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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
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Message started by Archie on 10/30/16 at 19:21:21

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Archie on 10/30/16 at 19:21:21

Can you get the knob off and out of the way? How about a little sanding and some black paint from a spray can? Mask everything really well, of course. I've had great results on all kinds of surfaces with spray paint.

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Donnie on 10/30/16 at 20:15:33

Bondo is your friend. Sand the area as flat as you can and clean it with thinner or brake clean. Now it is time to mix up some Bondo and slather it on, let it dry, sand it nice and level and paint.
The only other way would involve heliarc welding or fabricating a new one.

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Matchstikman on 10/30/16 at 23:39:42

Whatever happened to Eddie Vaughn?

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Lon on 10/31/16 at 01:18:20

He left this forum when he started building and selling his own amps.

I haven't heard from him via email for about six years. I notice that others online are looking for him the last few years. Hope he is alright.

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Matchstikman on 10/31/16 at 14:28:13

I wanted one of his amps.

Eddie was/is a good person. I hope he is doing okay.

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Lon on 10/31/16 at 15:17:44

Me too.

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/02/16 at 00:27:12

Eddie's amps simply played music!

While I enjoyed my Decware SET, it really sounded it's best on the HDT's in the middle of the night. The voicing was more analytical and really required the magic listening hour to shine through.

Eddie's custom 2A3 he built me was completely different from that. His SET sounded musical and completely involving at any time of the day or night. The bass was quicker and deeper and the background was completely black. Note's bloomed out of nowhere and trailed like fireworks. Would have really liked to hear his amp on the Mk II version of my HDT's!

Corey :)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/02/16 at 00:31:49

Robster1961,

Would you be interested in selling your Carina if your fabrication doesn't work out?

Do you live in USA?

PM if you would like to take cash for your parts.

Corey 8-)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Robster1961 on 11/02/16 at 03:59:04

Hello Corey, I sanded the chasis and I will paint it tomorrow, the new volume pot will be installed on Friday. Yes I plan on selling my Carina, especially since I just bought another amp. I would like to get $775 shipped for my Carina amp. Let me know if you are still interested.

Robert

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/02/16 at 23:27:34

Yes I am interested.

$775.00 is a little steep for that particular amp. I've seen them go second hand for $700.00 in new pristine condition. I've always had my eye on the Carina over the years!

What coupling caps does it have in it? V-Caps or the Mundorf Silver/Oil?

Are you installing a stereo version stacked PEC of 100K value?

Thanks for your time Robert!

Corey :)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/02/16 at 23:51:02

Last I heard of Eddie Vaughn was a phone call with him where he had to cancel his production of the Carina. His Italian output transformer supplier wouldn't supply him with the finished iron on time for months. He would get a pair wound and shipped to him once in a blue moon and simply couldn't promise waiting customers a finished product in reasonable time.

I actually found that rather interesting how his iron supplier cut him off like that. I am sure there was industry pressure's/corruption in the work's because this guy had been winding iron for year's. Then, all of the sudden with the launch of the Carina and promising market share in the critical niche price range he charged; no iron supplied! That's baloney and Eddie didn't deserve the dirty games that forced him out of business. >:(

Eddie told me in our final phone call years ago that he was utilising his tool/die maker trade working as a metal machinist in a factory. I am glad he was finally able to secure a good income again and not have to rely on sporadic amp sales to pay the bills. That man lived very poor for years! I mean, here is a guy who would bend over backwards to help someone who was usually either white collar or blue collar in income status; he was the designer and engineer of the product that truly delivered audiophile MUSIC, yet he couldn't afford to buy his wife a new pair of shoe's! Yup, he told me that once in the middle of his Carina fiasco!

Also kind of glad he got out of the public retail business. His nature was to offer hours of free support/fellowship and that of course meant talking to a few clowns for sure. That's the numbers game when working with the public, especially in retail with the potential for such picky/arrogant customer's that come along in this niche market. I mean, audiophile's can sometimes be a much stubborn and demanding group; especially when drinking! ::)

Corey :)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Robster1961 on 11/03/16 at 00:07:18

Hello Corey- I sent you an email with pictures of my Carina amp.

Robert

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/03/16 at 00:11:45

Thanks Robert! :)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/03/16 at 00:57:46

Robert,

Saw the pictures you sent me. The coupling caps are Mundorf Silver/Oil which I am glad they are.

Give me a little time to come up with an offer. The paint job you did is a huge improvement over the damage yet I am going to have to do a fair amount of detailed woodwork to cover up the mismatched paint. I was thinking of doing a tiny panel, about a quarter inch thick over the paint job. Maybe something like a dark purple oak. Probably end up giving this amp to a beautiful friend! :P

Corey :)

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Robster1961 on 11/03/16 at 01:32:38

sounds good

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/08/16 at 20:45:03

Rob,

Sent you an email.

Corey

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by Corey on 11/11/16 at 15:05:24

You know I was wondering if we could contact Eddie Vaughn whether he could build a 20 Watt push/pull EL34 amp for about 2 grand!

'I'm talking Jensen caps and Plitron iron!

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by ZENCDUSER on 11/14/16 at 02:54:55

I bought a Carina from Eddie in 2008....and wish I still had it! Lots of long conversations on the telephone prior to my purchase, not just about audio (where he always lost me!), but about his church work and his elderly mother. This post title caught my attention and, out of curiosity, I Googled his name for Russelville, AR. I pray that result isn't him.....

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by ZYGI on 11/14/16 at 18:38:39

ZENCDUSER, good to see you back on the forum, how have you been?

Eddie wasn't that old, he might be in his early 50's I'd suspect at this point.

Zygi

Title: Re: Eddie vaughn Carina amp .. help needed
Post by ZENCDUSER on 11/18/16 at 22:51:16

Hey ZYGI!

Thanks for the welcome back! I've been checking in off and on, but rarely signed in (because I didn't have anything to say LOL). I'm glad I'm wrong about Eddie, and glad I didn't link anything.

Not to thread-jack, but when I saw the thread about Eddie I on the site to check out the DNA Horns because of the below:
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/decware/model-dna/prd_484661_1594crx.aspx

I have a fully-Crites updated set of Klipsch Forte speakers (next model up from the Quartets referenced in the link) driven by a 6 watt SET. I was looking at the DNA on the site and heard Steve's demo clip. I think the Fortes, despite their size, seem to have the deepest bass of the older Heritage line. The DNA's in the clip were really impressive~