your opinion - pre amp choice

Bob in WI

I have an opportunity for am Adcom GTP 500II or a Yamaha C70. Similar price & condition. I listen mainly to phono or CD. Classical, acoustic, some pop music. PS audio 200CXamp & Vandersteen 2CE speakers. I've read good & bad on both pre's but they are in my price range. Any thoughts or preferences? I'm buying on line so I can't demo. Amp & pre are replacing an NAD 7400 receiver. TIA.

zingo

What is that price range? I assume the pre needs to have a built-in phono stage?

tonyb

My .02......a lateral move. The Nad will sound better than the Adcom, maybe even the Yammie. The Yamaha will have a different presentation than the Nad which you may...or may not like. The Yamaha is going to be more in your face over the slightly laid back sound of Nad.

Bob in WI

Both are appx $175 to my door. I like the NAD but 100wpc wasn't driving the Vandies to my satisfaction. As long as I was changing, I figured I'd make the move to separates. But I need to stay on budget. yes need a reasonably good phono stage. I have a 50wpc Adcom amp that is pretty nice & I've had Yamaha equipment thats lasted 20+ years so I have positive experience with both brands. Ideally I would have liked a PS Audio pre to match the amp but the one I auditioned hummed like crazy. They are not that common & apparently trouble prone. I'm not an idiot but I'm not an electronics tech either. I realize my limitations in that regard.

naturallight

There are 3 Adcom pre's that i would go with for a phono setup..."assuming" your using a high gain cartridge, something around 2MV or higher. They are not really geared to low gain stuff. But for phono with that type cartridge they work exceedingly well.



GTP 400, GFP 555, and the GFP 565. The 400 you can get for maybe an even less price, the 555 and the 565, probably not, as you would have to throw another 100 bucks at it. The 565 being the best, but the 400, uses close to the same design (designed by the same people) as the 565.



The 500II I know nothing about so i can't say much about it.

naturallight

Let me put things this way. there is pre amps from Adcom that, some are passable..some are great. Unfortunately it all depends on the numbers of the pre amp. So you have to get that right as to what your looking for. Now the GTP 400..is not a known great pre amp, but Stereophile mag rates it very high..has a great Phono section. Now some on this site may say it's not, but i have it and has worked for years on end and yes it does have a very good phono section. It was designed by Walt Jung and Victor Campos.



Now the GFP 565 again was designed by the same 2 people, it is the BEST phono pre amp Adcom has ever built. Again Stereophile mag rates this as a massive buy, a wonderful pre for the money.

But again.. for a high current cartridge. The GFP 555, i'm not so sure about..the GFP 555II..may have been the updated Jung design..but not sure. My best guess if your looking for a phono pre amp..try and get the GFP 565..it may cost a few bucks more, but would be my upgrade pre from the 400.

lanchile

No brainer!!!! Go for the ADCOM!!!!! Read some info on it. http://kenrockwell.com/audio/adcom/gtp-500-ii.htm

PS: Phone input at 4mv...it will amplify even a **** lol

tonyb

When searching for a Pre amp, I wouldn't put the emphasis on the phono section as so many good outboard phono pre's are out there. A pre amp is solely for sound quality and connectivity in my book.

All in all, it depends on the sound your after. If there's something your not happy about with the Nad, then look to others that have a strong showing on what the Nad lacks to you. Doesn't have to be rocket science, but all I can say from my personal experiences is as far as Adcom pre's go, the 750 is the only one worth a hunt for. Others opinions will vary, remember I'm older and jaded. :biggrin:

naturallight

Tony, i would agree with you, but the OP has a very limited budget. The Nad was a receiver, which he dumped in favor of a separate amp and pre amp..yet he needs a phono section..at a cheap price.

So the Adcom pre's i mentioned were not out of the picture...the Adcom 750 is far beyond what he can spend and would need a phono pre amp anyway.

Bob in WI

Thanks for the suggestions. I have read Rockwells glowing review of the Adcom. Not a lot of love here for the Yamaha. Maybe I'm trying to do something on the cheap & I should just accumulate resources & wait.