Hi everyone,

Have been doing my daily sweep of Ebay UK & have come across this kit for sale.

Do any ST members recognise this at all & what is ADCOM hifi like, in general.

Thanks in advance.

willie


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADCOM-HI-FI-SEPARATE...id=p3286.c0.m14

I think adcom gear is generally regarded as decent stuff, some of our group really loves the gear. I have had some adcom stuff, and to me it sounded very neutral in sound, almost generic. but then again, my Yamaha stuff is pretty good gear imo.


elroy

Hi everyone,

I have contacted the seller re what model no's the seperates are & he came
back with these descriptions,

Radio GFT-555 II. Pre Amp GFP-565. CD GCD-575. AMP GFA 555 II.

Still none the wiser, but at least I can review each item on the net.

Would still welcome ST members input please.

Thanks,

willie

I had a GFA-555 II amp at one time. Plenty of power but the sound was not that interesting. IMO, the sound and build quality are on par with a good club amp.

I guess I fall into the category of "loves adcom". I've had a bunch of their stuff but never seen a matched set that color! NICE! Most Adcom stuff to hit the used market state-side is always black.

All adcom equipment is generally built like a tank and stays within specs quite nicely over the long haul. Most of the gear I've had was over 20 years old and never saw the inside of a service shop.

The amplifier does tend to sound very neutral or as said "generic" but is also a very reliable and solid performer up to just about any task you could ask for it. Capable of dipping down to feed 1 Ohm loads the GFA-555II is a complete redesign of the classic 555 and shares it's power output levels while offering an improved distortion rating by using all non-polarized caps in the low frequency and feedback loop paths. A very honest (and conservative... they rounded down) 200w @ 8 Ohms, 325w @ 4 Ohms, 600w @ 8 ohms bridged. They recommend a US$100 fan cooling kit if you are going to bridge it but I've never seen said fan kit installed on one and have recently bridged two of the original 555's into my 4 ohm AR9LS (850w @ 4 ohms bridged!!!!) and they barely even got warm enough to call toasty. Recently I tried replacing them with a Phase Linear 400 which I think has a slightly better sound stage, at least at lower volumes, but there is a reason I've owned a half dozen Adcom amps.

The GFP-565 is also a highly regarded pre-amp, entirely class A circuitry with a class A phono stage, something missing from lower model numbers. Like most adcom preamps this model should have several options to shorten the signal path including bypassing the tone, bass, treble controls and filters entirely. No fancy bells and whistles here, just a solid performer with the essentials to enjoy music. Originally US$900 when new. The two Adcom pre's I've owned were both very clean sounding, a noticeable improvement over the upper end of the sub-US$1000 integrated AV receivers that I usually use as a pre.

I don't have any experience with Adcom CD players and it sounds like that particular one is in need of some repair. The tuner should work as expected but I don't listen to much radio where I live so I can't comment on the pros/cons of the tuner either really.

They DO make a digital processor that goes between the pre and amp if you so choose, the old model was known as the GDD-1. It provided optical and coaxial inputs and basic Dolby surround processing.

One thing I would look for is if the original remote controls are included. Typically they are very simple in design and function and CAN be replaced with a universal remote but getting the signal timings down with a universal can be a bit tricky in my experience. Better to have the originals handy if possible.

All in all I'm having to wipe drool off of my keyboard looking at that auction. Neat gear in sort of a rare ensemble with that color. If gotten for a good price they should please just about anyone.

i think i could be very happy with the gear in that auction.
here are a few threads from Adcom owners that you might find interesting

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index.php?sh...indpost&p=46128

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index.php?sh...indpost&p=64196

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index.php?sh...indpost&p=62073

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index.php?sh...indpost&p=61766

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies, they have been great.


This link is for Oktyabr, it just shows you that this stuff is out there in the states, just wish I had seen it first............................the luckiest find to date!!

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=249150

Enjoy.

willie

Don't despair Willie, it's out there (hey, I'm a poet!). As to the Adcom units go to the Pinned :Misc Brochure thread towards the top of of the General forum. I think you'll be pleased with page one, and there is more to be found.

That is not a bad collection of equipment. Here are my thouhgts...

I can't speak directly for the GFT-555II as I have little experience with it.

The GFP-565 was long considered the flagship Adcom preamp until the GFP-750, and it may be the best Adcom preamp value.

The GCD-575 is a solid, well regarded CD player. It has both fixed and variable outputs, so it can be used to directly feed a power amp if you only care about CD playback (I run a GCD-575 directly to a GFA-545II in my livingroom system).

Finally, the Adcom GFA-555II is a revision of the Adcom GFA-555. I own both these amps and find that my observations of the two are in line with those from Stereophile. The GFA-555II addressed complaints about the slightly "grainy" top-end of the original GFA-555, and sounds smoother. However, it lost a little of the bass authority of the original. IMO these are very subtle differences. I wouldn't give a blanket recommendation for one over the other, as it depends which speakers you are using.

HTH,

Rob

Hi,


THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REPLIES.

STILL AMAZED AT HOW GOOD YOU GUYS ARE!

willie

Hey Willie, the 585 in dingus's link is mine, as it says I just got it back from being overhauled, 585's are plauged with leaking electolite caps, I have been quite impressed with the amp so far, I am running a GAS Thoebe for a preamp, a tube buffer, and a small amout of assistance from a DBX unit, into a pair of Legacy Classics. Currently I am running into 4 ohms, I have other plans, but running it pretty hard for over an hour and the fan I installed did not kick on, I have it set pretty low too.

I have a friend who is running a pair of 555's into a pair of hungry Infinity's, he is still running his old tube preamp, I forget the model I believe it is a Conrad Johnson or possibly Harmon Kardon , he is putting them into a 4 ohm load, again I forget how many watts this ends up being but it ends up being an incredible amount of power and they do it as a walk in the park.

Jim

Hi,

Just an update.

I made a successful bid for these Adcom seperates on Ebay Uk, so I would like to thank everyone for their advice & help.

willie

Congrats.

You won those, willie?!?! Congrats! That's not at all a bad price either, probably what the amp alone would sell for here in the states on a good day. To see all four components matched in that color go for that price is something to be proud of (unless you are the seller!)

Especially nice if the original remote can be made to work. A "universal" remote will work with most Adcom equipment too but I'd be interested to know what the original one(?) had for features as all of my Adcom stuff had separate remotes for each component.

Very, very nice. Look forward to reading about your listening experiences with them.

Hi all,

Oktyabr,

Re your reply, thanks for that, my bid was sheer impulse tinged with stupidity, so what you had to say took some of the fire out of my actions.

BUT I had a relapse & bought these two items,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

To complete my 'NEW' hifi set up I wanted a semi decent tuner, anyway these items had not been bid on for the second time on Ebay UK.

So I emailed the seller & made him an offer, I pick them both up on Tuesday from North Yorkshire!!

I now only want a pair of Kef 104/2 speakers + some 'tube gear' & I can give my wife her credit card back!!

If & when she finds out I will point her towards ST & plead insanity

A COMPLETELY MAD SUNDAY HERE IN WARD 10!!!

willie