Power

Highs

I originally bought this amp as an upgrade for B&W Matrix 802's after using a poor 150W/Ch amp (a Yamaha older design - what was I thinking?). I was amazed at the difference in sound, especially in bass response and overall "air" / soundstage. Bottom line, this is a great "mid - level" performance amp, good for the money. But with good speakers, like the 802's, you hear all the bad aspects of the amp. After a time I found myself fatigued by the highs, which were scratchy, to borrow the phrase used by one of the other reviewers. While it is a colorful amp, which reveals many nice nuances of a recording, there is a definite difference in other amps. I sold it, eventually settling on a McIntosh MC300, which was just so much easier to listen to, revealing, and very pleasant. I did audition the Adcom against a Krell KAV300 at the dealer, and was interested to find that the Krell seemed not to have anywhere near the bass impact "slam" and "airiness" of the Adcom (Audition was with larger Aerials). While the Krell home theater marketed amp was brand new (not broken in?) I would not have thought it better than the Adcom by any means, and did not want it. The Adcom is a good value for the money if you really need 300 watts, but there are better out there.

Similar Products Used:

McIntosh MC300

Nice soundstage

muddy bass very,very flat sounding.

I just sold my krell amp (kav250) to save up for a new krell fpb300-c my frend lent me his adcom 5802 till I get my new amp. I have owned adcom before and have been very pleased with there other products but ,this amp sucks
very dead sounding it made my B&WN802s pick out every weakness in the amp. For about the same money look at a bryston,or a used krell there are many choices in that price range so look around some amps only sound good with certin speakers. Good luck!!!!!!

Nice soundstage

muddy bass very,very flat sounding.

I just sold my krell amp (kav250) to save up for a new krell fpb300-c my frend lent me his adcom 5802 till I get my new amp. I have owned adcom before and have been very pleased with there other products but ,this amp sucks
very dead sounding it made my B&WN802s pick out every weakness in the amp. For about the same money look at a bryston,or a used krell there are many choices in that price range so look around some amps only sound good with certin speakers. Good luck!!!!!!

It looks like I'm running into some of the problems reported here on 5802's. I lost the right channel, took it to Hi-Fi Buys (authorized Adcom repair shop) they supposedly fixed it, but I still had problems with the Thermal Protection for the right channel going off after several minutes. It's back at Hi-Fi Buys to see if they can trouble-shoot the problem correctly, otherwise I'm going to send it up to Adcom HQ.
I would love feedback on anyone else who has had similar problems and how they were solved.
My config:
Adcom GFP 750 Preamp
Adcom GCD 750 CD
Marantz ST 6000 Tuner
Kimber Hero interconnects
Legacy Classic's

Affordable for a 300 watt amp.

Audition this amp before buying. I know it sounds like a great deal - you can find this 300 watt brickhouse for $1300 on eBay and AudioReview classifieds. Make sure you buy from an authorized dealer (my 750 preamp came with a broken remote).

Adcom 5802: You can distinctly hear the different layers of music. You can hear the details in the tight bass. However, with the music I listen to - electronica & techno, the Adcom sounded bright and shrill. I found it required a lot of attention for me to listen to the music. I listen to a lot of music at night, so I prefer an amp I can listen to effortlessly.

Bottom line: the Adcom sound isn't for everyone (browsing the audioasylum.com archives will prove this). Audition the McCormack DNA-125 ($1700) before you buy. If you want to be thorough, compile a list of amps under $2000 (include Musical Fidelity A3CR) and a few noteworthy ones between $2000-2500 (Bel Canto Evo, Blue Circle Audio BC22).

Similar Products Used:

McCormack DNA-125.

I had my system (Yamaha DSP-A1, DVD-S700, B&W 802) first setup with the 5500 which sounded to me really good, but with the 5802... It sounds like a 20g's worth of equipment. I didn't even use the balanced inputs and used inexpensive Monster cable (Mark II). I also listend to the Krell system at my dealer and I can honestly say that my system has a warmer sound, 3D like, nice high and midrange. Note for Adcom - KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Class A bias, smooth, substantial driving ability

May never need to heat the house again =)

Right out of the box I loved this amp. Over time it got better opening up in both directions. My favorite thing aside from the sound is the heat this piece puts out. I personally don't trust any electronics that run cold. Cold means slow. This piece as with the entire Adcom Gold badge equipment is untouchable at there price points. I tried a Sim Audio Celeste 4150SE, Bryston 4B ST and kept this one. I just wish my rack would come in so it would look as attractive as it sounds. 5 star value and 4 star overall since there is always Mark Levinson =)

Regis Poirier

Associated equipment:
Sony DVP-S7000
Aragon D2A Mark II
Adcom GFP-750
Adcom GFA-5802
PSB Stratus Gold
Kimber Hero XLR
Kimber PBJ
Kimber 8TC

Similar Products Used:

Acurus A200, Adcom GFA-7400

Soundstage, effortless power

none so far

It's amazing that an amp with this kind of quality is available at this price point. I've not had any problems so far, and the amp just blows off the classical stuff that used to define high fidelity which, once upon a time, was the Hafler. The sonics are crisp, soundstage detailed and while a Krell 600i may be a better amp at $12,000, I'm not sure that my ears are THAT good. The Adcom represents the point of seriously diminishing returns.

Similar Products Used:

Hafler DH200, McIntosh MA2500

*Amazing power, very musical mids and highs,above average bass control/tightness and soundstage.
*Great value.
*
*

*Perhaps not a weakness but it does indeed get hot as other reviewers have mentioned.
*Models produced in California have a design problem(see below).
*Poor Customer Service and Tech Support on other Adcom equipment I have owned. Very low class operation for a Company that can develop and manufacture a prodcut like the 5802. So much so that there is no stocking dealer in the entire Memphis area that will carry Adcom.

I'm not too versed in audiophile terms but this amp brought
new life to my system.
It amazed me from the first power-up how much sweeter, clearer,tighter and deeper my entire system sounded. I recently bought a pair of a/d/s L1290s and my old Adcom 555 was not up to the task of powering the 300 watt rated L1290s. So I bought the Adcom 5802 after considering the Bryston 4B-ST based mostly on the Audioreviews and the value I have enjoyed from past Adcom products. Couldn't be happier with the purchase.
One thing I did discover when talkingwith Adcom about the 5802(I was considering a used one intially before I bought this one new) was that there was a design flaw on the units manufactured in California; the 5802 is now manufactured in New Jersey with the updated and improved design. It appears the intial design was inadequate in preventing heat damage/failure in the circuit board area near the heat sinks and there was some sort of update to the output area also. I was told that there is a mandatory update of the older, Calf units. They can be determined by serial number that does not have a 5 after the 'DB' portion of the serial number. It is also my understanding that Adcom will perform this upgrade free of charge. I'll also say it right now that this is what I was told so please do not shoot the messenger.
I'm giving the 5802 a solid 5 star based on its performance and value in my system. If I were to rate Adcom's customer service operation and tech suport(not the techs as they appear for the most part to be competent), their ratings would be '1' and '3', respectively, based on my experience and comments made to me from dealers.

Similar Products Used:

*Adcom 555 and other Adcom products.

Very High Power! Low distortion at rated power. Good looks. Low price.

I don't think this a weakness, but I don't like the On/Off switch.

Almost all of the amps I had were rated at 200 w/ch or more, and were OK. They just didn't have what this amp has. This thing has a ton of power, and a clean, realistic midrange. I would recommend this amp to anyone who has a need for high power, an ability to drive low impedance speakers, and doesn't want to pay alot of money. For the money I am able to spend on an amplifier alone, I can't afford a Levinson, Krell, Mcintosh, Classe', or others. I want a $100,000 dollar system, but for now, this will do.

Similar Products Used:

Every concievable high power amp from everyone except the "High End". Many Adcom amps, GFA-555II, 535II, 545II, 5503, 5800. Onkyo M-508 Grand Integra, Sony ES power amps, Denon POA-2400.