Adcom GFA-545: The Little Amp That Could

falconcry72

I recently sold one of my GFA-545's on ebay, but before I did, I wanted to test it out to make sure it still worked. At first I was going to throw it in a secondary system with some Monitor 5B's, where it would be perfectly comfortable, but then I thought, what the frick, let's see what she can do in the main system.

So there she is, this little, dependable amp, powering my giant Magnepan 3.7's. These speakers are NOT easy to drive. 4ohms nominal with a sensitivity of only 86db.

When I first started playing music I was VERY cautious with the volume knob... gradually bringing it up to the audible spectrum. It sounded good. Little more volume. It sounded better. Little more volume... wow, this sounds really good! Next thing I know, I'm running at full-on personal reference volume, and it sounds great!

My first thought was "I can't believe how good this little $125 amp sounds!"... which was followed by "Why did I spend so much money on my BAT when a $100 amp sounds this good?!"

Well I put the BAT back in and immediately remembered why I dropped the coin on it... but needless to say, the GFA-545 was very impressive.

I will definitely be keeping at least one in the back pocket. This amp must represent the ultimate bang for the buck on the used 2-channel amp market.

larry777

Great info for anyone interested in the GFA-545. The used price range should be able to fit into everyone's Budget, so why wait when one comes available and you are in the market.

Toolfan66

I still wish I had my old 585 that I had.

cfrizz

Did you check to see how hot it was once you were done? I gave my brother my old 50wpc Rotel amp to drive his LSI 7s and while it sounded fantastic, you could fry an egg on top of the amp by the time we were done watching a movie.

gudnoyez

I got a 545 great little Amp, mine ran A pair of 2B's no problem, never got warm, I then got a 555II to run the 2B's and that 545 now runs a pair of CRS+s just fine. I also hooked it up to my AR58's and it also did a fine job. good thing your keeping one, I could not part with mine.

boston1450

Glad you like the Adcom. Im in the market soon for another Adcom. They are very impressive & for what they tend to go for $$$ their a bang for the buck

falconcry72

boston1450 wrote: »

Glad you like the Adcom...

I've known that I liked the 545 for some time now; I've used them very successfully with vintage Monitors, SDAs, LSis, etc.... I just never knew how good they could sound as a part of a higher-fi system.

Loud & Clear

I bought a 545 not too long ago. I turned it on and it didn't work. So I returned it. #debbiedowner

falconcry72

Loud & Clear wrote: »

I bought a 545 not too long ago. I turned it on and it didn't work. So I returned it. #debbiedowner

Want another one? I got one more to get rid of... only keeping one for myslef.

Loud & Clear

No thank you, sir. I think I've had my fill.

By the way, you've got some really nice gear. Your systems are very well put together.

falconcry72

Loud & Clear wrote: »

By the way, you've got some really nice gear. Your systems are very well put together.

Thanks, man. I've experimented with A LOT of speakers and components over the last few years, and I'm pretty happy with the synergy in both systems right now. If I were to make any immediate changes, it would be:

- 2-channel: Replace DAC & USB > SPDIF converter with a better DAC that has USB built-in.
- HT: Replace Pre/Pro with one that has Audyssey XT-32. I got to hear XT-32 in my system recently, and it's dramatically better... especially with dual subs.

trav0810

I just sold the 545 I had...back to the person I bought it from, for $125 as well! I have to agree, for that little bit of cash, that %$% is an overachiever!

heiney9

Yeah, I LOVED my 545, I had it for 12 years before the Aleph 30. I think they sound better than the 555's tonally. It's a mighty little amp. When I sold audio back in the late 80's it would trounce the 300 wpc Yamaha's of the day running difficult loads. In fact the 535 played cleaner and louder on a difficult load than the 200 wpc Yamaha amps of the same vintage. Never did nor do I now understand why those old Yammy's are so coveted. Average at best.

GFA - Great F#*king Amp.....LOL.

H9

cnh

I alternate using the NAD below or an Adcom GFA-545. The Adcom has a bit more detail and oomph. The NAD is a tad warmer. You really can't beat those 545s for what they go for. Real giant killers in their day.

cnh

RR09SS

Don't mean to threadjack, but what do you guys think about the GFA-5500? Got one not too long ago and kind of curious what the consensus is on it.

chucho

UN AMPLIFICADOR DE PODER JEFF ROWLAND MODEL 1 SE ME AVERIO, PRONTO ME LO ENTREGARAN NUEVAMENTE, Y PARA PODER SEGUIR ESCUCHANDO MUSICA ADQUIRI UN ADCOM 545 PARA TRABAJARLO CON EL HERMANO DEL PODER, UN PREAMPLIFICADOR CONSONANCE, EL RESULTADO NO ME LO ESPERABA PUES A PESAR DE QUE EL ROWLAND SI SUPERA EN ALGUNOS ASPECTOS AL ADCOM, SINCERAMENTE PENSE QUE EXTRAÑARIA MUCHO MI ROWLAND Y MUY A MI PESAR NO ES ASI, CLARO TAMBIEN TIENE QUE VER QUE CABLES SE USEN, LOS ALTAVOCES, LA FUENTE DIGITAL Y ANALOGICA, LOS ACCESORIOS ETC. MIS RESPETOS PARA ADCOM, A PESAR DE LOS AÑOS TRANSCURRIDOS, PERO NO M EXTRAÑA, DESPUES DE TODO ES UN DISEÑO CREADO POR EL GENIAL NELSON PASS. PUNTO.

CH46E

Wow, that's an old thread. Not sure what all that means up there. But wanted to add to the Adcom 545 being a fantastic bang for the buck. The 545 MKII was my first separate amp. Hooked it to my then Pioneer VSXD912K as the pre amp. It gave me chills the first time I heard it. Again, was my first real amplifier. Was a great amp. One I wished I had kept but easily available for a couple hundred bucks these days. Would not mind grabbing another to see it it still has the magic. I honestly feel like I've been chasing that same feeling, when hooking up a new component to the system. Not necessarily the Adcom's sound, but more the emotion it invoked.

VR3

One of my first amps... 20 years ago... And it was 20 years old then... So these amps are now almost 40 years old lol wow time flies

PSOVLSK

My first separate amp as well. While I enjoyed it and agree that’s a great bang for buck amp, it’s not a piece I miss or long to have again. To be fair, I was using an H/K 7300 before I got the Adcom, so probably why I wasn’t blown away by the Adcom.

pitdogg2

chucho wrote: »

UN AMPLIFICADOR DE PODER JEFF ROWLAND MODEL 1 SE ME AVERIO, PRONTO ME LO ENTREGARAN NUEVAMENTE, Y PARA PODER SEGUIR ESCUCHANDO MUSICA ADQUIRI UN ADCOM 545 PARA TRABAJARLO CON EL HERMANO DEL PODER, UN PREAMPLIFICADOR CONSONANCE, EL RESULTADO NO ME LO ESPERABA PUES A PESAR DE QUE EL ROWLAND SI SUPERA EN ALGUNOS ASPECTOS AL ADCOM, SINCERAMENTE PENSE QUE EXTRAÑARIA MUCHO MI ROWLAND Y MUY A MI PESAR NO ES ASI, CLARO TAMBIEN TIENE QUE VER QUE CABLES SE USEN, LOS ALTAVOCES, LA FUENTE DIGITAL Y ANALOGICA, LOS ACCESORIOS ETC. MIS RESPETOS PARA ADCOM, A PESAR DE LOS AÑOS TRANSCURRIDOS, PERO NO M EXTRAÑA, DESPUES DE TODO ES UN DISEÑO CREADO POR EL GENIAL NELSON PASS. PUNTO.

Translation:

A JEFF ROWLAND MODEL 1 POWER AMPLIFIER BROKE DOWN, SOON IT WILL BE DELIVERED TO ME AGAIN, AND TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE LISTENING TO MUSIC I ACQUIRED AN ADCOM 545 TO WORK WITH THE BROTHER OF POWER, A CONSONANCE PREAMPLIFIER, THE RESULT I DID NOT EXPECT BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THE ROWLAND DOES SURPASS THE ADCOM IN SOME ASPECTS, I HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT I WOULD MISS MY ROWLAND A LOT AND MUCH TO MY REGRET IT IS NOT SO, OF COURSE IT ALSO HAS TO DO WITH WHAT CABLES ARE USED, THE SPEAKERS, THE DIGITAL AND ANALOG SOURCE, THE ACCESSORIES ETC. MY RESPECTS TO ADCOM, DESPITE THE YEARS THAT HAVE PASSED, BUT I AM NOT SURPRISED, AFTER ALL IT IS A DESIGN CREATED BY THE GREAT NELSON PASS. POINT.

nooshinjohn

Nelson Pass es un truco.

SeleniumFalcon

I always liked the GFA535 amp.

invalid

SeleniumFalcon wrote: »

I always liked the GFA535 amp.

I've never heard one, but the consensus is that one is the best sounding out of the 555 series.

VR3

The original 535, not the II is definitely the best sounding of the bunch.

CH46E

VR3 wrote: »

The original 535, not the II is definitely the best sounding of the bunch.

Phs ..... What ever. Lol 🤣.
If I see one local tomme pop up for sale I may grab it. Either one.