Those amps were ****ing junk. Much ado for nothing because they did not achieve any sort of efficiency in real life. I believe you about the one burning up right away, but did they all do that ? I would not be surprised. It probably had just enough to get through the standard IHF preconditioning.

The one I remember working on had a decent size transformer, but it was really flat, a toroid. I might be the only one around who actually saw a paper print of those things. For some reason he put the triac in the middle between a split primary. Seems to me it would be better off on the hot side.

It also had a commutating supply, and depended on the higher source filters to remain charged in case of a fast attack. If not the slew rate would have sucked. So would a few choice pieces of music actually. In my view, the amplifier should be ready IMMEDIATELY if not sooner to produce maximum output.

Carver lost me when he lost Phase Linear really. This and the echoplexified FM quasistereo were enough to turn me completely off. Just like the surround sound of today. Junk.

T