Pre advice

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stubby
stubby Posts: 723
edited November 2002 in Electronics
So here's the deal. I decided to do a change for the sake of change. I sold my Adcom GTP 450 and bought a Rotel RSP 960AX pre/pro. It received some good comments at Audioreview so I figured WTH.
Bass response has gone south and what was a light hiss from the bridged M1.0 amps has turned into a very audible hum. It doesn't get louder with volume increase but is pretty distracting.
Maybe these components just don't get along? I don't think I can keep this thing in my rig. Any suggestions for a more compatible pre?
I have heard the M1.0's will generate some noise when bridged, and they did have a whisper of noise before, but.....
The Adcom did a pretty good job but I was just ready for a change. I was wanting something with surround potential but will consider anything with a remote for under $300.

Stubby
SRS 3.1TL
Harman Kardon Citation 5.1
Anthem AVM2



Post edited by stubby on
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Comments

  • jrausch
    jrausch Posts: 510
    edited November 2002
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    Have you tried a line conditioner to see if the house voltage is causing the initial hum? If you’re looking for a nice cheap Pre-amp, you might want to check out the 2 Parasound PL/D-1100's on e-bay. This is a line drive Pre-amp with a nice S/N ratio of 102db and a crosstalk separation of 100db. They’re probably going for $200 w/remote. I'm currently using the 1100 with my Adcom 5802 and the sound is very clean and separated; the bass is tight, deep and controlled on my Lsi 15's. There is no bass or treble control in the line path, just a very clean signal from the source to the amp. Retail was originally $850 on these, I paid $218 for mine. I am completely satisfied with its price/performance. No switch popping or noise at all!! Nice solid piece.



    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1396283060
    "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."
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  • stubby
    stubby Posts: 723
    edited November 2002
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    Believe it or not, I was looking at those. (Parasounds) I know they have a pretty good rep and I had a Parasound amp that sounded nice. Thanks for the first hand review.
    I have an Adcom ACE 515 in use, so the line conditioner area is covered. I'm thinking about bypassing the pre and using the variable outs on my CD player direct to the amps, just to see what happens.

    Stubby
    SRS 3.1TL
    Harman Kardon Citation 5.1
    Anthem AVM2



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  • stubby
    stubby Posts: 723
    edited November 2002
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    Well, I bypassed the pre and ran the variable outs on my Yammie CD. Dead quiet, even at full output.
    So now I must find a less noisy pre. I am now looking at either a Carver CT-7 or an Adcom GTP 500, orrrr a Parasound. Maybe even a Soundcraftsmen. I don't know. I'll figure out something.

    Stubby
    SRS 3.1TL
    Harman Kardon Citation 5.1
    Anthem AVM2



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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,056
    edited November 2002
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    Sounds like your preamp has a bad ground or something.I got Rotel rc-971 preamp and it's dead quite.My bass response is real strong.Do you have a repair shop around?Any Rotel dealers?Id have it looked at before you go dropping more money on another pre amp....just sounds like there's something wrong with the one you bought.
    Dan
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited November 2002
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    If you want to spend $500 to $600 I would recommend a used Acurus Act III. They originally sold for $2000 and are worth every penny in my opinion!
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • har_navalta
    har_navalta Posts: 957
    edited November 2002
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    Originally posted by madmax:
    If you want to spend $500 to $600 I would recommend a used Acurus Act III. They originally sold for $2000 and are worth every penny in my opinion!


    For $500 to 600 you can sometimes find at ebay for
    Adcom GTP 750 or 760. They also originally sold for $2000...:D

    Har
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  • stubby
    stubby Posts: 723
    edited November 2002
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    before I listed it on ebay, I pulled out one of my amps, set it to stereo operation, grabbed my LS/FX's out of the attic, and hooked the Rotel up to this mini system. MUCH quieter, just a faint hiss. So for whatever reason, the Rotel didn't match up with my bridged amps and SDA's.
    Now I just have to wait for my Carver CT-17 to arrive. Maybe all Carver will sound better!

    Stubby
    SRS 3.1TL
    Harman Kardon Citation 5.1
    Anthem AVM2



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