Bob Carver & Phase Linear: The High-Power Revolution That Shook Vintage Hi-Fi
5.4K views · Sep 10, 2026 · Entertainment
Comments · 9
@geoffreymills9932 · 2 weeks ago
Finally, a video with the names I grew up with in my friends living rooms and basement's, I had a P-L back in the 80s I bought used and was too stupid to keep it thinking I could do better,,
@HarryAlenik · 2 weeks ago (edited)
Back in the 70's and 80's I owned a Phase Linear 700 amp. It had plenty of power, but it kept burning up power switches. I used the amp for 10 years then sold the amp to a friend when I bought a new one and he used it for another 10 years when it finally stopped working. The Phase Linear drove a pair of Bozak Concert Grand speakers effortlessly. The Phase Linear is long gone, the Bozaks I still have.
3
@leekumiega9268 · 11 days ago
The amplifier Bob built in a Folgers coffee can is pictured at the Bob Carver site and Sunfiire's site.
@Patrick-l6r4w · 2 weeks ago
Please do a video on the Counterpoint OTL amplifier. As I remember, those units were blowing up a lot in tests. Thanks.
@dalesanderson4764 · 2 weeks ago
Very interesting how we can observe the changes in the high end audio world over the decades. Most of the phase linear lore was true back in the 70s as i owned this amp to drive my grossly inefficient magneplanars. My PL amps blew up too many times. The design ( quasi complementary) was brilliant but limited in resolution of inner detail because it employs a massive capacitor between the 12 transistors which are all identical NPN s which needs super close matching. I once owned 2 of these amps to bi amp my Maggie's. I thought my transmission line bass units was a complete failure until i replaced the phase 700 b with a 40 watt Pioneer full compliantary push pull, dc amp which resulted in huge bass improvements in my system. I think the only possible reason your conrad Johnson story could have been true is because the high end phono equipment revolution hadn't yet begun. I owned Conrad Johnson equipment for more than 10 blissful years because i know high efficiency speakers need very little power. I could never listen to these old Phase linear amps today an neither can bob carver. Look at his silver 7 full of KT 88s.
@EdArdizoni · 2 weeks ago
The information content is well done... your proofing efforts are juvenile and substandard. Please remove the garbled audio track.
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