carver or adcom

bolelet1 · July 2005

I'm planning changing my Onkyo 282 power amplifier to either carver mt-o1 or adcom GFA 5400 or 5500 to power my RTi10 fronts. Since all these power amps are rated at 200wpc, except the 5400 which is rated at 125wpc will my yamaha rsv1400 (110wpc 7.1) be able to do the processing since the power amps are rated more than my yamaha. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

michael_w · July 2005

If your yamaha has pre-outs you can use it as just a pre/pro so yes it will do the processing. Your yamaha doesn't care what the external amps put out so it won't be a problem.

btw the difference between 110 watts of yamaha and 200 watts of carver or adcom will be pretty huge and really let your rti10s shine.

hoosier21 · July 2005

Adcom

aaharvel · July 2005

i've never listened to a Carver amp- but word of mouth has it that they're very nice amplifiers. I have two adcom amps and LOVE them- so my advice is biased but I say Adcom would be great for your 10's.

bolelet1 · July 2005

Would the carver or adcom also minimize the brightness cause by the Yamaha cuz even with the Onkyo power amp 282, I could still hear the brightness. I am very close to buying either one just wanted to find out if the purchase is really worth it. Thanks again.

george daniel · July 2005

Adcom

nellis8166 · July 2005

I have and Adcom running my LSi's and couldn't be happier with it. Solid as a rock.

aaharvel · July 2005

As with Outlaw Audio for new amps- IMO for the $ Adcom cannot be beat from a pre-owned standpoint. They're high quality, high current and reliable amplifiers & when mated to the right speakers and a good Pre/Pro- it will give you a fairly neutral to warm sound.

With an Adcom, Polk and Yamaha combo you should get a neutral sound- which is good. I say give Adcom a shot. I think you will be pleased with it's performace; and with your Yamaha and rti 10's it should make for a formidable combination.

dkg999 · July 2005

I use an Adcom 7605 5 ch. amplifier with a Yamaha HTR-5660, which is definetely brighter sounding than the Yamaha HTR-5790 (same as the Rxv-1400) I have in my main HT system. The Adcom sounds much more neutral, although it does have a certain warmth to it. I am driving RTi6's for mains, CSi5 for center, and RTi4's for surrounds and the Adcom sounds very nice with them.

bolelet1 · July 2005

I'll go with Adcom then. Thanks.

george daniel · July 2005

You won't be disappointed:)

F1nut · July 2005

Originally posted by bolelet1
Would the carver or adcom also minimize the brightness cause by the Yamaha

NOPE!!!

It's more a case of the RTi being a bright speaker. That line was aimed at the HT crowd and for that it does ok. For music, they really suck. What you need to tame them for music is a tube pre amp.

aaharvel · July 2005

Originally posted by F1nut
NOPE!!!

It's more a case of the RTi being a bright speaker. That line was aimed at the HT crowd and for that it does ok. For music, they really suck. What you need to tame them for music is a tube pre amp.

Bolelet if you can afford a tube pre-amp (i doubt most in these forums could) - then F-1 is right on- i'm sure that would be the way to go. However, without spending a fortune- the Adcom will do just fine. If it still sounds bright to you after that- then switch out the Yamaha (a bright sounding avr in it's own right) with a higher current, warmer sounding source such as a Marantz or Harman Kardon.

Can the RTI's "suck" with music? Absolutely. But so can LSI's, or B&W's or Apherions or Martin Logans or Paradigms or any other speaker if not matched with the right amps and pre/amps. Your Onkyo M282 proved just that.

For the $ (i repeat- FOR THE $) the Adcom will do just fine. After you get it- post some feedback for all of us, and welcome to the forum Bolelet.

F1nut · July 2005

aaharvel · July 2005

Originally posted by F1nut
Just a few inexpensive suggestions,

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1126484133

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1126637594

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1126646318

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1126157042

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1125973461

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1125793915

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1125782391

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1124717868

I especially like that Anthem pre but I think he's looking for an amplifier only yeah?

bolelet1 · July 2005

I am not ready yet to go "tube" which I know you guys are very familiar with. I will do exactly as suggested. I will try the adcom GFA 5500 (200wpc) and try to see if this would really make a big difference. You also have mentioned that RTi10 are not really for music but mainly for HT. Are you also suggesting I change the 10 since I go 90% music.

aaharvel · July 2005

Originally posted by bolelet1
You also have mentioned that RTi10 are not really for music but mainly for HT. Are you also suggesting I change the 10 since I go 90% music.

Bolelet try the Adcom, keep the 10's. BOTH are regarded very highly, come back here and post some feedback- I'm sure you'll be pleased with the improvement.

bolelet1 · July 2005

Thank you very much! I'll do just that.

F1nut · July 2005

Originally posted by aaharvel
I especially like that Anthem pre but I think he's looking for an amplifier only yeah?

Good point.

I actually had a conversation yesterday with a fellow Polkie about the RTi's. He mentioned in passing that he thought the RTi's were too bright for music, but good for HT. I was in complete agreement. So yes, I would suggest you dump the RTi's if your primary use is music, but try the amp route first otherwise you'll never know, eh?

Airplay355 · July 2005

I agree. In fact, thats exactly what I'm doing. The Rti's are great for movies, but my primary use is for music so I'm switching to a system more suitable to music.

aaharvel · July 2005

If I had the money from the 'git-go' I would have bought LSI's because I too am a SACD/music nut over movies anyday. However- (and this is a big however) my funds were and still are only limited to the RTI's

BUT- when given a quality pre-amp stage and good high current amps to deal with the sound can be quite good for 2.0 music and downright fabulous for SACD. Of course this is also MID-FI gear we're talking about as well... so IMO for the $ the Rti's trump the Monitors and LSI's for performance- for movies, 2.0 music and Multi-channel music.

Now- when I win the lotto- that's when I'll upgrade to something more musically inclined.

VR3 · July 2005

Slow and steady wins a race.

Save your cash and get some LSi if that is what you want.

ode · July 2005

I had a Carver receiver (150 wpc) I hated the thing. The advantage of the toroidal transformer is that it uses less current. Well I had 4 ohm speakers, AR-9s and it would kick the Carver out if I even thought about turning it up. I complained to Carver about it and they sent me a fix. The fix was a different resistor so I could turn the volume knob up higher. Didn't do a frickin thing except the cosmetics of being able to turn the knob up higher, some solution :rolleyes: I gave it to my kids. They use it in the playroom with 8 ohm Yamaha speakers and it works fine

bolelet1 · July 2005

This is why it rather important for a newbie like me to ask questions first before proceeding and I really find this forum very informative and helpful. Once I get my adcom I will post here for the result. Thanks again!

Roy Munson · August 2005

Carver amps are very good, I presently own a M-500t that has 250 wpc@8ohms. I also own an Adcom GFA-545 MKII 100 wpc@8ohms. IMHO the Carver is a more musical amp than the Adcom but that isn't to say that the Adcom is a bad amp because it isn't! I also prefer the MK II series Adcoms versus the originals, however some will tell you otherwise.

carver or adcom

Comments