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I want a big, big amp but have a limited budget- who doesn't? (Mostly stereo music, Thiel CS3 speakers.) After thinking about it too much I bought a recent (2010) very clean Adcom GFA5500. I've had some great amps in the past but thinking back, my Adcom 555 wasn't really one of them. The Bryston that followed sounded good. The Parasound that followed that sounded about as good with 5 channels.
My choices for a big, 2-channel amp at sane prices came down to used Parasound 2250 (~$900) and the Adcom (~$600). I pretty much ruled out newer amps. It seems to be a question of overall value- a new amp with capability comparable to a fine older stereo unit looks to cost 3-5x as much as the vintage unit. I can live with the foibles of vintage gear.
Any thoughts on the Adcom 5500?
Follow Ups:
Thanks for your comments on the buyer's remorse issue! Right now the Adcom is burning in on the bench and I'll write an actual 'review' here in a fortnight - gotta' take some time to listen and let it sink in.
The responses fell into a few broad categories:
Folks who know the Adcom MOS-FET series and say they're pretty good, a few different versions were noted. This is useful information since it helps with the remorse condition without SSRI's.
Folks who say either 1) I should have save X more years and bought a Model Xxxxx it sounds much better; that I settled a little low on the price/performance curve or 2) I should have less watts for the about same bucks in a Model Yyyyy that sounds much better. But something with considerable output is required, and I have a budget. This is useful information in planning future amplifier purchases however.
Folks who dismiss Adcom as mid-fi flotsam and say I've sailed off the edge of the Audiophile world. I get it. But someone has to buy that older midpriced gear and I'm looking for an optimum point in sonics / cost. This is useful information in a way- it suggests I'm under the bell-curve where I have to be.
I'll let y'all know how it reacts in the Bearcave with my beloved old Thiels, old VPI, and old ears.
Just thought I would add a few contenders to the mix,in case the Adcom doesn't pan out..
Symphonic Line RG-1 MK II/III ($1000)
Belles 150A REF ($1200) monoblock when $is available
Red Dragon M-1000 (> $900 used) or stereo unit
NRG Control 150 monos
CJ 2550
Pass X150
Happy hunting and listening,
Tom:cat
The Adcom 5800 is an excellent choice as well.
I once owned an Adcom 5500. It was a pretty decent mid-fi SS amp. I liked it better than some of the Rotel/Parasound amps that were popular at the same time (late 90s). Hell, I thought the Adcom sounded better that a Rowland Integrated amp that came out around then! :) The Rowland did have an awesome looking faceplate though...
I'll have a thick chunk of aluminum machined with MY name and some numbers and stuff. like "Bear-Whiz 6000 MOS-FET" and put it on the Adcom. Heck, I work for a metal fabrication shop, no problem. No sonic improvement but it ill look very cool!
Wasn't that the Rowland int. amp that was actually a Rotel in a Rowland chassis?
Funny you say that but perhaps it explains things.
One of the biggest sonic disappointments I have ever heard was that Rowland integrated. It looked so cool with the massive faceplate and the machine black top plate. I was sure it would sound at least really good just based on cost, reputation and appearance. I set it up in a pretty decent system, turned it on and....the music heard sounded soulless, sterile, boring, almost a compressed sounding presentation. It was terrible. Gave it some time to warm up and it was a bit better but there was no way I could live with that.
A Rotel RB-1090 sells in the used market for $800-1000. 400wpc into 8 ohms and 700wpc into 4. Stable down to 2 ohms. A TAS reviewer, believe Neil Gader, had it on his 10 best amp of all time list if that matters to you. Currently have one in my system and no desire to change, very impressive for the price.
Bear-
I had an Adcom 5500 and really liked it. If you are going for a more vintage sound, this is it!
Why not get an Adcom 5800 or 5802?
;-)
Neither Parasound nor Adcom are anywhere near really "good, good", unfortunately.
Perhaps, if you lower your wattage requirements (I assume "big" doesn't refer to size, or at least not only), you would be able to include something of quality in your search.
Within the OP's price range, the smaller A23 is quite good.
Opus 33 1/3
I have a PAIR of the A23, one per speaker as biamp. No possible complaints. pretty much the same output as the '21, for about -20% the $$$ but a path forward using a line level crossover which will basically reclaim even MORE available power.
Too much is never enough
N/T
Sure think the basic circuit of quite a few Adcom amps - including the 555, 555II, and 5500 are pretty darn decent.
You make me wonder.
Curl and Pass are in (were in, perhaps) roughly the same position with Parasound and Adcom.
Now, I really wonder how much influence they had over the final product. While the Adcom 555 got great reviews, in retrospect it was not as refined, perhaps as it could have been.
I think the Parasound Halo stuff overall gets better reviews, with the fairly expensive JC-1 monos being reference amps for some of the bigtime users.
so while Curl and Pass did the design, were they responsible for Voicing or final parts selection?
Too much is never enough
I copied this from DIYAudio a long time ago... And yes, I think Pass is very cool, with a great ear for music. I have a Pass preamp and I'm praying for synergy.
Exactly. Curl and Pass may produce outstanding designs but those brands have to choose parts to a price point and some of it isn't exactly top shelf. That was my experience with some Adcom gear.
Edits: 05/12/15
Price point covers a LOT of ground. Casework / packaging all the way to selection of individual components.
Lifetime of those parts matters, too. I can't imagine a resistor failure under normal circumstances, but power device (output transistors) will be rated in MTBF. There are only SoMany manufacturers of these devices, too. So a design may have a certain transistor which can be sourced from 3 or 4 builders. All have similar specs including MTBF and are considered 'interchangeable'. Buy the cheapest? Most expensive? Listen to 'em and buy THAT one? How do you control which is used if/when the amp is repaired?
I think money can be saved on circuit board material, too. I've seen and tried to repair boards made from what looked like plastic coated compressed cardboard. It'd char and than conduct.
This as opposed to a good glass epoxy board or one made of G-10.
I love to see the actual cost based on 'cheapest' stuff and 'costliest' and what effect that would have on final consumer cost.
I've argued in the past that even IF Emo made an amp from the SAME schematic as a Bryston, that it wouldn't be even CLOSE to the same, but as far as sound only goes, I'm not too sure any more. As for how long it'll last? You are buying down QUITE the warranty with Bryston, and they DO go to lengths to insure good stuff leaving the factory. It all 'adds up', as they say.
Too much is never enough
Power because music sounds better unclipped ... :)
Regardless of speaker's sensitivity, impedance over frequency range, levels it's listened at, room size, and the music played?
Sorry, but I'm afraid your explanation is not very convincing, to put it mildly. Not to mention it doesn't actually answer my - admittedly indirect - question. Let me restate it explicitly:
Why would you want a lot of power from an amplifier that's guaranteed to NOT sound good?
I think this is an 'all other things being equal' type question.
If 2 amps have similar sound signature? Say a pass xa30 and xa100? I'd expect I could easily tell the difference on my very low sensitivity panels at the HIGHEST levels. But not at 10pm TV watching levels.
Too much is never enough
Sounds good to you is subjective, clipping is not .........
Edits: 05/12/15
They are only 89dB sensitive and at 4 ohms nominal to boot. Most say they need power and if the OP likes loud......
E
T
At best all mentioned are upper mid fi. I've never cared much for any of them. Value does not enter in to it as I see it if the sound doesn't pass the test. Those speakers need some power. Next time find a dealer that will loan for an in home demo or has a 30 day return policy etc. Good luck!
Also a few hundred dollars can go a long way with tweaks. Power cords, outlets, isolation devices and then there are DIY things.
E
T
Opus 33 1/3
Now that's probably the best recommendation yet. It's new, it's powerful, and I hear great sounding too...
I heard mid-fi ...
The Adcoms, from the beginning, have been pure mediocrity. Dynamics, barely passable. Not "alive" or musical at all. BORING. You are hearing exactly what they are.
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