very open soundstage

led lit on passive mode and always on..

I purchased this unit adcom 750 from friend last year since he was unhappy in shippping package it came in aand scratch on the top.I bought it from him since we tested it out on his stereo system that was no "MOM & POPS stereo" It was very good sounding with different accessortment of cables.Experimenting in sound quality that changed from burned in cables..Straight wire is not good sounding wire
nordost was "OK" then taralabs was better then alpha sterling with discreet shielding was excellent.The 750 model
was very clear and open sound stage no noise in the back ground dead silent with mac352 or parasound HCA-3500 using ubalanced or balanced lines it was a breath taking experince
hear the music the way it was to be...I am still experimenting with cables...
I was worth the price and then some ,more bang for buck..
only thing I don't like about it is the power is always on and led lite is "ON" when in passive mode and brightness of leds on front panel...

Similar Products Used:

classe 400,classe 301,mcintosch 352,amber amps series70

I have been living with the GFP-750 for six months and have been rewarded every day since then with outstanding performance. With the purchase of this unit I was able to cross-over from the limiting sonic boundaries of mid-fi mass-market electronics to entry-level high-end. Sonically, however, the GFP-750 is well above the entry-level, and that goes without having to express the build quality and excellence in engineering design that went into this unit.
When I began my pursuit of audio-heaven, I really wanted to go seperates over an integrated, but it was beginning to look like integrated amps would have to be the way to go at my price point until I auditioned the GFP-750. It blew right by my expectations. I was amazed that such as stellar performer was within my reach. The combination of this and an amp would slightly exceed my original spending goals, but the GFP-750 was worth the extra stretch.

Upon auditioning this unit, I knew that it would not be the limiting factor in my system; future upgrades would be better spent on other components, because the Adcom would not pose any detrimental impact to even the best-regarded up or downstream components. This opened the door to high-end sound for me. It taught me a lesson too, that the values are out there, and that I should seek-out as much performance per buck as was physically possible, and not to simply settle for the piece that falls at my price-point. To that end, the six months following the purchase of the GFP-750 was an adventure in acheiving the best bang for the buck at the system level. I could accept small deficiencies in one component if that allowed me to expend a little more in another component that would ultimately provide the best sound for the total investment. The GFP-750 was the cornerstone of that excercise. I did not have to match anything to it, or seek other components that would compensate for any colorations, because it did not introduce any. It was as though the GFP-750 was a cost-no-object purchase in terms of performance and system flexibity, but at a price even an entry-level audiophile can manage.

So to try and be slightly balanced, I submit some negative points. The remote is kinda wimpy; I hope it last longer than an Atari 2600 joystick video game controller. Also, it looks nice, but it is not as visually charming as Bob Carver's Classic Vacuum Tube Stereo Preamp.

My system:
CAL Icon Mk II CD Player
GFP-750 Preamp
GFA-5500 Stereo Amplifier
NHT 2.5i Loudspeakers
Velodyne CT-100 Powered Subwoofer
AudioQuest Ruby Interconnects for CD to Preamp and Preamp to Amp
Monstercable Interlink 201 (pair) Interconnects to Powered Subwoofer
AudioQuest Indigo Speaker Cables (double biwire)

This is a follow-up to my previous post of a few days ago. I was so involved in what I was writing I forgot to mention one of the most significant virtues of the GFP-750...
...Passive Mode.

When I first purchased the unit, this option was not all that important to me, and I didn't have that much of an appreciation for it. I was so impressed with it in active mode at the time that it did not really matter. I finally did take notice of it a few months later when I was auditioning speaker cables (auditioning cables was a horrifying experience. I hoped it would not make that much difference. It made quite a bit of difference).

I was experimenting with AudioQuest Crystal on the hi's and mid's of my NHT 2.5i, and AudioQuest Type 6 on the Bass. In this Biwire configuration, Passive Mode revealed so much more detail than the Active Mode. More noticable was the impact on depth of soundstage and transparency. Up to this point, I realized that I had been living in a two-dimentional audio world for the most part. There actually was some depth with Active Mode, but compared to the Passive Mode, the Active Mode depth seemed like flat surfaces layered front to back, like a pop-up 3D greeting card or child's book. Passive Mode gave those flat suraces body, and more front-to-back seperation. Imaging across the soundstage from left to right was already stellar in Active Mode; Passive Mode seemed to improve that as well, but I think it really was the added depth that made the lateral imaging sound better. Transparency was also noticably improved. But again, I think that it was ultimately the improvement in depth that seemed to lift the music out and away from the speakers.

I didn't actually purchase the Crystals, because they seemed slightly soft and dark to me. Vocals were so realistic with those cables, and the inner-detail was just so exquisite, but there was a loss of punch and vitality. AudioQuest Midnights had a similar quality, only more detail, more smoothness, more richness, but also more darkness and less impact. My collection of Gothic and Ethereal music benifited from this, but the Electro and Industrial Music suffered much from this set-up. I do have a theory that I may have actually heard the true nature of my CAL Icon Mk II (known as being an rich, involving, and laid-back CD player). I can only wonder what Midnight speaker cables and an Naim CD 3.5 or Arcam Alpha 9 CD player might sound like in my system.

I almost bought Nordost Superflatline speaker cable for their quality and value, but I would have been unable to listen to my system in Passive Mode. With these cables and the NHT 2.5i, two much treble seemed to pass through the system. Passive Mode further emphasised this zippiness. Even Active Mode sounded a bit toppish. I listened to the Nordost cables before the AudioQuest cables, which was before I realized the significance and potential of the Adcom's Passive Mode. Ultimately, I went with a pair of double biwire AudioQuest Indigo speaker cables.

My point is this; if you buy the GFP-750, use the Passive Mode as your baseline for making future purchases in electronics, cables, or speakers. I grant that running a passive preamp is not practical in all situations, because you rely on the front-end to drive the source signal through the preamp and interconnects, and your amplifier will have to work harder to drive your speakers. Even though I have 6 Ohm speakers, my CD player was up to the task, and, as luck would have it, I chose to buy a 200 (into 8 Ohms) Watt per channel amplifier (The 125 Watt/Ch amps were out of stock at the time, and the dealer offered to give me a respectable discount on the beefier Adcom GFA-5500. I almost decided to wait for the smaller GFA-5400, but I'm so glad I didn't).

One last plug for AudioQuest here. Ruby interconnects work great with the Adcom electronics. The one-step-down Topaz are OK, but noticably thin in the midrange. I do not recommend Topaz interconnects if you are running NHT 2.5i speakers (I would only buy inexpensive used TOPAZ for secondary equipment).

I've written about the GFP-750's strengths in a review below; this review is an update to my GFP-750 saga.

At this stage of the game -- none.

I'll admit that I normally frown upon those who post on multiple occasions to forums that are ostensibly devoted to equipment reviews -- and not to discussion, proper. That said, I think it's only fair that I provide an update to my post of late July, which left Adcom holding the bag on a bad GFP-750 ownership experience.

If you'll read below, you'll find that my GFP-750 suffered one failure after another, and finally up and quit on me altogether (neither smelling salts nor Viagra could revive it). Shortly after posting to Audioreview.com, I dashed off a fax (a bona-fide nasty-gram) to the good folks over at Adcom, sent it very early in the morning -- and received a call on that same day from a very helpful woman in customer support by the name of Stephanie. She told me that Adcom had received my fax, was very upset about my experience, and would send me out a brand new unit -- custom-checked by a technician at its N.J. facility -- within the next week.

To make a long story short, I received my GFP-750 almost three months ago (a few days after I received my new SCD-777ES SACD player, but that's another matter :). It's performed perfectly since that time, hasn't so much as hiccupped, and sounds -- to my (admittedly) virginal ears -- invisible. I've actually been fortunate enough to hear a lot of fine pre-amps in my time -- I'm thinking of the Sonic Frontiers line-stage pre-amp and of the Ayre K-1X pre-amps, especially, in this regard -- and I think that the GFP-750 can actually take its place among them (really! I swear!). It doesn't displace them, don't get me wrong (they've each got their distinctive and very likeable qualities), but the GFP-750's invisibility and its (overall) neutrality serve to set it apart and, even, to elevate it, so to speak, in an admittedly crowded field.

I've expressed concerns about the GFP-750's build quality in the past, and I'll concede that such may still be potential problem spots. That said, I'm willing to chalk my experience up to the random bad production sample, and leave it at that. I've owned other Adcom gear through the years (and my 10 year-old GCD-575 still works like a dream), and I've generally enjoyed problem-free ownership experiences.

If you're in the market for a two-channel pre-amplifier, please do yourself a favor and listen to the GFP-750. It's a not-to-be-missed value.

System:

Aragon 80008BB
Adcom GFP-750
Sony SCD-777ES SACD
Linn Genki CD
Infinity Renaissance 90 loudspeakers
Goertz Alpha-Core MI3 ("Divinity") loudspeaker cable (bi-wired)
MIT ProLine 330 balanced interconnect cables
AudioQuest Ruby RCA interconnect cables
Linn RCA interconnect cables

Similar Products Used:

Classe CP-40, Counterpoint SA-1000, Adcom GFP-565, PS Audio Pre-Amp 7.0

crisp sound, clean, GOOD build quality, passlabs designed

Remote is trash

I also can't understand how anyone could buy this pre-amp and fault it. Ignore the one star reviewers. First Class.
Five stars for value (I got it for $950 USD).

Similar Products Used:

Classe CA-100, MIT term 4
Classe CA-100, MIT term 4

As neutral as can be expected of a preamplifier. Good build quality. Extraordinary value.

None.

I have had this preamp for 2 1/2 years, during which time I have used it nearly every day without a single problem. I am therefore surprised at on some the problems with this preamp expressed by some indiviudals herein, such as in the review below. In my experience this is an excellent, reliable preamp that imposes little, if any, of its own sound on the signal. In addition, my experience with the folks at Adcom have been quite positive.

Similar Products Used:

Ayre, Classe, Rotel, BAT, Bryston, Acurus, other Adcom preamps

cheap

doesnt live up to all the hype

I bought this just for the dirt cheap price and based on stereophile Class A. I dont know what kind of game, stereophile are playing with us consumers.

This doesnt come anywhere close to my aleph P. I used it with both a Tube amp . RM9 reference and my 332.
It has a gazy unatural sound, sounding incredibly bright(clear?????!) with the ML.

The Aleph P, design is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of transparency and naturalness.
Luckily I bought this used at a bargain, but I understand why so many people are getting rid of it.

Please dont be fooled by the Class A recommendation hype, I rate this Class C.Compare carefully b4 you decide and dont let $$$ be the only factor

Similar Products Used:

Refernce Line pre-eminence one, Pass Labs P,

Transparent -- it's one of the few preamplifiers I've heard that seems to add nothing to, nor take anything away from, a source. Used exclusively in passive mode, it's a delight, and is without any of the graininess or stridence that normally betray the presence of solid-state components in the signal path.

Build quality and quality control. Based on what I've read here and elsewhere, purchasing a GFP-750 is something along the lines of playing a game of Russian Roulette. In my case, I've lost. Three time. And I've only owned the thing three months!

This unit gets an A+ (5 stars) for sonics. It simply disappears when plugged into the audio chain betwixt a source component and a power amplifier. When used in passive mode, I was unable to differentiate between the variable output of my CD player source and its fixed output fed through the GCD-750. It's a Stereophile Class A recommended component (don't laugh), and it sounds every bit the part.

It's build quality and quality control do not live up to the part, however. I've had no less than three malfunctions with my GFP-750 in the three months that I've owned it, and -- on this latest go-around -- Adcom didn't even repair a problem that I specifically indicated was present when the unit was last serviced (for a more serious power supply failure). In terms of build quality and in terms of quality control, I give this unit...one star.

I'm frankly very tired of it all. I own four additional Adcom products (a GFA-555II power amp, a GCD-575 CD player, a GFP-565 preamplifier and a GCD-750 CD player), and -- with the exception of the new GCD-750 -- haven't experienced any problems with the so-called 'legacy' Adcom gear.

I'm going to sell my GFP-750 (after it's fixed *this* time around) and get myself a Resolution Audio CD-55. Then I'm gonna plug that puppy directly into my Aragon 8008BB and forget that I've ever dallied in the world of pre-amplifiers.

Similar Products Used:

Classe CP-40, Counterpoint SA-1000, Adcom GFP-565, PS Audio Pre-Amp 7.0