Adcom GFA-6002, Part 5

Posted by Luminator (A) on January 7, 2023 at 17:11:37

In September 1992, I went back to UC Santa Cruz for my senior year. But this time, we had a complete stereo: Sony CDP-520ESII CD player; Adcom GTP-400 tuner/preamp and GFA-535 power amp; Pinnacle PN-5+ minimonitors. Everything had fixed powercords, and initially was plugged directly into wall AC outlets.

I also brought a small handful of CDs, including Joe Satriani's The Extremist. My friend Andrea lived in the same apartment complex, but on the opposite end. Nevertheless, she and her housemates frequently came over. Yes, listening to music was a major draw.

And whenever they had big ol' bugs on their ceiling (trees were right outside their dining room window), they called me. They were on the top floor, which had a high and pitched ceiling. I had to stand on the kitchen table, and use a broom, to swat the bugs on the ceiling. But hey, if you can do this, you could easily sweep away the annoying audiophiles.

Andrea stood on our balcony, and took this photo of her three housemates. Or rather, their shadows. Anyway, Andrea was a biology major. After she graduated, she worked in laboratory science. One of her first jobs was doing tests on patients who were using the Norplant birth control inserts.

In 2010, I started working at Stanford University. At this time, audiophiles were downsizing. Those big, heat-producing amps? Gone. All that crappy-sounding vinyl? Good riddance. Speakers too big for the given room? Outta here.

But this meant that audiophiles were holding excess cabling. Local audiophiles took full advantage, and met me at Stanford, where they handed me their cables, which then went on my audiodharma Cable Cooker. Most of these guys did not give me permission to write about their wares, so my readers do not know about these often $$$$ products. One guy pulled up in the Lane C parking lot behind the Vaden Health Center. Holy cow! He pulled out eight Nordost Odin powercords and line-level interconnects. Maybe the Odins cost as much as his Mercedes. Not that I know what a drug deal feels like, but I certainly felt like we were doing something illicit.

In late 2010, we enjoyed Joe Satriani's "Wormhole Wizards." I thought it was very interesting, that in person, these audiophiles were respectful, learned, and nice. Then it was time to meet up with Andrea, who was working off of Page Mill Road in Palo Alto.

In 2010, the single-stick Implanon NXT was discontinued. Since then, it's Nexplanon. But if you had Implanon, no problem; it could last (or be effective) at least three years. These work in two ways. The hormones (1) prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs, and (2) thicken the mucus on your cervix, thus forming a physical barrier against sperm.

Maybe only reviewers will use multi-thousand dollar powercords on the $600 Adcom GFA-6002. Heck, the SEGP insert (the square-ish object near the female IEC plug) on the Pranawire Satori (which is $3250 to begin with) costs as much as the GFA-6002 itself. But anyway, fed by this Cooked & cryo'd Satori with SEGP, the Adcom GFA-6002 reveals what it can and cannot do. No, if you have speakers capable of deep bass, the GFA-6002 will not keep up. No, if the rest of your system is capable of life-like images, the GFA-6002 will not recreate that seance feeling. No, if your sources are capable of realistic and organic instrumental textures, the GFA-6002 will not reproduce them.

But the GFA-6002 gets the basics right, possesses an acceptable balance, and does not try to do too much or be something it is not. With that Pranawire Satori, the GFA-6002 is at its most "professional-sounding." Perhaps 30% of the time, you might be mildly fooled into thinking that you are using a $3250 solid state amp, with a $600 powercord, not the other way around.

LMFAO, a 1-meter Kimber Silver Streak, at $576, is almost as much as the $600 Adcom GFA-6002. Even more hilarious is the $5450 Pranawire Maha Samadhi, feeding the GFA-6002. But here, the Maha Samadi's gossamer textures, treble extension, and more liquid movement are just what the GFA-6002 needs. Here, you can be fooled into thinking that a much more expensive power amp is in use.

What this means is that, if you are putting together a new system, and don't have much money for a power amp, you may use an Adcom GFA-6002. You will get to enjoy what you have. And the GFA-6002 will tide you over, until you can afford that dream amp to go along with your speakers.

If you do not have insurance, the list price of Nexplanon is a little under US$1000. That does not include the costs of insertion and removal.

-Lummy The Loch Monster

Wormhole Wizards (Open in New Window)

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Topic - Adcom GFA-6002, Part 5 - Luminator 17:11:37 01/07/23 (1)

RE: Adcom GFA-6002, Part 5 - fantja 23:32:37 01/09/23 (0)

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