jdm56 Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 When we last left our hero, AudioDork Man, he had ordered an Adcom GFA-5500 amplifier from J&R Music World in NYC.... I was afraid I would lose my good price if I waited, so I ordered the amp knowing we would probably not be home when it was delivered, as we had a little 3-day in Branson scheduled. But, the weather forecast was hot and dry with only a small chance of showers. July in Missouri is almost ALWAYS..."hot and dry with a small chance of showers". So anyway, we went to Branson and did our thing there. I checked online and sure enough, delivery had been made on Friday morning, so I just hoped the amp had been placed close to the door on the front porch, as far back under the roof as possible, to keep it out of the hot sun and...well, sure, the rain too, but there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. By the time we finished the day Saturday and were ready to head home, a huge mass of clouds could be seen moving in from the northwest. Hmmm... We planned to stop in Ozark and take in Lambert's Cafeteria (home of "throwed rolls"!!)for supper, but the crowd was huge (an hour-plus wait to be seated expected), so we moved on to Springfield and went to Friday's, instead. By the time we headed home the clouds were really rolling in. I'm not sure exactly where we were when it started, but somewhere between Springfield and Carthage, it commenced to pour. And pour. We basically drove in a downpour from there on home. So I'm just hoping the amp was packed well and was wrapped in plastic to keep it dry. I figured the box would be a gonner. We drug in home about 11PM and in fact, unloaded in the rain. By this time we were down to a sprinkle, though. Then I went to the front porch, not knowing what I was gonna find, but..."Ah, this looks pretty good"! J&R had double-boxed, as they always do, and sure enough, the UPS dude (or dudette) had left the box as far under the roof as possible, so it didn't seem any the worse for having set out a day and a half in 95 degree heat and then a torrential downpour. I'm dog tired and have to go to work at 7AM, but you know how it is. At midnight or so, I'm unpacking the amp and setting it up in the system. Everything looks good! Dry as a bone, and no UPS OOPS. After everything is hooked up, I fire up the system only to be greeted with some of the nastiest hum I've ever heard. Yee-ow, that ain't gonna cut it. I tried rerouting some cables and making sure everything was plugged in solidly...nope - still hummin like crazy. Next, I changed out the ic's but that didn't help either...CRAP! Anyway, I'm tired and so I give up for the night. Next evening, after work, supper and bathtime, I collapse for a nap, waking up about 3AM. "Back to the amp!", sez I. Now I'm thinking it must be a grounding issue on the AC line, so I go rummaging through my little box of AC goodies and "YES!", there is a lovely little cheater plug!! So I grab that little wart and rush to the man-cave. There waits the big 5500 and I grab her power cord and stick the little a-dapter thangy-wangy on and plug into the Panamax. Next I have a moment of silence and reflection, telling myself that in the overall scheme of things, this really is not very important. I mean, as far as I know, we're all healthy, so if this brand new amp is unusable, I can just send it back. No Big Deal. OK...I turn on the receiver...I takes a breath...I pushes the little power button on the Adcom and......we have a red light...and we have...STONE COLD SILENCE, my friends!! Ahhhhhh, the sweet sound of...nothing! The little Onkyo 282 I'd been using always had a layer of hiss, but the hiss has now been banished. The hum is banished. All audible unpleasantries have been banished to the nether-regions from which they slinked eons ago! AudioDorkMan has prevailed! To the remote, and awayyyyyyyy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Great Story! ....and boy did you luck out! [Y] I think that's what you mean, usually when I turn on my gear and have Nothing but Slience, it is not a good thing. But I think that you mean the hum is gone and the hiss has subsided and you have nothing but clear quality sound! I really like my Adcom gear and it has givin' me years of service without a hitch. Congratulations on your Adcom amp and I hope it gives you many years of quality audio! [<)] Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 Thanks, Dennie. I tried to liven up the whole experience to make it more interesting. After all, it really boils down to "Dougy bought an amp. Who cares?" The story is true though. Yeah, this was the good kind of silence; the absence of hum. This GFA-5500 is built like a tank! I have mostly owned mainstream Japanese gear (Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer, etc), so this heavy-duty construction seems all the more impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 nice story...thanks for sharing...glad the rain didn't ruin the amp... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 Thanks, Mark. Yeah, I'm curious as to why the hum was so bad. The Adcom amp is plugged into the same Panamax device that the receiver (used as pre) is. Everything is the same as it was with the Onkyo amp which preceded the Adcom, but with the Onkyo, there was no hum. The Onkyo does not have a three-prong, grounded power cord as the Adcom does, though, so I assume that has to be at the heart of the issue. But still, I don't know the exact source of the problem. All I know is everything is hunky-dory now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Do you have a Cable box plugged into the panamax? Or a Satilite box? Those are the usual culprits! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Which sales associate did you speak to at JandR? I used to live close by and still close enough that I will drive over there to buy stuff. Just wondering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 Yup, my DirecTV box is plugged into the same Panamax surge protector that the amp and receiver are plugged into. I could run some gear to different outlets but it would still be on the same circuit anyway. Besides, it's OK now, with the exception of the fact the Adcom amp is no longer grounded. On second thought, I guess that's maybe not OK. I will investigate further at some point to see if I can ground the amp without hum. I ordered the amp online, so I really had no direct contact with any sales people. I've been a J&R customer for years and years and have had very good luck with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Ah, usually when I call someone and ask for a better price they do so, usually in the 10-15% discount. Sometimes more, off their official website price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 Ah, usually when I call someone and ask for a better price they do so, usually in the 10-15% discount. Sometimes more, off their official website price. Oh yeah, NOW you tell me![] They already had knocked $200 off the regular price, so I don't know that I could have gotten any more of a discount. It never hurts to ask, though. I'll keep that in mind next time around. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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