new to Polks...Just picked up a pair of SDA1B's...to mod or not to mod....
Comments
-
well I reached out to the guy that has the Aragon for sale..I asked for additional pics, the overall condition both cosmetically and functionally, and if it had any service done....his response was "good-used" and that's it, so screw that. It also looks like it's sitting on a shelf in a pawn shop so I'm going to avoid that nonsense.
-
Aragon 4004 Mk II is an excellent choice--IF it's in good condition. They're old enough that they should have the caps replaced.
If I asked those questions of someone selling a 4004, and all I got was a two-word reply...I'd be gone, too.
Which is a shame. They're a genuinely fine amp. I had a later "Mk I" with the good Toshiba power transistors, and a Mk II. Sold them only based on age. Moved to the 8000-series, which (someday) will go back into the main system. -
91rtstealth wrote: »ok...i'm just wondering what you guys think of this...
I'm probably going to get an Adcom GFA-555 and GTP-500..in fact, I found two of them together 4-5 hours from me. Anyways, I'm pretty sure i've decided on the power amp..just not sure of the preamp yet...
would you recommend I get an Adcom GTP-500, or a Marantz AV7005 processor that I found on Facebook Marketplace for $300 asking price. I'm tempted to get the Adcom because it's a purpose build preamp for listening to music with a phono section (apparently a good one too) and a remote...but that Marantz is newish and has everything I need (and more). ..wouldn't the more modern Marantz sound better? They make pretty damn good stuff..
If you like the Adcom GFA-555 and Marantz products you might like the setup I have. Especially if you use your speakers for TV.
I use a Marantz NR1504 AVR as a preamp. It has preouts to my GFA-555 to power my 2Bs. The Marantz only has 50 watts per channel but that's all I need to power a center speaker (plus a sub and surround speakers if needed). Having Audyssey to setup the speakers for your room is a handy feature to.
To turn the GFA-555 on I use a current sensing power strip. That way when I turn on the Marantz, the power strip senses it and sends power to the outlet for the GFA-555. The power switch on the 555 stays in the on position all the time.
I have my xfinity X1 remote programmed to turn on the Marantz and adjust the volume on it. It also turns on my TV. When I hit the power button on the xfinity remote the TV, Marantz and the Adcom 555 all come on at the same time. It's not the ideal setup if ultimate sound quality is what you're looking for. The Adcom GTP-500 would probably give you superior sound quality, but my setup sure is nice and simple if you watch a lot of TV. Even my wife can operate it.
- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
- Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
- Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
- Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
- Pioneer DV-610AV DVD/CD player
- SDA CRS+ · Hidden away in the closet
- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
-
well I was supposed to head to Jacksonville today to buy the Adcom GFA 555 and GTP 500 preamp, and this morning the seller told me he changed his mind and doesn't want to sell them...lame as hell...super irritating. They were mint, one owner, had the brochures and sales receipts and everything....so, back to the drawing board...
I really like the look of that preamp and apparently it sounds pretty good too...any other recommendations? I just want something that looks great, sound great, has a phono, and a remote...
and perhaps now I should just wait for a good Aragon to come around...do they really sound THAT much better than the Adcom? And should I keep an eye out for a certain model, or are they all fantastic? -
Since you dig 70's receivers and Marantz, how about a Marantz 2500 receiver? Tons of power and control, plus the great Marantz sound. Not sure about it being common ground though. I'd need to put a meter on it and verify which way it swings. Still, if you're into collecting 70's receivers a good 2500 should already be at the top of your want list.
BTW, one of my friends is also into the vintage stuff and has my old 2325 running as his pre-amp to a Soundstream amp. He switch in an Adcom pre-amp so he could put the 2325 to better use but immediately put it back the way it was. He said the Adcom running the show made his system sound like a very loud clock radio. Absolutely no comparison to the Marantz 2325 sound. -
Since you dig 70's receivers and Marantz, how about a Marantz 2500 receiver? Tons of power and control, plus the great Marantz sound. Not sure about it being common ground though. I'd need to put a meter on it and verify which way it swings. Still, if you're into collecting 70's receivers a good 2500 should already be at the top of your want list.
BTW, one of my friends is also into the vintage stuff and has my old 2325 running as his pre-amp to a Soundstream amp. He switch in an Adcom pre-amp so he could put the 2325 to better use but immediately put it back the way it was. He said the Adcom running the show made his system sound like a very loud clock radio. Absolutely no comparison to the Marantz 2325 sound.
do you know how much a good Marantz 2500 costs? haha..of course I want one of them, but they are more expensive than most of the stuff we're already talking about...plus for my living room, I want a remote for the volume at least. My 2325 just started acting up...I think it's just the power amp section, so I plan on getting an Onkyo M504 at some point and using the Marantz as a pre-amp for the time being. I already paid someone to "rebuild" it and it's already acting up..I don't want to keep putting money in it. If it works as a preamp, that's good enough for now. -
The Marantz 2500 is definitely common ground. They're expensive but when you see and hear one you'll understand why.
-
If the Aragon is at a pawn shop the price is probably negotiable and they can often hook it up to other stuff there to test if it works. Odds are good they wouldn't know how it truly sounds anyways as they probably tested it using an Iphone and a pair of computer speakers. If it plays music out both channels it's probably fine. They used VERY good components inside. Could have been hocked by some kid who stole it from their deceased grandparents home. Hell I picked up a Carver M1.0t at Salvation Army for $50 once that was in perfect condition inside and out.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
I'd add a Luxman M-117 amp and Luxman TP-114 tuner/preamp to your list. I have A-B'd the Luxman to a modified Adcom 555 and everyone involved chose the Luxman. Their same generation tube CD player is pretty cool too. Tuner/preamp's remote will control all of it too. They made a multi room piece for the TP-114 but I've never seen one myself. Some rave about it but they're pretty hard to find.
I second Carver as an option too. I have just the MXR-150 receiver on some Vandersteens and it's pretty impressive. Back in the day I did a lot of custom wood-work for a shop that highly promoted Polk's stuff and they always paired them with Carver electronics. Polk/Carver went together like boiled squirrel brains and scrambled chicken eggs. -
i've seen and heard the 2500 and 2600..they totally rule, but I can buy 2 motorcycles for that....or 2-3 really top notch power amps...or a car...haha..i'll get one eventually...I love those...i'll wait until I come across a "cheap" one...i got my Marantz 2325 and my Pioneer SX1250 for free
but now it's time to go through my separates phase...it makes sense...I scoff at running car stereo speakers on anything other than a dedicated amplifier (JL Audio, baby)...it just sounds so much better..I imagine it's going to be the same with home audio...
I always keep my eyes out for Luxman stuff, but I am unfamiliar with those two. Added....
I think I might have found a super cheap Adcom 555 near me..it's just advertised as "Adcom Amp" and I can't see the model number in the photo..pretty sure it's a 555 from the pics. I'm waiting to hear back. Even if it's a 545, I'll probably buy it. They are asking $75...haha..
I also messaged the guy with the Aragon again. Waiting to hear back as well. If I can't test it or listen to it, I'm going to offer him $300 and see what he says. haha. He's asking 600. Even if it's broke, it's probably still worth getting for $300 and getting it repaired, right?
any of you have experience with the Rotel RB-1080? God I love the way that thing looks. Super clean...
-
FINALLY!!
I scrounged all of this up today. I found an original owner of a GTP-500 with the original box and all of the contents about an hour from me. I could only get him to get down to $250 (I probably overpaid a little bit) but I totally justified that by the fact that about another hour from me, a woman was moving and had an "Adcom Amp" listed on offer up. I couldn't tell what model it was but it looked like a GFA 555 in the pic, and sure enough..it was. I got it for $75 bucks. haha. However, the left channel is bad. I hooked it up to some speakers that I don't care about it and the right channel sounds good, but the left one is pure distortion at any volume and the left distortion light is on whenever the amp is on (anyone know if this is a common issue?).
Right now I'm trying to find a good local audio repair shop to look at it and potentially fix and upgrade everything. If anyone knows anyone in the Tampa Bay Area that knows these amps, that would be lovely.
-
There's lots of companies that fix and/or modify the Adcom 555s. Yours is a Series II, by the way.
I'm told there's a matched transistor pair that have a high failure rate, causes lots of problems including scre-wing-up the DC Offset which is otherwise not adjustable--but I have zero experience with any of this. Adcom also got bit by The Capacitor Plague, but I don't think the 555 models were affected. The GFA-565 monoblocks were, as were the GFA-585s. That said, these are old enough that the electrolytic caps are at or beyond their service life.
I had a GFP-565 for a few years. I liked it. It went away when I moved to a dedicated HT processor. -
yeah...I already assumed the caps are shot. Fortunately, after taking it apart and poking around, there aren't a whole lot of caps in there to replace...now I'm gonna poke around on here and audio karma to see what the most common mods are...I'm hoping to get it to a shop asap...
-
The Luxman numbers I mentioned are right around 1990. The last of the Japanese made Luxman before cheaping out to Taiwan contractors.
Word is the Marantz 2500 is the one to look for. It's a little cheaper than a 2600 and performs better. The 2600 was a tweaked 2500 in effort to hit the 300wpc market against Pioneer and Sansui but in doing so it lost the Marantz sound. To gain maybe .6 db spl at WOT it's definitely not worth the price hike. -
Oh yeah. Find dskip on this forum and see what he may have in stock for you. He's a higher end modern dealer but still a vintage guy. And a damn nice guy as well!
-
it's been a good damn week...
picked up a Yamaha M45, however, returning it because later in the week I picked up a broken Yamaha M80 to repair and then today I picked up a working M80 along with the C80 preamp from the original owner....they are mint...AND I got my RDO194's and man, they really do sound better...way easier on the ears...
