Adcom GFA-555 ii

rburgess714

Found a Adcom GFA-555 ii for $450 on CL. Thoughts on this amp with yamaha rx-a1060 and s60s?

daddyjt

That's about $100 over what you should pay for that amp. It is a good performer though, and would work find in that setup.

polrbehr

daddyjt wrote: »

That's about $100 over what you should pay for that amp. It is a good performer though, and would work find in that setup.

Agreed

rburgess714

Cost aside I read another thread on amp sensitivity. My avr preout is 1 volt and the Adcom sensitivity is specd for 1.75. So does this mean that I wouldn't achieve optimum performance?

tonyb

rburgess714 wrote: »

Cost aside I read another thread on amp sensitivity. My avr preout is 1 volt and the Adcom sensitivity is specd for 1.75. So does this mean that I wouldn't achieve optimum performance?

Yes and no.....what that means is your amp will not be able to be driven to full power. However, most never really drive their amps to full power anyway.

Consider your speakers don't need a lot of power to begin with, they can only use so much to perform at their optimal. That amp has plenty to give even when not driven at full power over what a receiver offers. You'll experience better clarity, dynamics, and may even be able to listen at louder levels before hurting your ears.

The downside is, you may not notice these advantages until you turn up the volume some. Doesn't have to be window rattling levels, just a bit louder than casual listening levels.

rburgess714

This makes sense so to newb it down.. the closer my preout voltage is matched to the amp sensitivity the better the sound will be at lower volumes and at higher volume it is less of an issue?

So I have my eyes on three options at this point:

Adcom 555 at 1.75 sensitivity asking price if $450
B&K 7250 at 1.4 sensitivity asking price is $600 - but don't really need 5 channles
Parasound HCA 1500 at 1.2 sensitivity asking price is $450

My primary use case is music though I watch tv and movies on the same system. I only have LCR and don't intend to add surrounds or a sub. I may run speakers in a different zone at some point but having multi channels is not a requirement. Also, I tend to have my system running 6-8 hrs/day not sure if that is something that needs to considered in my selection process.

Thoughts and input on the models and option I am considering?

Thanks,
RB

leftwinger57

I don't know much about the other gear but the $450 for a series II model seems high. $300/350 range is where they should be whether a series 1 or 2..