Laid Back Sound, Great Power

Slightly Grainy Midrange

I purchased this amp in anticipation of upgrading to larger Magnepans and needing additional power. In comparision to the Hafler DH-220, it has more bass, and a bit smoother highs, but the midrange is a tad grainy. The hafler has this unbelievably liquid midrange which I have never heard in another transister amp. The Adcom is definetely more revealing than the Hafler, but is not harsh in its presentation. I would purchase this amp again at the price. If you like a laid back sound, this will appeal. If you are looking for something forward and bright, this is not what you are looking for. If I get another $2000, I will upgrade to bryston. :)

Associated Equiptment:

Adcom GTP-500II Pre-Amp
Pioneer DV-525 DVD/CD
Audio Alchemy DDE 1.0
Magnepan SMGa Speakers
Velodyne F1000 Sub
Wireworld Interconnects
Kimber Kable 4vs speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

Hafler DH-220

Great!

Excellent, Not a bright as other Adcom Amps, Very Powerful, Great Bass,Musical

I have bought the GFA-5500 last year about march 98 and I was very pleased with it until I gave a listen to the GFA-7500 THX AMP . The 7500 had better dynamics in the bottom end and better sound overall. Still the 5500 is a better Amp than many so called high end AMP'S on the market today, it's that the THX 5 channel 7500 is a upgraded Amp.

I recently got an ADCOM GFA-5500 amp and am very pleased with it. I am using them to drive a pair of old Cerwin-Vega D-5 speakers and am impressed with how much smoother the sound is. I have found the amp to provide a mellow, warm tone overall. The bass is significantly tighter and produces a much improved soundstage. The Vega's are bright speakers so the amp makes a good complement to mellow them out some. I have heard better amps but not at this price range.

It is the closest thing to having tubes without having tubes. Very smooth, great base response and power

Runs a little bit hot

This amp is the best amp around for the money I have tried several from Rotel, Argon, Mac and several others. The clearity and bass response of the amp is wonderful it is able to drive almost any speaker, with the exception of thiel( I do not belive there is a amp anywhere that can run thiel speakers properly!!!) I have had the amp for 2 years now and the amp has just gotten better and sweeter with time. In fact I have found out that the amp was acctually produced in a california factory that is know for producing some of the best amps around anywhere(That is it was made in the threshold factory even some parts by hand no wonder it is so good)

Products used with amp:
Mark Levinson #380S (Preamp)
Mark Levinson #37 (CD-Transport)
Mark Levinson #39 (CD-Processor-D/A Converter)
B&W 803 Nautilus (Speaker-If I had a bigger living room)
(I would have the 802's)
Tara Labs RSC Gen II(Interconects)
Tara Labs RSC Prime 1800 (Speaker cables)
Monster Tos-link (Optical Link from Trans to D/A)

Next step: Buy Mark Levinson 335 Amp(The next step from the
(Adcom 5500)

Similar Products Used:

none

Great power, clarity, and dynamic nature. Very tight bass!

None

WOW!! I cannot believe how this amp brought my entire system to life. Prior to buying this amp I was driving my 15" woofers with a 100 RMS watt receiver, that did not do the speakers justice. When ever I cranked it, they were just begging for more juice. This beast is ratted at 350 RMS watts into 4 Ohms, surpassing that of my speakers (250 RMS at 4 Ohms). As a result I never have to stress this amp, and I get clear beautiful sound at all volume levels. However, what I am the most impressed about is the way this amp handles bass. As soon as I connected it to my speakers I noticed a massive imrovement in the bass response. The bass became more defined and very well controlled. Perhaps that massive 700+ (20hz to 20khz) damping factor had something to do with that. LOL I absolutely love this amp, it was well worth the money, and I would very much recommend it to others looking to add power and definition to their systems.

On another note, I also do not belive how much better the mids and highs sound now that I've added this amp. It seems like someone just took out rags from the speakers and added extra breathing room My Yamaha RX-V800 was a pretty good receiver but it was just not meant to drive large woofers such as mine, and take the punishment that I threw at it with the constant loud music levels, and the demand for clear powerful bass reproduction in 2 ch music. This amplifer also got rid of listening fatigue which I previously experience upon listening to music for extended periods of time at higher levels. Now the soundstage is very vast, filling the room with beautiful character. The clearity of recordings is now more transparent and vivid. This amp is absolutely phenomenal. I love the clipping and thermal protection lights (not like I would ever see them anyways, cause the fuses on my speakers would blow first).

In summary, the improvements by the addition of this amp connot be overstated. I was execting a big improvement, but what I received far surpassed my original expectations. I still do not believe how much tighter, punchier and more defined the bass it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Bunch of 5 channel receiver amps, but never heard a dedicated power amplifier

Power...total authority over your speakers. Solid construction and materials. Transparent and very quick.

None

Great amp. Does so many things well. Have never had a problem with it in over six years.

Similar Products Used:

Carver

mids&lows shake the block with cristal clarity.

none for the price.

i was looking for a new amp/tuner to power my 2 sets of klipsch chorus 2 speakers.2 horns &15 in.woofer+15 in. passive woofer.upgrading from kenwood 130 w.p.c. W.O.W. what a difference. i could probably rattle my neighbors drywall off.

Similar Products Used:

carver sony es series. fisher

POWER! Solid Build! Super clean clear sound reproduction, Soundstage. Massive heatsinks!

Don't really care for the round power button's action. I use a ACE 515 to get around this.

This amp was purchased as an upgrade to my Adcom 555. The 5500 right out of the box is heavier and more solidily built. Right off I noticed an improvement in the power output and dynamics. A definite improvement in base and a major improvement in soundstage. Highs are clean and clear, mid range great and the bass excellent. I will say the Adcom GFA 555 seemed to be a bit brighter on the center voice imaging and highs but I'm thinking the increased soundstage on the 5500 may be part of my thougts on this as well as my not so hot speakers. I have ordered a set of Axiom Millinea M80Ti's and am hoping the major upgrade in speakers will increase imaging and produce much better highs than my current speakers.

Overall I will I have to say this amp was a big improvement over the Adcom GFA 555 and a super deal for the money. The Adcom GFA 5500 is incredible and now a very valued piece of my audio gear collection. It also is a perfect match to my Adcom GFA 5006 and 5400 in sound quality. After running different models of adcom amps together I have found running all the amps in the same model line is a big improvement as well.

I have to give this amplifier a 5 star rating all the way, especially for the price I paid. I just couldn't be any happier with this amplifier and will keep this one for a very long time.

IMO This amp is sweet and an awesome deal for the money!

Rob

Similar Products Used:

Adcom GFA 535II, 545, 545II, 555, 5006, 5400.