These are great amplifiiers that produce a very deep sound stage with good detail and no transistor haze. These amps use HexFets for outputs. Nelson Pass designed this amp with only three high gain stages instead of the normal 5 stages of gain in most amps. This produces a signal path with less " handling ". The result of the design is great sound that is not fatiguing. The amp produces a lot of power and is perfect for electrostatic speakers. The only negative is heat. The amp is biased to run Class A for a good portion of its output. Keep this baby well ventilated.

POWER,POWER,Sound,Price.$700-$800 used

Runs a little hot.

This is the only high rated amp in my price range that had this much power.I am driving a pair of power hungy SL-3 Martin Logans .It will drive the ML's with great detail,and sounstage.It is a little weak on bass,but it might be just the speakers,as some of the lower end ML's need a sub to sound great. Ive had this amp for 3 years with no problems what so ever.

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Carver.Electrocompaniet AW-100, B&K ???

Build quality is excellent, sound is phenomenal, well worth the money. Stretch to the price if you can.

I don't think there are any, but perhaps that it only comes in grey/silver(!).

I tried this as a last resort, as everything else failed misrably when it came to driving my Mission 770's. It was the top-end of our budget, but we tried it anyway. To say we were blown away is an understatement. This thing is fantastic, pumping out a massive 140 wpc into 8ohms. I'm sure it will drive anything, because my Mission's were bouncing along like never before. The sound is crisp and clean in the high frequencies, with knock-your-socks-off mids and base which is accurate, tight and well-rounded. It's almost a dream come true! It's not very big or heavy either, which makes this little gem even more astounding. I am well impressed, and still reeling from shear delight and astonishment.

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Rega Exon mono bloks Tag McLaren 60P Rega Maia

Power, detail, soundstage, low distortion

Unreliable

I purchsed this amplifier on the used market, where I purchase most of my electronics, and usually have very good success. I bought this amplifier based on it's reviews, and then matched it up with the Adcom GFP-750 Pre-amp, Adcom GCD-700 CD player, and Adcom GDA-700 DAC. I also have Paradigm Studio Monitor speakers (the model that was replaced by the 100's). The speakers sound amazing, and they love the power that this amp can put out. The amplifier worked great for about 6 months, and then the problems began. First the left channel began to cut out, and then went totally dead. I've had to take it in for repairs several times to solve that problem, and just when I thought everything was great again, one of the two sets of binding posts on the right channel went (they have two sets for each channel for bi-wiring, and I was using both sets to bi-wire). So it looks like I'm back to the repair shop again. This amplifier does sound good when it works, but I think Adcom's reliability has gone down hill quickly. That is what happens when companies try to cut corners to increase profits. I was also not impressed at all with the customer service at Adcom. This is supposed to be their flag ship amplifier, and when I contacted them about the left channel being totally dead on a 2 year old amplifier, all they cared about was that I was not the original buyer, and because of that they would do nothing for me. I could have shipped it to them and for around $400.(US), they would check it out, and repair it. Even if it was only a $20. part, the price would still be $400. Given that I'm in Canada, with duties, taxes and shipping, that would have been a costly option. This will be the last Adcom product I purchase, and when I get it repaired once again, I will be selling the whole set-up and looking for a Bryston. It is well worth the little extra you may have to pay for a Bryston. They have a 20 year transferrable warranty and care about the satisfaction of their customers. Adcom could learn from them. Overall, this is a good sounding amplifier, but with a limited warranty, and poor customer service, why take a chance?

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Bryston 4B, Yamaha MX-1

Honestly I didn't hear any!

highs too extended,lack the musical warmth in the music that I love,This amp sounds nothing like good tubes and I doubt it ever will.

I listen to this amp on some Paradigm 100s v.2.The preamp was adcoms latest digital preamp ,can't remeber the model.And a denon dvd player was the source.I thought it would sound better than the denon reciever ...that I had previously listened to .But I guess I was mistaken,the sound was bright and very fatiguing.I hope it wasn't broken in because I couldn't listen to it but a few minutes before turning it off.Bass was almost unnoticeable,again the highs had my attention so it glazed everything else over.Left quite dissapointed in it's perfomance and feel this kinda money can get you some new Monarchy SM 70 pros or the for that matter any of their products.There just isn't a contest when comparing these to companies amplifiers!

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Monarchy ,McIntosh,Music Reference,other Adcoms amps

Sound Build construction Balanced XLR Value

Not really a weakness, but this amp runs hot.

I've had this amp for a few years now and am still very happy with it. You get a lot of amp for the money: * Solid state MOSFETT design * 300 Watts per channel * Balanced XLR and unbalanced gold RCA * Removable power cord The first thing I should say is that this amp is built like a tank. It's very heavy. Big heatsinks along each side, 12 guage wire internally and capacitors the size of beer cans. One of the selling points is the MOSFETT design; Adcom claims you get a 'tubelike' sound from MOSFETT transistors. I find the 5802 begins to sound a little softer in the high frequencies after it heats up a little. And it *does* heat-up, you won't want to put any other componets on top of this amp. I have never used tube equipment, but I can say that I prefer the 5802 sound to my Bryston 3BST. Bryston is an excellent solid state amp, but I find the sound can be a little harsh and fatiguing with my NHT 2.9s. The Adcom has a 'softer' sound but supplies all power and dynamics the NHT's can deliver. I find the 5802 versatile for a 2 channel amp. You get RCA AND balanced inputs. I use it for 2 channel stereo as well as HT. NHT speakers can suck-up a lot of power. The 5802 is always able to keep up without too much effort. Playing quiet or loud, Stereo or DVD, I always enjoy listening to this amp. I can say honestly that the 5802 really improved the overall sound of my system without speding a ridiculous amount of money. I have since changed and upgraded other components, but I think I'll be hanging on to the Adcom for a while. 5 stars value. 4 stars overall, since I know there will be *always* be something better out there.

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Nikko, Bryston 3B-ST, Marantz MA700, Onkyo 676

Good "sonic value" when its working.

Failed components.

Bought this amp in '98 because it seemed to be a good sonic value for the money. 3 years later a channel failed and fried a Magneplanar 1.5. Will probably be out 300-400 dollars for the repair. I noticed quite a bit of grit when I tried to get even modest volume levels (house party) out of the amp and that should have been a warning sign. As soon as the amp is repaired, I will sell it and replace it with a Bryston 14b. Bottom line is, the amp sounded great - especially the mids and highs - as long as you didn't try and crank it. Very open, great soundstage and 3-d imaging with the right source material - both on LPs and CDs. I used it with a Velodyne sub to pick up the bass and overall it sounded great. I think it's one of the better values out there for "audiophiles on a budget."

No strengths I can think of at the present.

High-frequency grain, dry and metallic presentation of music.

I must update my review of the 5802 I wrote long ago. I moved up the audio chain and bought a EAD 2000T cd transport and a Proceed DAP. I also purchased some B&W N 805''s. Once I purchased these speakers, I slowly became dissatified with the sound quality of my system. On a whim, I tried out a burned-in Rotel RB 1090 from a local audio store. What a difference!! Bass, highs, mids, everything sounded better with the Rotel. I eventually took this back and opted for a used Classe'' Cap 151 intergrated amp. I know now why none of my upgrades had any effect on my system. The 5802 was much more harsh and grainy than I imagined. My Classe'' matches the Adcom 5802 in sound output. If you consider the Classe'' is rated at 150 watts@ 8 ohms, then it becomes obvious that the 5802 cannot be putting 300 watts@ 8 ohms. The highs have gotten so smooth with the Classe'', that I don''t need a tube pre-amp anymore in my system. The tube pre-amp kept the Adcom listenable. Maybe I got a bad amp, or maybe B&W speakers are not a good match with the 5802, but I can''t listen to the amp anymore. The character of the amp is very dry and metallic. I got no bass out of the 805''s using the Adcom. I am not here to bash Adcom, just telling everyone what my experience has been with the 5802. My system: Classe'' Cap 151 Intergrated Amp Straight wire Encore II interconnects Straight wire Rhapsody II balanced interconnects B&W Nautilus 805 speakers B&W ASW 1000 powered sub Straight wire speaker cable EAD 2000T cd transport Proceed DAP digital to analog converter Richard Gray''s Power Company line conditioners Denon AVD 2000 Dolby Digital processor Pioneer Elite DV-37 DVD player Rotel 956 six to three channel amp B&W HTM-2 center channel B&W DM 303 rear speakers

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Rotel RB 1090

Power, clarity.

Hard to find any...

The GFA5802 was a pleasant surprise, even after a good number of Adcom power amps I''ve had since the 80''s. Initially I expected it to be much like 555/585 (only with a fancier faceplate ;-) and planned to use it in my home theatre system, along with a 5503, but... First of all, the sound is clear, analytical even, with plenty of power to spare. It might be a slight overstatement to say that it has a Krell-esque sound, a great combination of power and finesse and in its price range it''s very difficult to beat. To make a long story short, the amp ended up powering my "high-end" system instead of the home theater.

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Adcom GFA555II, GFA555PRO, GFA5503, GFA535, Rotel RB985, NAD 214, Krell FBP600 etc.

Very open and smooth sounding. Details are delivered in a superior way. Have a formidabel energy in the low-end with good accuracy.

Consumes lots of current from the AC-wall. No stand-by trigger.

I really like the sound from this power plant. I have owned several adcom amplifiers before (555 and 585) and none of them come close to this piece. The sound is so smooth and open with excellent details and imagine. The sound is very relaxed and without any grains and excellent power in the very deepest bass. My M.L. are very revealing of the electronics used and with the GFA 585 they sounded to hard on the highs and midrange was a little compressed compared with the 5802. Another thing that strikes you is the ability to play very deep bass. This amplifier dig out bass that you never heard with very good control. The sound is more like tubes and with tons of power. Of course this amplifier is not for all but with my M.L. Ascent and with my pre M.F. A3cr it just sounds so effortless and smooth. I would say that this amplifier has almost everything that the best ones out there have. The difference is small and are you willing to spend $$$$$ for that small difference. I really recommend this amplifier for it''''s musical properties, connected with right kind of preamp and speakers you will end up in a musical nirvana. My config: Martin Logan Ascent Musical Fidelity A3cr Adcom GFA 5802 Pioneer PD-75 Audioquest Bedrock Van den Hul D-102 III

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Adcom GFA-555, Adcom GFA-585