Carver Cinema 5.1 and 5.2 Speaker Systems
Carver Cinema 5.1 and 5.2 Speaker Systems
Specifications, Owners Manuals, Schematics, and Service BulletinsDedicated to the 5.1 and 5.2
This site is dedicated to the fine Carver Cinema 5.1 Speaker system sold through various channels around 1998-2001 including Circuit City, Costco and many others. Much of what is found here also applies to the Carver Cinema 5.2 Speaker system also sold during this time. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me via email at:
Matt Dralle dralle@matronics.com
What a Deal!
I have both a complete 5.1 and 5.2 system, as well as a system at work comprised of just the 5.1 front channels. These are very fine speakers and are even more amazing considering the price they could be had for. Originally, the 5.2 system listed for $2500 and the 5.1 system at $1800, but heavy discounts could be found and prices were well under $1000 for new-in-box systems. These days, both the 5.1 and 5.2 systems are very hard to find, but occasionally show up on EBay or other places such as Craig's List. Recently a complete 5.2 system was available on EBay for a winning bid of $300. They were in near perfect condition. I know, because I won them! That is a fantastic deal for a truly fine speaker system.
5.1 Subwoofer Woes...
The 5.1's weren't without some issues, however. Probably the most notorious issue was with the Subwoofer. Due to a defect in the design, after a while the built in amplifier in the 5.1 Subwoofer would burn out. Carver had a modification for the amp that solved the problem, but a fair number of these otherwise great Subwoofers either got returned or sent back to Carver for repair. Below you will find the complete factory service bulletin for performing the modification. Its pretty straightforward, but not for the faint of heart. I recently picked up a complete set of 5.1's from Craig's List, and was interested to note that the Subwoofer had already had the modification!
5.1 Specifications
5.2 SpecificationsDriver Complement
- Subwoofer: 10 in. ultra-low distortion large displacement woofer system.
- Left/Right front speakers: 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass driver and 1 in extended-range tweeter; rear mounted 4.5 in Copolymer precision midrange in dipole mode.
- Center Speaker: 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass driver and 1 in extended-range tweeter.
- Surrounds: 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass driver and dual 2.5 in Copolymer high-frequency drivers in dipole mode.
- Frequency Response: 28hz - 21Khz
Technology Complement
- 150 Watt powered subwoofer with power enhancement system and spectral tilt/level controls for a precise match with acoustical environments.
- Progressive Directivity Array emulates ribbon dipole performance for seamless soundfield imaging, improved loudspeaker-room interfacing and expanded soundfield.
- Dynamic range matched for optimum performance with high-end "smart" amplification including Carver Power Steering-equipped systems.
- Dipole Surrounds (Carver Patent #5,109,416) for optimized surround field envelopment.
- Constant Directivity tweeters for a more perfectly controlled power radiating pattern.
Owners Manuals, Schematics, and Service BulletinsDriver Complement
- Left/right front speaker/subwoofer towers: 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass driver and 1 in extended-range tweeter; rear mounted 4.5 in. Copolymer precision midrange in dipole mode; 10 in. ultra-low distortion large displacement subwoofer drivers per enclosure.
- Center Speaker: Dual 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass drivers and 1 in. extended range tweeter.
- Surrounds: 5.5 in Copolymer precision midbass driver and dual 2.5 in Copolymer high-frequency drivers in dipole mode.
- Frequency Response: 24hz - 21Khz
Technology Complement
- Dual Subwoofer system using Large Displacement drivers built into left and right towers provides a more authoritative bass presentation and smoother room response for advanced home theater listening.
- Lightstar Powered Subwoofers (300 Watts) using Digital Transformer Power tracking system with spectral/tilt controls for a precise match with acoustical environments.
- Progressive Directivity Array emulates ribbon dipole performance for seamless soundfield imaging, improved loudspeaker room interfacing and expanded soundfield.
- Dynamic range-matched for optimum performance with high end "smart" amplification including Carver Power Steering-equipped systems.
- Dipolar Surrounds (Carver Patent #5,109,416) for optimized surround field envelopment.
- Constant Directivity tweeters for a more perfectly-controlled power radiating pattern.
Below you will find both PDF and .jpg versions of the various Owners Manuals, Schematics, and Service Bulletins for the Carver Cinema 5.1 Speaker Systems. The PDF's contain the same images found on the clickable thumbnails, but allow for better printing and viewing options.
Special Thanks to Gregory Scarth for supplying the awesome source on the Carver 5.2 manuals!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me via email.
Matt Dralle dralle@matronics.com
Carver Cinema 5.1 Owners Manuals, Schematics, and Service Bulletins
