Processor loop, sound (only in active mode though not what I''d call Class A)

Dull, lifeless sound in passive mode; Class A rating from Stereophile is deceptive; cheap feeling controls; remote volume control needs to have more steps, over-all appearance is average, reliability seems questionable

Having read the Stereophile review, I was disappointed with this pre-amp. I have a lot of respect for the magazine, but they missed the boat on the Class A rating on this pre-amp. In the end, I wound up returning the GFP-750 during my 30-day trial. First, the ONLY mode to use is the active mode. The sound through the Adcom in passive mode is totally barren, has absolutely no dynamics or soundstage. I''m not sure what the Stereophile people were hearing when they said they preferred this mode. In active mode, the sound improves substantially but seemed a bit bright and harsh even after 3 weeks of break-in. Sense of space was good as was the over-all soundstage, but no more so than any other pre-amps in the price range. Imaging, again, was average and seemed to lack the height that I am used to with my Magnepan speakers. Bass was decently controlled and extended. One of the biggest disappointments was the build quality. The toggle switches felt especially flimsy. The volume control took an unusual amount of force to turn as did the other knobs. The remote volume was touchy at best and needs to be more graduated. In addition, the settings did not line up with the indicators on the knobs. Granted, for the price one can''t expect Levinson quality, but a TRUE Class-A product needs to be contructed better. Overall, I rate this Adcom a 3. The passive mode is so disappointing that it may as well not even be an option IMHO. If you''re in the market, by all means check-out the Adcom but don''t settle on it without listening to others. I wound up with the new Special Edition Anthem PRE-2L and feel it is far superior, overall, than the Adcom and I bought it new from an authorized dealer for less than $1000 shipped!! It retails for $1700. The new Perreaux''s are also very good. Just don''t expect the Adcom to blow your socks off.

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Perreaux, Sonic Frontiers/Anthem, Citation, Marantz, Counterpoint

Great bang for the buck, transparent and detailed. Good construction quality, solid, hefty feel.

Low output of 1 volt makes it hard to drive some power amps, lacking in overall dynamics, needs long break in to sound good, no phono stage.

I was really curious about the Adcom after seeing it get a class A rating in Stereophile, as well as reading testimonials in audioreview. So I borrowed one from a local dealer just to see how it would stack up against my beloved 13 year old Conrad-Johnson PV-8. First of all, let me start by saying that the Adcom has much lower output than my C-J, 1 volt vs 2.5 volts. I had the volume control on the Adcom consistently at the 2-4 o''clock position to get reasonably loud volume levels in my relatively small 13x16 room. I even bottomed out the volume pot on a couple of cd''s, just not enough juice to drive my Cary 100 watt monoblocks. The Cary''s input sensitivity is 1.5 volts, which explains the Adcom''s trouble driving them to full output. This a major flaw in my opinion, all preamps should have at least 2 volts output, minimum. Yes the Adcom will have no trouble driving other amps with higher sensitivity, it just wasn''t a good match for the Carys. Now about the sound. Out of the box cold, the Adcom was pretty mediocre, Thin, lifeless, two dimensional, closed in, lacking in warmth and detail. This preamp needs considerable warmup, so once it''s on, don''t turn it off. By the next day, things had improved considerably. The sound now was beginning to open up and show signs of life. The third day was better yet. The sound was open, transparent, with good top and bottom extension. But I ultimately felt something was definetly missing. While I could hear this preamp''s transparency and detail, it lacked dynamics and drive. The low 1 volt output didn''t help matters much. After 2 days listening only to the Adcom, I felt it was time to switch back to the C-J. Wow! what a difference. The C-J was much more lush, dimensional, with better weight in the bass. Mids and highs were also better than the Adcom, with greater three dimensoinality and air. The C-J could also play louder with greater composure. It''s hard to explain without hearing it, but it just produced a sound that elevated the entire system to a higher level, plain and simple. While I''d have to admit the Adcom is just as transparent as the C-J, maybe even slightly more so,the Adcom just couldn''t match the lush, rich, dimensional presentation of the mighty PV-8. For about the same $$, my PV-8 also gives me a phono stage, which I do use. The Adcom is still hard to beat at the $1400 mark,

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Conrad-Johnson PV-8, will audition Pass preamps in future, hopefully!

The ability of not introducing any color or whatsoever to the sound. Well balanced and neutral.

The tape loop could have been designed better. The volume level is hard to see it. And those red lights...

Transparent and clear. After so many years of use I found the passive mode even preferable. Great hardware.

Good bass and treble frequency extension.

Not musically engaging. Dull in passive mode. Aggressive and bright in active mode. Questionable build quality. High failure rates.

Although my GFP--750 had no quality problems like so many others, I kept it for only a couple months because it did not live up to my expectations (after reading all the hype and the Stereophile class-A rating). In passive mode this preamp killed off all dynamics and it was flat and dull. I also found it very unusual that in "passive" mode, this preamp still required power. A true passive preamp doesn''t require any power (like the McCormack TLC-1 or even the small Creek OBH-12 for example). In active mode it was rather agressive and bright. Yes, it had great bass and extended treble but so do most mid-fi products. What it lacked was the ability to clearly separate the instruments and it had no soul. The midrange was sterile. The GFP-750 is clearly not an "audiophile" grade preamp and certainly didn''t deserve a Stereophile class-A rating. There are so many of these bought and sold on the used market and I suspect this is in part due to the hype and Stereophile review. Folks (like me) run out and buy one only to discover it just isn''t the giant killer Class-A product they had hoped for

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Personally owned and auditioned: Classe CP-35 BAT VK-20 Conrad-Johnson PF-R Conrad-Johnson PV-12L Audio Research LS16 McCormack TLC-1 Creek OBH-12

the many features and versatility, transparent enough for my tubed kora and plinius amp.

too early to tell but i cant imagine any even at full retail with 5 year warranty, ones hard pressed to complain.

just wanna thank all previous posts in helping me finnally decide on this as my 2 channel pre-amp, considered many others but the price and "alleged" transparancy roused my interest enough to seek this out. lately ive been refining my front two channels in a home theatre setup, so for my amp on my music side after looking at most of the big guns like ayre, levinson, krell, pass labs,i have chosen plinius sa 100 mk111 amplifier as my choice,now considering this amps neutral to slightly warm character i felt like some triode tubes were in order helping eliminate the digital nasties in my cd collection. enter my next purchase a kora hermes 24/192 troide tubed dac, now heres synergy, but i have a problem my expendible cash[for audio] flow is nearing its end. what to do? i considered many pre amps vtl 2.5 and 5.5, kora eclipse, art audio model?plinius cd lad and m16 {absolutly wonderful gear}but at the present time with 2 daughters to raise i couldnt afford these after making the other purchases so to resolve my dillemma enter old faithful adcom, mid-fi,lo fi, went to a freinds house brought my 2 channel gear over after helping him decide on a purhase of a plinius 8200 integrated along with a njoue tube 4000 cd delivered that day we setup both systems. the amazement to us; we ran the njoue tube 4000 streight into my plinius and were delighted in the wonder of sound being played before us. pure hamonics in voices and strings, bass slam with detail. listening to "stages live" rush we marveled at the eight minute drum solo from neil pert titled "rythem method" also good jazz selections from diana krall and particia barber souded like we were theyre,you get the point no pre amp in the chain. next after getting our ears accustomed to this playback we now inserted the adcom gfp 750 and my freind john imediatly commented on the quality of the sound,youd think hed be biased towards his njoue tube without a pre-amp, however we both felt we heard no haziness or veiling of the sound.now were admittedly novice listeners but the adcom convinced me that this pre will sit quite well in my setup for the forseeable future. one last note the kora has a two volt "active" and five volt"passive"switch that just works wonders listening to stevie nicks or natalie merchant in class "a" mode{plinius} in combination with the passive cicuitry of the adcom.

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lexicon,onkyo,

Features, liquidity. Passive mode is exceptional. Looks I like the switches and brass plate. Balanced connectors

Volume, very hard to adjust with remote too fast/course.Bit expensive but far more expensive ones out there.

This is my 1st preamp and I feel I made the right choice. It sounds like nothing except music goes through it! My previous receiver a NAD 711 simply cannot hold a candle to the liquidity of the music that comes out through the speakers. Instruments in an Orch can be easily defined left to right and front to back even height!. I use the Passive mode for late night listening and soft chamber music. It needs to be used withthe right disc. Not for rock music at all, but this is not a default by any means. You can get more out of some discs using the passive mode. The abilty to upgrade in home theater is nice too with the bypass for a decoder. I will be upgrading in the future. Equipment: Adcom GFP750 preamp Anthem MCA 2 Power amp Alphacore cable bal & unbal Sony cd player cdp 550 older model but good Paradigm Studio Ref 100''s Rosenut Wood Audioquest Crystal biwired Sony DVD DVP s-3000 Toshiba Tw40X81 HDTV

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none but compared to anthem

Sound. I doubt there is a better solid state amp. This is all I would recommend unless someone wanted a vaccum tube preamp.

Looks. Must be in "passive" mode or volume changes too fast when using the remote. How about a digital volume like the GTP-750?

Sorry for the double post but I got cut off. RE: defective unit purchased from unauthorized dealer on the internet for <$1,000. - significant loss of clarity and detail compared to my CDP direct to power amp setup. After 100+ hours of break-in the detail mostly came back but there was still the popping and the left speaker sounded quieter than the right. I called Adcom with the serial number and they told me it was dated earlier than 1999 and not in their system. But they would fix it even though I did not have the warranty card. Adcom must have said something to the dealer because I got a full refund even though their policy was "no refunds, only credit". So I would say that Adcom is not stupid and they are not going to lose their reputation by selling people defective merchandise. I should also mention the new model I got at the dealer sounded good out of the box and needed no break in time. My system: B&W Nautilus 804 Musical Fidelity A3cr power amp Adcom GFP-750 preamp Marantz CDR-500 player/burner (as unbelieve as this may seem - sounds identical to my $3,000+ CDP) go to "dicuss" forum here and ask others at the "digital domain" forum I strongly disagree with previous posts about power cords. Also disagree about any audible sonic improvements with anything more expensive than 12 ga speaker wire or $2.99 interconnects. Sorry, but it''s all a scam. My opinion of course. But go to "cables & interconnects" discussion forum here and ask others if you have doubts.

Sound. I doubt there is a better solid state amp. This is all I would recommend unless someone wanted a vaccum tube preamp.

Looks. Must be in "passive" mode or volume changes too fast when using the remote. How about a digital volume like the GTP-750?

Sorry for the double post but I got cut off. RE: defective unit purchased from unauthorized dealer on the internet for <$1,000. - significant loss of clarity and detail compared to my CDP direct to power amp setup. After 100+ hours of break-in the detail mostly came back but there was still the popping and the left speaker sounded quieter than the right. I called Adcom with the serial number and they told me it was dated earlier than 1999 and not in their system. But they would fix it even though I did not have the warranty card. Adcom must have said something to the dealer because I got a full refund even though their policy was "no refunds, only credit". So I would say that Adcom is not stupid and they are not going to lose their reputation by selling people defective merchandise. I should also mention the new model I got at the dealer sounded good out of the box and needed no break in time. My system: B&W Nautilus 804 Musical Fidelity A3cr power amp Adcom GFP-750 preamp Marantz CDR-500 player/burner (as unbelieve as this may seem - sounds identical to my $3,000+ CDP) go to "dicuss" forum here and ask others at the "digital domain" forum I strongly disagree with previous posts about power cords. Also disagree about any audible sonic improvements with anything more expensive than 12 ga speaker wire or $2.99 interconnects. Sorry, but it''s all a scam. My opinion of course. But go to "cables & interconnects" discussion forum here and ask others if you have doubts.

The most clear, neutral, open sound you can get for probably any price.

Can''''t read volume knob, red lights too bright, gold plate is tacky, gold switches are ugly, loud clicking noises when turning on and off. Must put in passive mode or volume changes too quickly when using the remote.

How''''s this for a switch? I bought a Musical Fidelity A3cr $1,600 preamp that was defective so returned it and bought the Adcom. The M-F would not go out of mute. I A-B-C-D''''d this preamp against Bryson 3B / Krell / McIntosh. While the differences were small the Adcom was the most clear and open. The Bryston and Krell did not have a nuetral tonal balance. They both had a mid-bass bloat which I found very irritating on certain music. The McIntosh was veiled compared to the Adcom but had nice tonality and tube-like smoothness. Adcom''''s reputation for quality had me worried so I bought the Musical Fidelity. It looks a lot nicer than the Adcom but I doubt it has the clarity. But at the store, the M-F had nice tonality, no bass bloat, and good rhythm. It has no features such as passive/active switch, balance, or mono switch so I happily went with the Adcom when the M-F I got was defective. After I got the Adcom, I compared it to my CD player which goes directly to my Musical Fidelity power amp with no preamp needed. Putting in the Adcom did not change the sound at all that I could tell. So any losses that may potentially exist are insignificant. Actually I preferred it because I could see the volume level on the Adcom''''s knob (not that it''''s easily visible though). Also the active gain stage in the preamp may have actually helped dynamics and the bassline. But again, improvements that were sonically insignificant at least at the low the moderate levels I listen to. My conclusion: There is no preamp out there for any price that I would buy other than the Adcom based on sound. I don''''t like it''''s looks: the bright red lights, the lack of marking on the volume knob, the fact that the LED comes ON in passive mode, the loud clicking it makes when turning on and off, the tacky gold colored metal plate, and the ugly switches. How about a digital volume control like the GTP-750? Now for the defective issue. I first bought this through a non-dealer authorized dealer on the internet (I was not aware of this at the time). I received it with no warranty card. The store said they filled it out and sent it in to Adcom for me (a lie). When turning on the main switch and the back there was a LOUD pop out of the left speaker. I thought it blew my speaker! Also theleft speaker did not play as loud as the right. Finally there was a significant loss of detail and

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auditioned: Bryston, Krell, McIntosh, Musical Fidelity A3cr, Audible Illusions Modulus 3A, Jeff Roland integrated, Mark Levinson 383, Classe CAP 101 and 151

Souding transparency, price.

Stop position on blance nob, indicator psition on volume nob, peaks when ac energy comes out and return.

When you get out of energy in your home, and it cames back, the unit peaks making everythig that is connected to the switched plug to peak too, if you have a 5802 trigged by this outlet it can damege your speakers.

Balance nob dosent has a stop position.

Well sound is ok.

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GFP400