jason str Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Looking for options on a new preamp for my Adcom, i have tried many Adcom units but am unsatisfied with all units that i have tried so far. Having a built in tuner would be nice but not necessary and clean sound is what i am after more than anything, New or used makes no difference but some help would be nice finding something to suit my needs. I was thinking of throwing some cash at my current GTP 350 to get rid of the radio crosstalk and noise but feel maybe just a replacement may be in order. Feel free to leave your educated experience on some good options please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom b. 57 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I like my B&K PT3 preamp/tuner. Can get them relatively cheap, probably $200-300 used. It can be used for 5.1 also. I don't know if that is a pos. or neg. for you. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hey Jason, Are you looking for something currently on the market? Or, do you want something "classic" and it may need some work? Or option three, something already rebuilt or rebuild not necessary and ready to go? 4. ? I have adcom amps and love them, but I've heard complaints about their processors and have stayed away from them. Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hey Jason, Are you looking for something currently on the market? Or, do you want something "classic" and it may need some work? Or option three, something already rebuilt or rebuild not necessary and ready to go? 4. ? I have adcom amps and love them, but I've heard complaints about their processors and have stayed away from them. Dennie So far i had 3 different models from the Adcom line and i still revert back to the GTP-350 i purchased new with the 5500, normally i switch over to AM to keep the crosstalk to a minimum but i can still hear it when playing other sources. New, used makes no difference. If i can find something that needs work for the right price it could be an option but i prefer plug and play to give me piece of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted July 21, 2010 Moderators Share Posted July 21, 2010 I don't know if you tried this brand or not, I don't know if it's really any good . The reason I remembered this pre amp was the price, at $399 new it was the cheapest I found and appears to also not be junk, but I have not tried it. I was a little surprised at the prices of 2 Ch pre amps, they were more than I expected. They give you 30 days to try it, if you don't like it you get your money back and pay $18 to ship it back, don't sound bad to try it out ? http://emotiva.com/usp1.shtm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Looking for options on a new preamp for my Adcom, i have tried many Adcom units but am unsatisfied with all units that i have tried so far. Having a built in tuner would be nice but not necessary and clean sound is what i am after more than anything, New or used makes no difference but some help would be nice finding something to suit my needs. I was thinking of throwing some cash at my current GTP 350 to get rid of the radio crosstalk and noise but feel maybe just a replacement may be in order. Feel free to leave your educated experience on some good options please. Jason, I love vintage Nakamichi stuff. The top dog Pre-amp Nakamichi ever made is the CA-7, CA stands for Control Amp. There are non of these at present on eBay, but well wort the wait, and they come with a very nice remote. The model Down from the CA-7 is the CA-5. There is one of these on eBay right now, and they are very high quality, but old school no frills bare minimum, where as the CA-7 is alot more techish. These Control Amps used seperate Tuners for Radio. The mate to the Top Dog CA-5 is the ST-7 or Stereo Tuner. There is a ST-7 tuner on eBay right now. These vintage pieces are a steal when you figgure the CA-7 was between $2,000 &$3,000 new arround 1989- 1994, and the ST-7 was over $2,000 as well in dollars back in those days. Build quality is exceptional. I use four of the PA-7s or Power Amplifiers from this same vintage for my surround sound system. Like your GFA, the PA-7 is 200 watts per channel Stereo, but the build and sound quality is far superior to anything ADCOM ever made including GFA-5500, GFA-565, or anything else, not in the same league. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 2 channel only please. The Emotiva looks good on paper but I'm not sure if i could get used to the fancy blue lights, i will keep this in mind though. I had a Nakamichi tape deck back in the day and they do make good stuff, the CA series is something i may be interested in. Also i have my eye on a clean Sunfire symphonic reference series, any word on these ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Looking for options on a new preamp for my Adcom, i have tried many Adcom units but am unsatisfied with all units that i have tried so far. Having a built in tuner would be nice but not necessary and clean sound is what i am after more than anything, New or used makes no difference but some help would be nice finding something to suit my needs. I was thinking of throwing some cash at my current GTP 350 to get rid of the radio crosstalk and noise but feel maybe just a replacement may be in order. Feel free to leave your educated experience on some good options please. I have had most all the Adcom stuff from this era and the preamp of choice is the GTP-500 not the 500II. I have not had the GTP-350, it is much older. Which amp are you using ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tragusa3 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 I'm using an Emotiva amplifier and have been thoroughly impressed. With the return policy in mind, I'd have to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 $2,000 in 1989 dollars is worth about $3K today. I find that the same quality of a 1989 high end amp however would be about twice the price today. Absolutely consider a new or refurbished vintage tube pre-amplifier with big ole horns. Look at units refurbished by fellow poster Craig at NOSvalves.com, JuicyMusic preamps are excellent, Cayin and ASL are very good, so are Bottlehead kits. Of course anything McIntosh or Conrad Johnson would also be good. I also like the incredible value of vintage high-end solid-state equipment like Accuphase when you can find it dirt cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 Looking for options on a new preamp for my Adcom, i have tried many Adcom units but am unsatisfied with all units that i have tried so far. Having a built in tuner would be nice but not necessary and clean sound is what i am after more than anything, New or used makes no difference but some help would be nice finding something to suit my needs. I was thinking of throwing some cash at my current GTP 350 to get rid of the radio crosstalk and noise but feel maybe just a replacement may be in order. Feel free to leave your educated experience on some good options please. I have had most all the Adcom stuff from this era and the preamp of choice is the GTP-500 not the 500II. I have not had the GTP-350, it is much older. Which amp are you using ? The GTP-350 is the best sounding tuner/preamp out of the 3 Adcoms i had though i am tossing around seperate preamp & tuner from Adcom to eliminate the issue. The Adcom tuner pulls in FM like no other and it will be missed if i decide to stray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 I'm using an Emotiva amplifier and have been thoroughly impressed. With the return policy in mind, I'd have to give it a try. Again, i don,t think i could live with more blue lights, i have enough blue LED fans in my computer cases to light the room at night as it is. Maybe there's an off switch for the LED's ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 $2,000 in 1989 dollars is worth about $3K today. I find that the same quality of a 1989 high end amp however would be about twice the price today. Absolutely consider a new or refurbished vintage tube pre-amplifier with big ole horns. Look at units refurbished by fellow poster Craig at NOSvalves.com, JuicyMusic preamps are excellent, Cayin and ASL are very good, so are Bottlehead kits. Of course anything McIntosh or Conrad Johnson would also be good. I also like the incredible value of vintage high-end solid-state equipment like Accuphase when you can find it dirt cheap. Yeah i was interested into getting a starter tube unit but poor and slightly unreasonable responses from Craig left me with a why bother feeling. I gave Simply Stereo a call when i got back earlier today and am planning to stop in this week to listen to the offerings from Cambridge Audio & another mentioned but forgotten recommended brand, figure it wont hurt to stop in for a listening session anyways. Mcintosh & likes are nice but beyond my budget. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy joe Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Jason, i don't know how you feel about Carver gear, but i use a Carver C-1 Preamp, and i have been really happy with it. I got mine on Ebay for around 80 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 25, 2010 Author Share Posted July 25, 2010 Carver gear is decent, many of my friends have Carver gear but i admit not looking at any yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 If you'd like staying with Adcom, Tte GTP-602 is really nice. I had one for awhile and liked it real well. In fact, I may get another one. They did not get much press that I ever saw, but they are cool, with remote volume, balance, bass and treble. Maybe there's a good reason why they are kind of under the radar, but I liked mine. They are still shown as current on Adcom's web site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Take a close look at the Adcom GTP 500 II. Can pick one up on the used market for about $200.00 Phono stage for vinyl, and one of the best tuners Adcom ever placed in a pre-amp tuner. Mine has been running strong for 18+ years without a hicup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 I ended up over at Simply Stereo to listen to the Heritage line once again and to hear some new stuff from Cambridge Audio & Anthem, one thing for sure is i would never switch from LaScala's with the Tuba to Klipschorns, i find the Lower mids are cleaner with the LaScala's and the Khorn will not dig nearly as deep without the Tuba so i feel i have the best of both worlds right now. As for the amps i listened to the Anthem products were better sounding than the Cambridge Audio stuff and still think the Adcom GFA 5500 is overall better sounding than anything auditioned today so it looks like my choice is clear, to upgrade and or repair the Adcom GTP 350 or replace it and just keep the Adcom GFA-5500. By the way the new Cornwall's sound pretty dam good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 ....my choice is clear, to upgrade and or repair the Adcom GTP 350 or.... Can I recommend a repair guy? He is west of Milwaukee, if you are in northern Illinois and are willing to make the drive. I can PM his contact info if you like. He's repaired three units for me for very reasonable prices: NAD 705, Kenwood KA-5002, Harman Kardon 730. He says he works on tube gear as well. I do not know how he compares to other people's work. Just happy to have someone near my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted July 29, 2010 Moderators Share Posted July 29, 2010 By the way the new Cornwall's sound pretty dam good. YES they do, was just listening to them the other day after not hearing them for about 2 months.Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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