adcom gfa-545II or yamaha M-85

egp823
egp823 Posts: 74
edited August 2005 in 2 Channel Audio
Presently using a 100watt adcom 545II to drive my CRS+. I might be able to score a 260 watt yamaha M-85. Would this be an upgrade or an overkill for the CRS+? So far am happy wth the adcom but if the yamaha would be an improvement, then I would buy it. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.
Post edited by egp823 on
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited August 2005
    Never heard any of the amps you mentioned so it's up to you. Are you able to get the Yammie at an incredible price or something? Are you happy with your Adcom? I'd upgrade the pre amp before the amp to hear a nice improvement. What are you using as pre? Don't let the power ratings fool you. Remember that an increase of only 3db requires the amp to double its power output.

    Maurice
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  • egp823
    egp823 Posts: 74
    edited August 2005
    Using a yamaha c-4 preamp but the M-85 comes also with the C-85 pre. Price for both is equivalent US$300. tks
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited August 2005
    I'm not farmiliar with the Yamaha stuff but if I were in your situation I'd be looking for a tube pre amp. The reason is, an amplifier's job is to amplify the input signal it receives from the pre. So even if you go with a different amp, it will still amplify your pre amp's sound signature. Sure there will be a difference but the pre is very important. Let's wait for others to chime in.

    Maurice
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited August 2005
    Personally you're better off with the Adcom. As I have said here many times before, I used to sell both units back when they were new and very few seperates could rival Adcom. I did a comparo between an Yamaha M-85 and Adcom GFA 535 and the Adcom performed better. See this link for a discussion

    http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26198&page=1&pp=30&highlight=yamaha+m-80

    You'll have to read thru all 3 pages to find the info you're looking for.

    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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