amplification question

kquail
kquail Posts: 35
edited March 2014 in 2 Channel Audio
Anyone have a adcon gfa-555 amp hooked up to polk sda 2's ?
Reason i am asking is , I am thinking about buying one.
Now i have a NAD C 272 pushing 150 watts per channel ,the adcom is 200 watts per ,,,,I'm wondering how much more the Adcom will actually wake up the polks over the NAD, If that 50 watts per channel extra is worth the expense ? thanks in advance
crank it till your ears bleed
Post edited by kquail on
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited February 2014
    The adcom does a wonderful job on SDA's & you should be pleased. Ive owned NAD but didnt use on SDA's so i cant comment on that. Picking up a Adcom at a decent price & if you dont like it-sell it off-as they tend to sell easy
    ..
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  • Loud & Clear
    Loud & Clear Posts: 1,538
    edited February 2014
    I've owned that C272. It's very powerful. I really doubt the 555 will deliver more real world power. Whether or not it adds a flavor you find more pleasant to listen to is impossible for me to answer. But the C272 has a lot of muscle. I ran that thing with its matching C162 into a pair of CRS+ with amazing results. Some serious bass wallop. That actually brings back a specific memory - it was summer, and I was listening to that setup run with a Dokken vinyl record on. One of my better home audio memories. It really packed a punch. That's a good amp. I think it looks a lot better than those adcoms as well.

    Two Channel Setup:

    Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
    Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
    DAC: Arcam irDac
    Source: iMac
    Remote Control: iPad Mini

    3.2 Home Theater Setup:

    Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
    Center: Klipsch RP-160M
    Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
    AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
    Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
    TV Source: DirecTV Genie
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  • leftwinger57
    leftwinger57 Posts: 2,917
    edited February 2014
    I run my '87 SDA 2Bs with an Adcom gfa 555 and have had no issues what so ever. This a series 1 rack face model. I have never gone past the 11'0 clock position on my preamp, the walls or what's ever on them start to shake. For me it's a clean neutral powerful amp and does the Polks very well. My sig will tell the mods done on the Polks and the volume control seems to go down w/ every mod I've attempted. As for price you really should not go higher than $300. They are all over E-Bay different versions as in mkII and so on. i have not heard any of the NAD amps so I can not make and comparison.
    2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E

    H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-

    Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited February 2014
    Same here LW. I paid 3 bills for Amp & Pre (tuner from Scotty) i think youll find alot of folks out there like em too
    ..
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited February 2014
    I'm not sure how much of a difference that will be either. I have run the Adcom on my 2Bs and it works fine.

    The only other comparison I can make is the NAD 214 which is 80 watts x 2 vs the Adcom GFA-545 which is 100 x 2. Can't hear much of a difference power wise there.

    As mentioned. NADs have lots of reserve power. But so do Adcoms! Only a side by side comparison would tell. But 150 vs 200 is not a lot. What's the NAD run @ 4 ohms? Because I believe that the Adcom goes to 325 watts x 2 @ 4 ohms?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • Loud & Clear
    Loud & Clear Posts: 1,538
    edited February 2014
    cnh wrote: »
    What's the NAD run @ 4 ohms? Because I believe that the Adcom goes to 325 watts x 2 @ 4 ohms?

    cnh
    It stays at 150w.

    Two Channel Setup:

    Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
    Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
    DAC: Arcam irDac
    Source: iMac
    Remote Control: iPad Mini

    3.2 Home Theater Setup:

    Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
    Center: Klipsch RP-160M
    Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
    AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
    Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
    TV Source: DirecTV Genie
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    edited February 2014
    I like the adcom sound better for SDA's. I had a 555 and for the $ it is a solid amp that is dang near bullet proof but, i thought they got a bit raspy where the NAD's i have heard on SDA's sounded warmer. It depends on your taste.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • kquail
    kquail Posts: 35
    edited March 2014
    yes the NAD is 150 watts per channel at 8 ohm load or a 4 ohm load no change ,,,so i can get much more watts from the adcom, but allot of people say the NAD is warmer , richer sounding and the adcom is brighter ,, hmmmm tough decision!
    crank it till your ears bleed
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  • kquail
    kquail Posts: 35
    edited March 2014
    boston1450 wrote: »
    The adcom does a wonderful job on SDA's & you should be pleased. Ive owned NAD but didnt use on SDA's so i cant comment on that. Picking up a Adcom at a decent price & if you dont like it-sell it off-as they tend to sell easy
    This is true ,I would get my money back from the adcom on resale if i didn't like it as much as the nad thanks
    crank it till your ears bleed
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