Adcom GFP 750 - Any opinions?

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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    SOOOO, how about those Cubs?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    Is EQ not built into home receivers, 2-channel integrateds, computers, even Spotify in some way!?

    There's no EQ built into 2 channel integrated amps.

    I have to agree with Brock, there is a major difference between what is used in a recording studio and what is used in the home.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    F1nut wrote: »
    Is EQ not built into home receivers, 2-channel integrateds, computers, even Spotify in some way!?

    There's no EQ built into 2 channel integrated amps.
    Don't the Marantz integrateds have EQ?
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    Hell no.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    F1nut wrote: »
    Hell no.

    We must be talking about two different things? Bass, mid, treble controls, right?

    anjy.jpg
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    Tone controls and EQ are two different things, at least to me. Besides, like in the picture the Source Direct button on mine is activated completely bypassing those evil things. Honestly, as good as it sounds there is absolutely no need for the tone controls. They should have left them off.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,963
    When you break it down, tone controls and EQ's were used for the simple purpose of giving the user a way to tailor the sound to their liking. Does anyone who uses either get up and adjust them for every song they play ? No.....you set them and forget them, usually....unless something is real horrible sounding.

    The exact same thing can be had by careful gear matching and proper cable selections, without the added noise to the signal and in most cases, less noise is accomplished. Talking 2 channel, not HT.

    Having used both in the past, I can honestly say tone controls and EQ's have never reached the level of sound quality I have experienced from good system synergy.
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    I apologize if the tone of my posts came on too strong. But one of my hot button issues is when people make comparison's that are completely stretching the boundaries to a ridiculous extreme to make a point.

    Anyone who thinks they can buy consumer gear (as we are all clearly talking about) and manipulate the sound like a recording studio, is.........well.......a little crazy :smiley: .

    And yes recording engineers do all kinds of tone and spatial manipulation, and some should be shot for how they mess things up.....LOL :wink:

    IMO, I dislike EQ's and tone controls. They add zero value in all my experiences. I have found they create more issues than they solve in a serious 2 channel rig.

    Also, I'll say again, I wish I had a need for my old GFP-750. It was a very neutral sounding piece.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    xcapri79 wrote: »
    XL_MA7900_Front_Top.jpg

    Sorry, just another reason I'll never own McIntosh gear.

    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,507
    tonyb wrote: »
    ....I can honestly say tone controls and EQ's have never reached the level of sound quality I have experienced from good system synergy.

    One of the truest statements ever.

    "Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow


    “Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
    ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
    So we should all get rid of our Pre's? Just trying to keep score here. :*
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  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,497
    tmb_510_480.jpg

    Joel, didn't we leave explicit instructions not to touch the stereo system, especially the EQ? lol
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    So, my Accuphase preamp only has tone compensator. The pre has Flat Frequency response when the compensator is OFF. It has 2 settings that boost the low and the top ends when engaged. Does it mean the stuff like Accuphase products with consumer eq or tone controls are not up to the sniff as in the commercial products?

    xwacfjixfyob.jpg
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited September 2015
    Lol Rich.With the position of those sliders that can't sound good.

    Since the listening room will have such a large affect on a speakers frequency response , especially in the bass range below 200-ish hz.No amount of preamp,amp,or cable swapping or tube rolling is going to fix it.IMO some judicious use of EQ can be highly benificial and effective at reducing the strong colorations added by the speaker- room interaction.I'm not a proponent of broadband EQ but contend that properly implemented it can deal with the worst of the large resonant peaks caused by room modes.The result will be tighter and more detailed bass,mid bass etc.One paticular approach I like is Vandersteen's 11 band non- DSP(analog) EQ they incorporate into their Quattro, 5 and 7 models.In fact I'm Diy-ing something similar for my own use with my current speakers.
    For those interested here is a link to a Vandersteen manual with the specifics of their onboard EQ.http://vandersteen.com//media/files/Manuals/5amanual.pdf
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    Good to see Mega and FTGV posting again. Missed you guys!

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    Hi H9,Mega.Nice Accuphase.They always look so classy./
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    Howdy H9 and Fred! Thanks for the welcome back. I like to stir the pot a little from time to time. :wink:

    Thanks for the compliment. Fred!
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,497
    FTGV wrote: »
    Lol Rich.With the position of those sliders that can't sound good.

    Hey Fred! Hey mega! I remember Joel sliding all the knobs up before he cranked it. Great for an amusing movie visual effect, yuk for real life!

    You been building anything? I built a Bottlehead Eros and a top shelf, wide top shelf for my rack to fit it. ;) I added a Sonore USB to I2S interface to my DAC. Isolation, dirty side powered by USB, good side by 5v linear PS. OSF option for PCM to 352.8/384KHz, up to DSD512, Crystek clocks, MCLK output for synchronous clocking with DAC. Overall top notch design and components.

    That GFP-750 is a nice pre!
    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    Hi Rich,

    Building more DAC? :wink:

    I agree the GFP-750 is a nice pre!
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    daddyjt wrote: »
    This came up on local CL here, and I am considering... Does anyone here have experience with one of these units? Impressions?

    One of the best preamp designs ever. Adcom licensed the design of the Pass Labs Aleph P for the GFP-750. I currently have a GFP-750 in my office rig and I have owned two GFP-750's prior to the one I have now.
    xcapri79 wrote: »
    Serious question, what would be the sound difference between using MIT cables and a graphic or parameteric equalizer with good quality, well designed generic cables?

    If stereophonic performance parameters such as sound stage and imaging are important to you, you want to minimize the amount of active, noise-producing, electrical devices that handle the signal.

    To answer your question, equalizers have a far more detrimental effect on stereophonic performance than cables.

    This is why you never hear cable naysayers talk about things such as sound stage dimensions, ambient retrieval, image weight, and image placement. These things are either imperceptible or unimportant to them. If such things were imperceptible or unimportant to me, cables, tweaks, and high resolution audio gear would be irrelevant to my audio experience.

    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited September 2015
    SCompRacer wrote: »

    You been building anything? I built a Bottlehead Eros and a top shelf, wide top shelf for my rack to fit it. ;) I added a Sonore USB to I2S interface to my DAC. Isolation, dirty side powered by USB, good side by 5v linear PS. OSF option for PCM to 352.8/384KHz, up to DSD512, Crystek clocks, MCLK output for synchronous clocking with DAC. Overall top notch design and components.
    Sounds like you have been busy with that soldering iron Rich.I have not been building much,some health issues having smothered the audio flame until recently.Seeing Vandersteens solution for electronically dealing with bass -room intergration rekindled a spark.So I'm atempting a scratch build of a multi band constant Q graphic EQ to target certain problem frequencies in my room below 100hz.Like in the Vandersteen's the added electronics will only be in the woofer sections signal path so will have no detrimental effects on the midrange or treble.
    That GFP-750 is a nice pre!
    Agreed.I'm currently using it's earliest DIY ancestor ,the BOZ.The 750 of course having it's origins in the great sounding DIY BOSOZ.
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    Hope you are feeling better and rocking again soon, Fred!

    At last, I found someone who doesn't think multi band eq are evil. lol
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,241
    edited September 2015
    So this thread prompted me to hunt down another GFP-750 this one I will keep..

    Now to find a nice tube amp or mono tube amps to mate with it... :smiley:

    Or a nice SS amp, not sure I really want another Adcom amp..
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    How about a Pass Aleph 30 and an Adcom 750 pre with the speakers of your choice??

    How's about mating them with SDA 2Bs sound? Quite interesting, I'd say . . .
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited September 2015
    megasat16 wrote: »
    Hope you are feeling better and rocking again soon, Fred!
    Thanks James I,m doing much better.I had 95% blockage in one artery so I had to have a stent installed.
    At last, I found someone who doesn't think multi band eq are evil. lol
    Well at least in the bass range were the room can really cause havic with the response.Installing a cheap graphic eq or inexpensive DSP box into a high resolution audio system would be sonic evil IMO.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    GlennDog wrote: »
    How about a Pass Aleph 30 and an Adcom 750 pre with the speakers of your choice??

    How's about mating them with SDA 2Bs sound? Quite interesting, I'd say . . .

    I had that set-up only with modded 1C's and MIT Shotguns all around. Superb!

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    FTGV wrote: »
    megasat16 wrote: »
    Hope you are feeling better and rocking again soon, Fred!
    Thanks James I,m doing much better.I had 95% blockage in one artery so I had to have a stent installed.

    I think you are blessed and fortunate enough to get the angioplasty and a stent inserted before it's fully clogged. My uncle had the same situation about 10 years ago and he too has 95% and 80% clogged arteries. He is still alive today and going to be 80 next month.

    I hope your steady recovery and enjoy the newly built eq!
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,241
    Fred, didn't know you were going through some tough times.. Glad to hear your doing good...
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,285
    Toolfan66 wrote: »
    Fred, didn't know you were going through some tough times.. Glad to hear your doing good...

    Amen to that, Fred you still in peace with the audio store???
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
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