear
from it. I used to be into lots of guitar playing but now after hearing piano from this amp I am mesmerised by
the beauty of decay and dance of the harmonics as they sweep in each location in the spectrum. I am not really
talking about placement like on a grid of the sounds here but the separation of each sound. To hear a single note
in the middle registers from a piano on this amp sounds like 4 or 5 separate ones because the harmonics sweep out
so naturally and decay forever. Even something like a nylon string guitar where you hear the pluck of the string
and the wood of the guitar rings out and decays quickly but is still there. Never heard such separation of the
notes before. IMO, this type of definition is a must for the music to be truly involving because it makes listening
to the music effortless.
Tonality (bass, mids, highs):
Midrange: I believe I just covered the midrange in the last sections. The musicality, realism, bloom, separation
and decay are all facets of a well executed midrange and if an amp gets those right it has got the midrange correct
IMO.
High end: I am not going to say much about the high end because I am really quite ignorant on the subject and have
not been able to pin-point any type of description on the high end in an amp other than saying that an amp is a
paint-peeler, fatiguing, tolerable, effortless. This amp is effortless.
Bass: Wow, where to begin! Never heard bass like this before in my life. Never heard bass that reached down this
low and was this separated even at extremely low volumes, flea volumes if you will. This amp does better bass than
my sand rig. This amp can excurt the drivers and passives in my speakers a long ways without any breakup in the
mids/highs. With a kick drum I can say the experience was completely real. The impact and slam of the skin was
actually jaw dropping and my sister's boyfriend also heard the same and he too concured the sound was real.
Classical music is a treat with the dynamics, drums,
and especially the tuba. I have a new found respect for my full range drivers and how low they can actually go.
They can finally go low enough for me to stop drooling over a subwoofer and that has always been in the back of
my mind since I purchased the speakers.
Amazing how Eddie's SET amps sound like they are
pushing about 20 watts isn't it? What I really enjoy is not only the lack of clipping but the complete lack of
compression. You turn it up and it sounds full everywhere on the old clock.
C.D. -- Quill Lake, Saskatchewan
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Hey all,
Just wanted to say, WOW. I've been living with the Carina (Voicing 1) for about a month now with a Decware DEC-685
front end and Decware RL-3s. It is replacing my venerable Decware SE-84C that I've been listening to since 2000.
Every time I start trying to write a review, I just get overwhelmed by all of the things I need to say about this
magical amp, so I'll just try to share a few impressions:
I can't make it sound bad with any tube combination I've thrown at it. Just different. My preference so far has
been TAD EL-84s, Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8, stock JJ rectifier (don't yet have any to roll). I have around 200 hours
on it now.
My preference of configuration has been overwhelmingly for Ultralinear mode, with the Tone switch in the B position.
This thing is simply everything Eddie and the others say it is. I don't think my 84C is any slouch, but the Carina
has taken everything up a few big notches. I feel like I'm hearing what my Radials are capable of for the first
time. Attack and decay that I never knew was missing are there. Air, ambience, separation, all of those standard
compliments are there in spades. Smoothness without a hint of homogeneity. A naturalness is there that, again,
I never knew was missing. A ballsy and toneful bass and a rich lower midrange/upper bass make the music wonderfully
full-sounding without congestion or slowness. I don't normally listen at very high levels, and the Carina delivers
all I could want at low levels, but it also tempts me to turn it up because at higher volumes you get a total room-filling
magical wall of sound.
I'm the kind of person who quickly experiences buyer's remorse. If there was something I didn't like about the
amp, it would quickly find it's way into my gut and not let go. I have spent much more on stereo equipment from
dealers that sits in a closet waiting for e-baying, and I have sent back many things that I've auditioned on a
trial basis. All that is to say that I don't get blinded because I've spent significant cash, or because my new
toy is the best thing ever. It's usually the opposite. But this amp is the real deal. Even during the break-in,
I had no doubt that it is something special. I just can't believe how good it makes music sound.
When my expectations are that high, I'm usually disappointed.
Not so with the Carina. Also, not having experienced anything like this, my expectations were of a hazy speculative
sort. When I heard people say that they can stop obsessing and relax and enjoy the music, I used to be envious.
Now, I am one of them.
My little 84C is one great little amp, and bested for me a lot of way more expensive amps. Still the best $500
I've spent on audio. I lived basically happily with it for 6 years, and then discovered about a year ago how great
it sounded (to me, anyway) with TAD EL-84s instead of the SV-83s. In fact, that discovery is what put me on the
search for even greater sweetness, openness, relaxedness, etc. It made me realize I was missing something all along.
Enter the Carina. If the 84C is the best $500 I've spent, the Carina is easily the best $1500 I've spent. I hate
to equate any of this with dollars because the experiences have nothing to do with money spent, but it's hard not
to from a bang for the buck perspective. It really is mind boggling.
Thanks Eddie! T.W. -- Denver, CO
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The Carina is massive and drop dead gorgeous. Pictures
show it as a dark gray, but it is really jet black. It was meticulously packed. In minutes she nestled into her
new home, taking up an entire shelf on my living room audio rack. Input 1: Decware modified Sony 685 SACD/DVD player.
Input 2: output of a Quad CDP-2 CD player in the computer room. This player also sends in signals from a Creative
Elite-Pro computer sound card and a Sony PCM-R500 DAT player. Input 3: Audible Illusion Mod 3 preamp which boosts
signals from a VPI-19 MK III/Graham1.5 turntable and Lexicon DC-2 processor. The Radial 3s are the front end of
a HT system and sit between/under a 50" Pioneer plasma panel. The amp was burnt-in by Eddie for two days before
delivery.
First impression after turn-on: wow, there is more bass! Second impression: even in triode mode, I only need to
turn the volume knob up a little past 1/4 turn (input 1) to reach adequate listening levels. The Radials sounded
terrific with the Taboo amp. With the Carina they sounded even better! This I hoped for but did not really expect.
How could the Carina putting out 1.5 watts per channel in triode have better "control" and dynamics than
the Taboo putting out 7 watts per channel in pentode? My wife felt the Carina was "crisper" yet I felt
the sound to be more "delicate" than I remember. Don't misunderstand me. I still swoon over the Taboo.
It will power a pair of Radial 1.5s in the computer room. Inputs 2 and 3 sounded just as good! The AI preamp mated
perfectly with the Carina when listening to vinyl. Volume levels for both the Carina and AI gains were halfway
up for adequate sound levels.
I'm listening to Handel now via Carina/Quad CDP-2/Radial3s and must say this is the best digital I've ever heard.
A month ago I listened for hours to a pair of huge Quad ESL-989 speakers powered by Krell monoblocks at a friend's
home. I wondered if a properly setup SET system could beat that amazing electrostatic sound. The answer now is
right in front of me. A definitive YES! As the tubes and V-Caps mature, the sound can only get better. I hope to
post a follow-up in about a month or two. Thanks Eddie!
R.B. -- Dobb's Ferry, NY
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Music has always been very important to me. When
I was younger I got old hand me down gear from my dad and uncle. Mostly old solid state stuff and big old speakers.
None of it was great but it was better than most of the crap at the major retailers, and it was free. When I got
my first job out of college a few years ago I decided I was going to throw down on a good stereo set-up. I set
out to find the ultimate rig within my budget. I had no idea I would spend the amount of time I have spent researching
all things audio. I originally purchased an old Scott tube amp and had it rebuilt. It sounds very good but I wanted
better imaging and all the other hype I heard about low powered SETs. So I found a Zen C on the used market and
shortly there after Eddie V. tricked it out with his uber mods. I was extremely happy with this amplifier and had
no intention of replacing it.....
I got the Carina and it does not disappoint. I listen
to a wide range of music: jazz, reggae, electronic, hip-hop, Grateful Dead, Talking Heads, the occasional bluegrass,
rock, Latin, whatever. The Carina absolutely crushes. First off, it is dead silent. You can put your ears to the
woofer and there is zero sound. I have Voicing 3 and I am hearing things I have not heard on albums I have listened
to many times. Not only am I hearing new things, I am hearing many songs differently. The layers it reveals are
stunning, the imaging is superb, it’s super fast, and so on. And then there is the bass everyone writes about when
discussing this amp... The bass is so tight and good that I now want to buy speakers that can utilize the bass
output of this amp. (Another upgrade I had no intention of pursuing). I could go on an on about this amplifier.
I probably haven’t given it enough accolades, nor have I spent enough time listening critically to discover all
of its qualities.
The mind blowing sonics of the Carina came at no surprise to me. Eddie builds amplifiers and runs his business
with a passion for quality that is beyond rare. When I look at the Carina I feel like the parts alone are worth
the sticker price. Then when you consider the time spent building the amp, the skill and care it is built with,
the priceless knowledge Eddie possesses, his generosity, the countless questions he answers, and how plain nice
he is, the Vaughn Audio Carina is an extremely great value. Please note though that this post has nothing to do
with value, it’s all about a stellar amplifier built with no compromises.
Cheers to a great amplifier built by an exceptional person!
W.C.-- Carbondale, IL
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The Carina has been part of my rig and running in
for about 250 hours so I thought it's a good time to post some impressions:
1) Short version:
Very nice indeed. - has virtually everything. What it doesn't have I don't miss...
2) Long version:
This Carina version is the 3-input, V-Cap high res version with 2 Bybees installed in mains power line and 2 in
line-level before input tubes.
System context:
Marantz KI63 David Price / Ken Ishiwata uber tweaked CDP
Carina
TBI Sub
Hornshoppe Horns
Wires Mapleshade IC, Ed's Special SC
Mapleshade Rack
BPT PC and distribution block
Various rollers (Symposium, FIM etc) as supports
At first quite harsh sounding before 200 hours. Not unlistenable but not particularly relaxing either. Thoughts
initially - Very transparent - much more so than the F1 which seemed to be universally recognised as being very
revealing among its owners. The Carina takes this another 2 to 3 notches up. The thing I thought I would miss about
the F1 was the vise-like grip and almost preternatural control over the bass notes. The Carina didn't have that
but had sufficient bass for me to be able to live with. Furthermore, I found that the Carina "described"
bass notes in a beautifully accurate manner. The lower registers had a texture and shape and not just amorphic
notes.
The thing I missed when I went over to the F1 was the wonderful mids and airy quality of tube amps. The Carina
provided this in spades. Soundstaging was very good though not up to the "best" I've heard (more on this
later) The most surprising thing I felt about the Carina was that despite its power rating, it didn't sound at
all flea'ish. In fact, the dynamics was quite spectacular. The F1 sounded sluggish by comparison. My previous posts
on this forum regarding whether the Carina could cope with classical symphonic works were answered superbly - I
actually enjoy classical and the was nothing at all wrong with the recordings - I just didn't have an (any) amp
to do the recordings justice...
I had a couple of audiophile buddies over for lunch and a geekout a week ago. They have better ears than me by
a long shot. One's a hifi dealer with shed loads of experience and the other has quite remarkable ears and analytical
skills - were he to fly a plane, he'd be a test pilot. They spent the Sunday playing around with setups and different
tweaks to optimise the system. We found Ultralinear and Tone Mode A to be the most enjoyable settings with the
TAD EL84 sounding best with a quick tube rolling exercise.
By the evening everyone was certainly enjoying the music but both left being very impressed with what the setup
sounded like and the Carina's capabilities.
One said, "I don't know what I would do to it to make it better (without spending a fortune)"
The other (from an email), "Hi Eddie, Firstly, let me say how impressed I am by your little unit I heard at
George's. I own the Tom Evans Linear A + pre which costs a lot more than your unit and I would say, power consideration
aside, there's not 7-8x the price difference in sound quality. Well done. it's people like yourself that keep this
industry interesting, accessible and fun for the wider public!"
Here's to Eddie! G.C. - London,
UK
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May 5th, 2008, 10:30pm The Vaughn Audio Carina
and MAC power, IC, and speaker cables powered the Sterling Silver Iris Duet open baffle speakers of our affiliate,
Hawthorne Audio, in their room at this year's AudioKarma Fest in Livonia, Michigan USA, on May 3 - 4. Here are
some comments from attendees that have been posted on various audio forums:
"The music just sounded "right." No "wow, listen to that bass." No "that tweeter
must go to 40,000 hz." The presentation was well balanced from top to bottom, with no one aspect out of place
with the rest. The music was whole, involving, and organic. There was a sense of ease and flow which escaped most
other rooms at the show. Honestly, I was more than a little surprised.........easily the "Best" sound
at the show."
"There were 3 other rooms which we thought had good sound, several where we know from past experience the
equipment should have sounded better and several more that were just awful. The Hawthorne Audio room was 1 of only
2 that had sound we would actually spend our hard earned dollars to purchase."
"This was the one room where I just relaxed and listened to the music rather the equipment."
"For me, the shocker of the show was the Hawthorne room 4 sure.
Spent a while in there again today and just fell in love with that 1 watt of audio heaven.
Jazz, Allman Bros. or the Santana Supernatural album, they seem to get it right.
I will be in touch with these folks for sure."
"Hawthorne Audio was packed on Saturday and I couldn't even get in their room the couple of times I tried.
I was able to listen this morning and was impressed with the effortless sound I heard."
Posts From Various Online Audio Forums
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I just realised that my Carina is 2 years old this
month. Just wanted to thank Eddie for a great product and help me get off the upgrade conveyor belt. I won't say
never but it'll take something special for me to want anything else......
G.C. - London, UK
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After seeing and hearing a Carina at the AK Fest,
it is easy to understand why its a keeper. Eddie's build is top notch, the circuit is well thought out and original,
and the components are painstakingly selected and approved only after laborious trials. In any industry, it is
rare to have a hand-built masterpiece available at such a reasonable price. Well done Eddie!!
J.C. - Rockwood, MI
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I've got some more time on the Carina and Horns,
and there have been a few other changes -- all of which have taken things up several notches. Now I'm really starting
to "get it" about these things....This little system, just as it is now, still with lots of break-in
to go, cheap tubes, cheap speaker wires, etc., is just so much better than about 90% of what I heard at RMAF. There
were a couple of decent, even good rooms at RMAF, but at many multiples the price of this system, and I heard some
really ultra expensive systems, that while they did wonderful dynamics, just didn't sound as listenable or enjoyable
as the humble Horns and Carina.....
J.R. - Boulder, CO
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After living with the EL34 custom amp for over a
year, I no longer have a desire to look for another amp. This one satisfies my sonic needs, especially with Genelex
KT77 power tubes. I am using Galante Rhapsodys and SAP Duets, and both thrive on the EL34. The EL34/Radian combo
presents a midrange that has such a high degree of ease that the natural sound it produces leaves me with a very
organic feeling. Treble is natural and very extended...... I have not been this happy with my system in many years.
T. O. - Smyrna, TN
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Keeping your comments in mind about the long breakin
period, my first thought
was something like "No kidding...how can it get any better?," but then again,
somehow it always can. At this time, it sounds already so detailed and yet
still natural as I've never heard it before. Bass performance is already good
in triode mode, in UL mode it seems a little tight with some music but that
was one of the things that was supposed to change after some hours as I
recall. In any case, the amp is already everything I hoped it to be, whatever
improves from now on will be on top of that!
My concerns regarding how loud it would play with the tiny output wattage were
groundless. In triode mode I can turn it louder than I'd call it pleasant or
even healthy, in UL mode much more so.
Thanks for such a great amp!
UPDATE:
I've owned a Carina with Voicing 2 for about half
a year now, and I feel I owe Eddie yet another big thank you.
THANK YOU!
Sonically, this amp leaves nothing to be desired for me, and I did go through numerous pieces of equipment before.
My previous concerns about the low output power proved to be groundless, too, at least in combination with the
Hawthorne SIs which I own as well. The Carina lets me listen to music without making me think about the equipment.
The build quality is outstanding, and far beyond what anyone could expect from a "commercial" product.
No wonder Eddie can offer a lifetime warranty.
If you are even remotely thinking of getting a Carina, stop thinking. Get one.
O.S. - Sriricha, Thailand
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I greatly enjoyed speaking with you yesterday, hey
it's not everyday one has the opportunity to speak with one of the lucky few endowed with artistic genius. And
although my impression is you are too modest to acknowledge it, my ears perceive it. And I'm of the opinion that
your artistic creation is not only the result of a brilliant mind but the consequence of a lot of serious study.
Nobody just stumbles out of bed one day and creates something like this by sheer coincidence. I know a lot of years
of study, study, and more study, time invested seeking knowledge, searching, reading, reflecting and pondering,
analyzing, questioning, time to theorize, postulate and experiment has gone before you and Miss Carina. May I say
how sincerely overwhelmed and PLEASED I am with the wonderful music bathing my tympanic membranes as I write these
words. And it's because I know how much hard work you have shouldered to accomplish this it really irks me when
I read some creep on the forum trying to blast you because the price of a Carina exceeds the prices of mass marketed
mediocre "music wanna-be boxes". Oh well, sadly for people like that, although they don't know it, it's
their loss and they doesn't even know it.
Now then, after yesterday's conversation with you, and after eating dinner, my feet seemed to move of their own
accord and carried me right back to Miss Carina and my hand stretched out with an eager finger to reignite the
Carina powerplant. You told me that Miss Carina would actually begin sounding worse before she sounded better.
And you were right. At times the music seems to do odd and strange things, almost seems to contract and at times
even sounds a bit glaring and brash, but then it passes, and then it returns, then it passes. But I know it's just
the burn-in process. However, in between these moments of odd burn-in sonics, I catch short glimpses of the Carina's
majestic sound and I'm left in awe, and bliss. In a word - it's wonderful music to my ears!
R.K. - Nashville, TN
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I have a new Carina! She is playing with some Visaton
B200s right now, no Horns yet. Really liking what I'm hearing so far.
A big thanks to Eddie for getting the Carina out so I could enjoy it during a 4 day weekend and thanks to my neighbors
(they signed for it while I was at work Wednesday) I didn't have to wait until Monday before getting it.
Equipment seems to come and go around my place. A few pieces stay no matter what and I'm sure the Carina will prove
to be a keeper.
L.W. -- Macomb, IL
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Hi Eddie: It’s drawing close to my first year anniversary
since the lovely Carina has come into my life, and I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for the wonderful
relationship I now have with my music as voiced through your labour of love. I have laughed, wept, and been completely
overwhelmed by the beautiful music put forward by Carina. It has brought emotion and humanness in the communication
of musical feelings the artists perform on their recordings, and helps me connect in a spiritual way. I hope to
enjoy many more years rock 'n' rolling and boogieing with such a fine partner. Well done!
D.W. -- Kanata, Ontario
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