Strong rythmn and bass. Punchy sounding

A little colored in the mids, somewhat forward.

I bought this because my top of the line Yamaha AV receiver just was not cutting it on music. It is amazing what a difference this made in my system. The bass is all there, soundstage improved, and several layers of glaze are removed. Best of all, music is fun again.

I bought this used and it's a steal for what I paid - $150. I think at $250 or so it's still well worth it. Combine with a decent power amp and you can get great sound for $5-600. Well worth exploring for aspiring audiophiles, students, or anyone who wants convenience and good sound.

You absolutely can do better with Adcom's newer and upmarket pieces, and I'm sure many others. But for the money, I don't see how you can beat it... and I've been at this game for more years than I want to count.

I really think this is a 3 star product, but with the inflation I see here, I'll bump it to 4. Absolutely 5 on value, though.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz cc-52, Audio Alchemy 3.0, Yamaha 2092, Sound Dynamics 300ti. MIT/Kimber cables, Tripplite 1800

features, bulletproof!

a bit harsh

I've owned this piece for almost 7 or 8 years now and it has not let me down one bit. I wouldn't say I've abused it, but I have really USED it, without it failing or breaking or etc. Also has a nice feel that is above anything sony/panasonic/yamaha. True, it is not a piece of billeted aluminum a la mark levinson.

It has a wonderful tuner that, yes, can pull-in what many others won't. it also has a good phono section (if you use that anymore) and a tape loop so you can record a source while listening to another. I forget all the inputs, but at least tape1, tape2, tuner, cd and aux, maybe 2 aux's. in any event, plenty for a non home-theater setup. Simple knobs for balance, bass and treble and motorized volume which is remote capable. Also has a remote link so you can link a cd player (or tape deck?) to run off the preamp's remote. The remote controls almost all of the unit, with the exception of balance/bass/treble.

Sound is good, but not great. What I mean by that is that in conjunction with my adcom gcd 600 and adcom gfa 555mkII amp, the system is a bit bright or harsh on the highs. Some (much?) has to do with the amp since when I swap with an adcom gfa 535 it sounds better, although still a bit harsh. I have found that the brightness can be tempered well with 'warm' cables such as mit's or tara's. The preamp is well detailed, however, and doesn't seem to 'muddy the waters' excessively.

For comparisons, this is the best in its class in my opinion. No, it can't touch something 'real' like a mark levinson or a krell or anything tube or even bryston. But, it will beat the socks of anything aiwa, panasonic, technics. The middle ground is a bit tougher, but in my opinion it is better than yamaha or nad. better details and functions. Nakamichi is bit tougher, but I also think its better than what i've heard from nakamichi. remember, I'm comparing to nad/yamaha/nakamichi of similar vintage and not stuff from the past two or three years (which I have not heard).

my basic recomendation is that you can't go wrong here. plenty of features (without it being a freakin' toaster) and nice sound. Its the best of the mid-fi. i give a 5 on value and 4 on overall due to sound. this takes into account the trend here to bump everything up a bit.

Similar Products Used:

nad, yamaha, nakamichi

Nice looking. Good quality components inside.

Silly tone controls, confusing dual zone feature. Cheap buttons on face plate felt like they could break off.

Neat looking and less than stellar sound for the price. Spend the money on a dedicated preamp.

Similar Products Used:

NAD 917, NAD 110, NAD 116, Adcom GTP 450

Good Bass management system, built to last, Tuner section is excellent at this price, Good SN ratio.

Tended to colour the music quite a bit, not the last word on transparency

It's not often that I can give a product 5 stars on any level. I was purchasing an inexpensive system for my son. Although his taste in music is deplorable this pre-amp performed marvelously. Actually his selection of horribly recorded underground rock performed better on his system than my reference. Perhaps detail and transparency is not for all.

I purchased a GFA555mk2 along with the pre and the two compliment each other well. His speakers are NHT Superones. 5 stars for value if found used for under $300. Three stars overall because it certainly is not the last word in pre-amps, think Mark Levinson.