none

everything from build to sound quality.

I picked this amp up as a dealer demo. i got a great price, only $250. everyone told me how great adcom was, so i was real excited that this whold deal worked out so well. that was until i listned to it on my system. awful doesn't cover it. first of all the binding posts barley execpt thin raw wire. when i switched it on, and off it made a loud thump. the sound was horrible, it was so harsh it actually hurt my ears to listen. the sound was so unbalanced, the treble and midrange were way overbearing. and it didn't have a detachable power cord, but i could have lived without that if i really liked the amp. the whole thing was a catastrophy. i can't beleive i got rid of my AMC for it. i returned the adcom, and happily bought a higher up AMC than i originally had, and i couldn't be happier. bottome line, adcom is way overrated.

Similar Products Used:

amc, rotel

Good build quality, good detail

runs hot

From reading previous reviews, there appears to be two different amps available with the "5300" designation: one has a detatchable power cord, the other has a non-detatchable power cord. Previous reviewers seem pretty uniform in saying that the detatchable power cord model outperforms the non-detatchable cord model. Luckily, mine has a detatchable cord.

Thus far, I really like this amp. As a basis of comparison, I compared it to my Rotel RB-976 (60x6 or 150x3 in bridged mode - comparison done in bridged mode). The Adcom is a bit more agressive and analytical, but not in a bad sense. There is detail without being bright. Its got plenty of available power (I'm powering Vandersteen 1C's with have a 90 dB effiecency rating), so that even when played loud, I haven't had any warning lights illuminate. I listen to alot of adult-style rock (KD Lang, Dire Straits, REM, Sarah McLachlan, Peter Gabriel, etc.) and Jazz (Diana Krall, Brubeck, Miles, etc.), and the Adcom doesn't disappoint.

Build quality is very good. The binding posts could be more robust, but these are fine, particularly for the banana plugs that I use. Aesthetically, it looks like an Adcom. A standard component width 5" tall black box with horizontal indented lines (perhaps like mini-heat sinks?) running across the top and bottom. There is also a power button to the left side (as you look at it) which illuminates with a small red LED power indicator when turned on. There are two sets of left & right channel indicator lights for "distortion alert" and "thermal protection". To the best of my knowledge, I haven't yet caused the amp to illuminate any of these lights.

Apparently, many Adcom amps run hot, and mine is no exception. After playing a couple of CD's at moderate levels, the top of the amp is very hot to the touch, much hotter than my Rotel, Hsu, HK, or Yamaha. Based on other reviews, this seems to be characteristic of Adcom amps, but give this guy some breathing room to be safe. As mentioned above, the "thermal protection" light has never illuminated, so I think this is normal operating mode.

I bought mine used for just over $200. The unit looks and performs like new, so I at my price, this unit is clearly an outright steal. Had I paid significantly more, I still don't believe that I would be disappointed. Recommended (at least detatchable power cord model).

Similar Products Used:

Rotel amps, Harmon Kardon receivers, Yamaha amps

Decent build quailty. Nice highs. Very laid back sound.

Weak bass performance. Not a very deep soundstage. Binding posts could be better.

I have to admit I was very disappointed with my purchases. I bought two of these to use for bi-amp at $250 each. It's bizarre, but I have two completely different models/sound. One unit has a detachable IEC power cord (which I've upgraded) with decent sound, and the other has a non-detachable cord with mediocre sound. The weird parts is they were built within a month of each other.

I've owned several Adcom components already including a GFP-565 (which I've extremely happy with (read my review)), ACE-515 (good product for the money), and a GFA-555 (Mark I.) But I was not happy with the sound quality of BOTH of these amps. I know the Mosfet sound was suppose to be an improvement in sound quality, but I have to say I just don't like it. I have the pair driving some B&W DM604 S2 (I know already I'm going to bring embarassment to myself for doing such a stupid thing, but hey the price was right.)

They play loud, and it's never an issue with power output, but the sound just lacks. It's too laid back for my standards. Some people really like this type of sound, but I feel it's missing the lows.

I was originally going to get two GFA-555's to drive my speakers, and I should have done this. I really liked this amp, and I regret selling it (I only paid $350 for it (it was only a 1 year old at the time.) I feel for the cost you could buy a GFA-555 for the same price and would find that the sound stage to be deeper and the bass (lows) to be much more sustained (although, the amp is a bit bright if you can deal with that.) The GFA-555 is one durable amp with a ton of mods for it.

After saying all that, it's a very reliable amp and takes whatever is thrown at it. However, you can do better for the price especially new. Used it's worth $200, but I would not recommend it's $450 asking price. Take a look at a Rotel or Marantz for the same about of money.

I have to give it 3 stars for lack of consistancy in the builds and the binding posts aren't the greatest.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Cheap for apparent build quality

What an awful sound

I heard this amp in a setup with Adcom gear as follows: GFA-5300 amp, GFP-750 pre, GCD-750 CD driving B&W N805s with nice interconnects, etc.

What I heard was, in a word, awful. Then I heard another Adcom system with same amp powering Canton E2.2s. Still awful. I blame the tin-sounding, non-coherent sound on the electronics. In comparison, the Parasound amps are much smoother.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to many other amp setups

Very nice power amp for the money-I bought it for $415- and am using it with an Audio Electronics (Cary) tube preamp and Energy eXL26 speakers. Quite adequate to power these wonderful Energy speakers. The Cary pre amp is so warm sounding!The Adcom GFA 5300 is a real bargain. Dollar for dollar great.

Good sound and Great Price.

Turn on pop and some noise even when no signal

I picked this amp up on a clearance sale deal and wasn't really planing to buy an amp(yet!)Let me start off by saying that this is my first entry into separate power amps although I have heard tons of separates and lots of receivers. My first impressions of the unit was that the sound stage was instantly wider and that tone was warm and pleasant. I originally bought this for my fronts but I was so impressed with the sound I have since purchased two more 5300's to use for side surround and front center and rear center (6.1)I think for the price I payed for the trio of amps that they can't be beat. I could have bought a multichanel amp instead such as the adcom 7300 or the parasound 855 for cheaper but I think separate 2 channel amps sound way better and look impressive in the old equipment rack. I do have a few bones to pick with the units though, first there is a very noticeable turn on pop when firing up the amp and there is some noise through the speakers even when my preamp is off. However you have to have your ear right to the speakers to hear it. My only other complaint is that there are no 12 volt turn on inputs. All in all I think that these amps are a great deal at there current price. I can certainly recomend these amps for someone looking to leave receivers behind.

Similar Products Used:

various receivers and heard several rotel and parasound belonging to friends and at dealers

Good sound quality, clean crisp sound

Consumer satisfaction from Adcom

I purchased my adcom 5300 May of 1999 and probably only listened to it for approximatly 4 of those months. When it does work I am pleased with the quality and clarity that it produces. I use an Adcom pre-amp with Klipsch speakers. Unfortunatly I have run into a problem with the left channel. There has been mass distortion coming from the left channel at low levels (1.5 to 2 volume levels). I had twice taken it back to the dealer I purchased it at and they had tried to fix it with no luck. The third time I took it back the dealer no longer sold Adcom so I was forced to send it to Adcom to get it fixed. They slowly returned it back with the same problem. After two more times at Adcom and two times at another local dealer I finally have an amplifier to listen to. Adcom refused to give me a new one after seven malfunctions. It has only been two weeks since recieving it back from them so I am crossing my fingers in hope seven is my lucky number.
I am pleased with the sound that the 5300 provides but I have reserves about telling some one to purchase the product due to the compliance recieved from the company itself.

THe 5300's are great amplifiers for the price. If you have a receiver with a pre-amp out switch, the 5300 would make a nice upgrade. I use two 5300's to run my system. I am bi-amping some Paradigm Export Bipolars(They are no longer available) and using Adcom's 565 pre-amp,700 GCD, and using Monster interconnects(not the 300's). I run the speakers with MonsterZ series cable with gives the system mega-bass, and I connect them using bannana plugs which are another very inexpensive upgrade. My sub-woofer is a Polk Psw 100. The Adcom line, although it has it's faults, is one of the best lines for the money to use. No, you're not going to get Mark Levinson or Mcintosh sound from their equipment, but it will sound and image damn fine, better than a receiver I can guarantee that!!

I wanted a tube amp when my last Aisian-built, solid state piece of junk began to puff signals of impending doom. But one trip to the local high-end audio rip-off joint and several all-night studies of relevant periodicals and web sites awakened me from this dream. I'll admit that I bought the Adcom for a single reason - price ($388 including tax). But don't let the price tag fool you. This amp has been full of present suprises. With a demo Pioneer Elite PD-65 CD-player ($300) used as source and an Electronic Tonalities tube preamp I built ($124) this amp drives my Definitive Technology DR-7 monitors ($525) to full-range, bargain basement heaven. Inserting a borrowed Melos pre-amp caused one of my stereo budies to re-tube his McIntoch 65's, purchase a Cal Audio CD player and D/A, and drive 300 miles for a pair of Martin Logans. He still drags me over to "listen" to his system, always asking me to bring the amp "just to see." The Adcom compares well to the Macs in his system bringing more base articulation and less edge to the music.

Now don't get me wrong, when matched properly the Macs are superior amps offerring fluidity unsurpassed by all but most expersive amps. Yet, this little Adcom has alot to offer for the price. The key to any sound system is of course component matching. Here the perspective buyer should be aware that the Adcom seems to do better with lower speaker impedences (4-8 ohms). Also be aware that the Adcom is quite sensitive, revealing any faults in upstream electronics. In other words, if you don't like that "solid-state sound" you'll probably want to invest in a quality pre-amp and CD-player. With the latter I would stick to a bit-stream D/A converter (they sound more analog- end of story). I'm still saving up for a tube amp (a kit might fit my budget), but I will always have a place for the Adcom.

I have been use this amp for 2 weeks. The sound is great, it's better than my Yamaha receiver (RX590). Building quality is excellent. However, the only problem that I got is the pop noise when I turn on the amp. Overall 4 stars.