Short Take: the Adcom 545

(picture from Google Images)

My old McIntosh MC2100 is in desperate need of a rebuild.  This poor amplifier, after all, is knocking on forty or more years of usage, which means capacitors, resistors, and other bits are due for replacement.  This age has shown up as "vintage" warmth, but also a rolled-off top, plummy bass, and some signal degradation.  To put it bluntly, this amp sounds old and tired.

With that in mind I decided to replace the Mac with a partner to the Adcom GFP-555, the venerable GFA-545.  Of course the 545 is no youngster either, but it is inexpensive and can also be stacked on top of the preamplifier.  Given my tight listening space this was the biggest reason to go this route.

The Adcom GFP-545 is a conservatively rated 2-channel power amplifier making 100WPC.  5-way binding posts, RCA inputs, captive power cord, etc.  Very basic and no frills with only the mentioned connections, an on-off switch and indicators if either channel is clipping.  Designed by Nelson Pass, it sits between two other models, the 60WPC GFA-535 and the 200WPC GFA-545.

In the 80s and even up to the 90s, Adcom amplifiers were mainstays in many, many systems,  My father still has an original 555 running in his downstairs home theater system, so that speaks of some good reliability.  But, like my McIntosh 2100, they are getting to the point where some maintenance is due.

How does it sound?  At least in my budget system, very good.  With the fresh power supply and direct coupling, the Adcom had much better and tighter bass than the McIntosh.  It does lack some of the warmth, but the clarity and detail is higher along with a less grainy presentation.  Top end is extended, perhaps a little etchy compared to the best tube amps, but nothing that will drive the listener out of the room.  So a good basic power amp that can be used in a variety of systems.

Ultimate fidelity?  In a word: no.  But my current system is a whole bunch of compromise, and with the soft presentation of the Shure M97xe / Dual CS5000 combination and the nature of the Adcom GFP-555 preamplifier, it somehow all works, even blunting the forward character of the B&W 805s,

So for now the Adcom 545 delivers music and does it in a way that I find inoffensive.  But with tube amps coming soon it's time in my system is short.

Review: Adcom GFT-555 tuner

I'm not a radio guy since most of the program material in my area is pretty bad - overplayed classic rock and a plethora of bro country stations.  But I do fancy some classical music once in a while, and perhaps a little sports radio if I'm in the mood to experience some Red Wings hockey.  So with that in mind, and to keep the rest of my family happy, I purchased an Adcom GFT-555 tuner to match the GFP-555 preamplifier.

Together they make a handsome pair with black metalwork, red LEDs, and matching dials.  Such a setup would have been common for an entry-level audiophile of the early 1990s.  Inputs are for separate AM and FM antennas, while the output is a single pair of RCA jacks.  Digital tuning between station is using tap-a tap-a buttons, and there are also buttons for presets and whatnot.

Sound quality is nothing to get excited about - this is, after all, a compressed, eq'd, and limited format - but what does come through has that Adcom trademark sound: slightly warm, inoffensive, and just a tad grayed out.  This is no Marantz 10B or McIntosh MR78, but is instead a good working man's tuner.   Reception is better than the (probably misaligned) Sansui AU-777 in my collection, but the latter does have an even warmer sound and one of the coolest dials around.

Old school radio is a dying format versus satellite and Internet services, but there still is a nostalgic place for a peace of gear like this.  So if you need a tuner, then the Adcom GFT-555 tuner is worth it provided you don't pay more than $100.

Review: Adcom GFP-555 preamplifier

 (Image from Google)

Note:  This review is of the original incarnation of this model, not the latter Series II model.  The "Series 1", for lack of a better term, features a moving-coil head-amp that can be turned on via a switch on the back.

History: Adcom.  There's a company that brings memories of the late 80s and early 90s, back when their gear seemed to be everywhere.  The famed GFA-555 amplifier drove a lot of high-end speakers, and as proof of their longevity, one of these amplifiers has been in continuous service at my father's house for over twenty years.  My very first "high-end" preamplifier was the Adcom GFP-565 which was once on Stereophile's Class B list.  I never liked the unit, or, to be fair, I never liked the sound I got out of it when matched with a Harman Kardon Citation V.  I've also owned the GTP-400 tuner-preamplifier; not exactly a stellar performer but good for mid-fi duty.

So how did I end up with a GFP-555 in my system?  It was mostly a matter of need since I recently bought a McIntosh 2100 amplifer.  For now I decided to wait until a good McIntosh preamplifier comes along but I required something serviceable until then.  For $129 via Ebay, the Adcom GFP-555 is certainly affordable, and, as I was to find out, is actually quite listenable.

Ins & Outs: A rather boring, er, conservative black metal case.  The tone controls that are defeatable.  A Mono button.  Two outputs - one with capacitors on the output and a "Lab" output that is DC coupled.  Switchable MC (with a 100ohm load) head amp, and a regular ol' MM phono stage.  Dual tape outs - hey, you remember cassette tapes! - and, more important for the McIntosh 2100, switchable two-prong AC jacks.  No video switching or subwoofer outs.

The Sound: Paired with the McIntosh 2100 - a rather strange combination in terms of years - the sound is actually quite good.  Fairly warm without that upper midrange/lower treble grit that I normally associate with solid-state gear.  The bass goes down low with nice control and the treble is fairly clean too, at least not intrusive with the transparent B&W tweeters.  Not bad for a bunch of op-amps.  However, compared to the departed Quicksilver tube preamplifier, the Adcom suffers from less detail, a flatter, more 2-D sound, and, for lack of a better word, some greying of the musical palette.  But such weaknesses are only obvious with active "between the speakers" listening, and does not normally interfere with my current listening habits.

For us vinylphiles, the phono stage is very good - quiet is the first word that comes to mind.  Perhaps I'm too used to tube gear, but with the Adcom the music comes out of the speakers from a black background.  There is no tube hiss or rush anymore.

Conclusion: The Adcom GFP-555 is a sensible - but perhaps a touch boring - option for any entry-level system.  Where it fails - definition, detail, and dimensionality - will only be noticeable as the quality of the front-end and speakers begin to outpace this classic piece.  So this preamplifier does get a recommendation, but only within the confines of the partnering gear.  For example I certainly wouldn't use the GFP-555 to drive a pair of Eico HF-60s into the UREI loudspeakers because only then would I start to hear the deficiencies of this budget piece.  But partnered up with an Adcom amplifier, or any other budget solid-state powerhouse, and some decent speakers, this preamplifier is a good starting point. 

System:

Dual CS5000 turntable with Nagaoka MP-110

Pioneer DVD-V7400

McIntosh MC2100

B&W Matrix 805s on stands

Wire: Various brands