choosing a receiver..

thejck

Can someone tell me if this would work and sound decent..I want to power my 2 rti12's with a receiver pre outs to an Adcom amp. I had originally wanted to just use a 2 channel receiver from Harman Kardon but since I want to use the digital output from my computer I was thinking about looking into a cheaper 5.1 channel receiver that could accept an optical input. There are tons lying around on ebay that I could pick up for less than 200 bucks.

Any thoughts about what I could change improve on. I was thinking about getting a DAC but dont know of any good external ones that can be had cheap. I really dont know much about external DAC's so I dont know where to start looking..

phuz

You won't get the sound quality that the Adcom and rti12 are capable of if you use a $200 receiver as a pre-amp. You'd probably be better of with the HK.

See if you can find an Entech number cruncher on ebay. Nice, cheap little DAC that is hard to beat in it's price range.

heiney9

See the flea market

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56109

The Adcom would be a very nice unit.

Face

You can pick up a reman'd HK on ebay for just over $200.

thejck

yeah i was going to stick with a H/K 5.1 channel receiver. used ones on ebay
if i go with that adcom dac then the only other thing i should need is a preamp right??

thejck

I like H/k products and i was looking at an older generation maybe 1-2 years old 5.1 HK receiver that had optical out. this would take care of my preamp needs as well as the DAC conversion.

if i was able to get a hold or a DAC like the adcom what would the suggestions be for a plain preamp most of my music is from the computer including internet radio and I dont even want a tuner.

phuz

Why not get an Adcom pre to match everything else...

thejck

phuz wrote: »

You won't get the sound quality that the Adcom and rti12 are capable of if you use a $200 receiver as a pre-amp. You'd probably be better of with the HK.

See if you can find an Entech number cruncher on ebay. Nice, cheap little DAC that is hard to beat in it's price range.

this entech dac how does it compare to the adcom dac

thejck

the thing that sucks is I have a nice integra receiver with zone 2 but zone 2 can only be an analog source.
so could i use a dac to convert my digital sound to analog output it too the integra and have the zone 2 preouts go to my amps??
now the catch would be the reciever has to reside in a different room(its in tehe HT setup). how long distances can I run a pair of stereo rca cables and what quality cables would I use here?. i have a way in theory to control my receiver remotely from a laptop from anywhere in my house. which is great cause i can also control the computer thats feeding the dac remotely from the same laptop...

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

this entech dac how does it compare to the adcom dac

The entech is a nice little unit if you can get it on the cheap. The Adcom however is the better unit. It should be since the original MSRP was 3 times the entech. If you are talking similar $$$ for both units get the Adcom and don't look back.

H9

thejck

am i missing something or all the hk 5.1 receivers without preouts. what a bummer.

thejck

heiney9 wrote: »

The entech is a nice little unit if you can get it on the cheap. The Adcom however is the better unit. It should be since the original MSRP was 3 times the entech. If you are talking similar $$$ for both units get the Adcom and don't look back.

H9

there is an entech on ebay for about half the price of the adcom.
when you say better what does it do better.

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

there is an entech on ebay for about half the price of the adcom.
when you say better what does it do better.

It's built a lot better, uses better parts, better power regulation, actually has a chip set for the Left and Right channel (which are completely isolated form one another). The analog and digital sections are completely isolated from one another. No opamps all discrete circuits. 7 different completely isolated power sections. Front end is full Class A.

Soundwise it has better bass, more air around the instruments, more natural decay, very open, smooth, yada, yada, yada.

The Entech is a nice unit no doubt, but if you start approaching $100 then just spend another $50 and get the Adcom. IMO, $50-75 is the max one should pay for the Entech.

YMMV

H9

thejck

thanks h9

thejck

since the adcom dac is almost sold

any views on the HK avr 235. should fit my needs. does the dac and has pre outs.
would this work good?

phuz

thejck wrote: »

since the adcom dac is almost sold

any views on the HK avr 235. should fit my needs. does the dac and has pre outs.
would this work good?

It would "work good" - but it won't be optimal. You'll want to upgrade down the road. Adcom stuff is a step or two above HK.

thejck

there are a few adcom preamps out does it matter which one i would select as long as it has what i need? or dos one preamp have something better to offer than the other? also would it be wise to look at preamps that are around from the same generation as the gfa-555 or are newer ones a lot better..

heiney9

IMO, the only Adcom pre worth owning is the GFP-750. Be prepared to spend about $600-750 used.

The other Adcoms pre's are just run of the mill. Iguess it depends on how and in what type of system you are using them in. What's you source? Will you be critically listening to a 2ch only system or is this a multi-purpose system?

H9

thejck

this a 2 channel only system. rti12's
my source is music stored on a file server anywhere from 192kbps to 320kbps bitrate. i am slowly phasing out all the 128 stuff. also listen to some interenet radio. dont like cd's as they dont hold up.

600 is a little too much. i like the idea of seperates cause i can upgrade as I go. I am starting off with an adcom gfa-555 amp now and I might add a second one and use them bridged mono in the future.
the reason why i was going to go with the HK receiver now is cause it does the DAC and preouts for not too much money right now. that might suck in the future if i do decide to upgrade hence i am looking for non new ones on ebay.

that adcom dac is almost sold now. the guy i am buying the gfa-555 from has a adcom pre(he still has to give me the model number) that i could buy if i had gotten that dac.

you think i am sacrificing too much with the HK receiver instead of seperates?? again if you said that a 600 dollar preamp would be what it would take then money would be the bottle neck issue.

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

this a 2 channel only system. rti12's
my source is music stored on a file server anywhere from 192kbps to 320kbps bitrate. i am slowly phasing out all the 128 stuff. also listen to some interenet radio. dont like cd's as they dont hold up.

600 is a little too much. i like the idea of seperates cause i can upgrade as I go. I am starting off with an adcom gfa-555 amp now and I might add a second one and use them bridged mono in the future.
the reason why i was going to go with the HK receiver now is cause it does the DAC and preouts for not too much money right now. that might suck in the future if i do decide to upgrade hence i am looking for non new ones on ebay.

that adcom dac is almost sold now. the guy i am buying the gfa-555 from has a adcom pre(he still has to give me the model number) that i could buy if i had gotten that dac.

you think i am sacrificing too much with the HK receiver instead of seperates?? again if you said that a 600 dollar preamp would be what it would take then money would be the bottle neck issue.

Seriously if your are listeing to MP3's and internet radio then a regular Adcom pre is fine and the Adcom dac is much nicer than the source you are using. You might want to revisit the Entech. People here know my views on Mp3's, etc. so don't throw too much money into your system until you get a real source.

H9

thejck

good point.
what sources do you use?

whats your opinion on the amplifier that i will be using

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

good point.
what sources do you use?

A cdp as a transport with the digital output into and Adcom GDA600 to a 2ch pre-amp to an amp.

In my office rig I use FLAC files from my computer and using a direct digital output from the soundcard (Kernal stream) into an AMC Dac-8 (dac) into an integrated amp to my Polk Monitor 5b's.

H9

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

good point.
whats your opinion on the amplifier that i will be using

Adcom makes soild gear that I continue to own myself.

thejck

what soundcard do you use in the office rig?

heiney9

thejck wrote: »

what soundcard do you use in the office rig?

Chaintech AV-150 I believe. Very basic, but since I am using an external DAC I am only concerned with getting a bit perfect unprocessed digital stream. Many cards alter the digital output even if you feed it to an external dac.

H9

blakeh

I have to disagree with H9 about the ADCOM preamps. Both the GFP-555 and GFP-565 are great preamps that can be found relatively cheaply and would suit your needs perfectly. A search of eBay shows that a GFP-555 goes for between $109 and $165. That's a steal.

My first system had a GFP-565 and I thought it sounded great. And while the GFP-750 is certainly in a class of its own, there's nothing wrong with the two older model preamps.

$600-$750 is a lot to spend on a preamp if you're not really into 2-channel audio.

heiney9

blakeh wrote: »

I have to disagree with H9 about the ADCOM preamps. Both the GFP-555 and GFP-565 are great preamps that can be found relatively cheaply and would suit your needs perfectly. A search of eBay shows that a GFP-555 goes for between $109 and $165. That's a steal.

My first system had a GFP-565 and I thought it sounded great. And while the GFP-750 is certainly in a class of its own, there's nothing wrong with the two older model preamps.

$600-$750 is a lot to spend on a preamp if you're not really into 2-channel audio.

GTH, blakeh you don't know what you are talking about . J/K, I'm sure because I am such a die hard anal 2 ch guy the "other" Adcoms will suffice in most cases. The only one I would personally own is the GFP-750.

H9

blakeh

GTH, blakeh you don't know what you are talking about

Watch it -- I know where you live!

I only commented here because I just finished reading through some reviews of the GFP-555/565 and I was reminded of just how well they were built. I think they're a great value on the used market -- especially in that sub-$200 arena.

No doubt the 750 would run circles around them, but at five times the cost!

Personally, I would stay away from the old "GTP" series that were both preamps and tuners. Those aren't generally very highly regarded.

thejck

heiney9 wrote: »

Chaintech AV-150 I believe. Very basic, but since I am using an external DAC I am only concerned with getting a bit perfect unprocessed digital stream. Many cards alter the digital output even if you feed it to an external dac.

H9

is that the av-150 or the av-710. i am looking at the av-710 fr the same reason. i have one on my HT rig and I go kernel streaming when i listen to 2 channel music.

heiney9

blakeh care to chime in, you set mine up for me I think the AV-710 sounds right. It was a cheapie like $30 if I remember right. Serves it's purpose very well.

H9

blakeh

Yeah, it is an AV-710. They still sell them on newegg.com for about $23.

It's been a while since I set one up (both H9 and I use them in our computer systems), but I remember having to flash the board to make it an Audiotrack Prodigy in order to get bit-perfect digital output.

I think this thread describes the process:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=132155

Works wonderfully. I get bit-perfect output from the card. Even HDCDs that I've ripped into FLAC play corrrectly when outputted through the AV-710 to my ADCOM GDA-700 DAC.