Quick!! Auction ending on Adcom GTP-740DTS

wingzam

What do you think of this pre-amp??HURRY!!!!

concealer404

I'd rock one, depending on price.

wingzam

Ah never mind..just read the reviews on the thing.Not a real popular model to say the least..well,keep shopping!

concealer404

wingzam wrote: »

Ah never mind..just read the reviews on the thing.Not a real popular model to say the least..well,keep shopping!

I wouldn't discount this thing just yet. I'm sure the price is going to go way up, but i'd be willing to check it out for $175 or so. But that's just me.

On the flip side, $200 will go a decently long way on a more recent receiver that will have more recent processing.

It's at $155 now, i'd be interested to see what it goes for. The D to A section should be VERY good on this unit. I'd consider it for that reason alone. If i remember correctly, it's got the same basic dac as the GDA-700, which usually goes for more than what this thing is at right now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ADCOM-GTP-740DTS-Digital-Processing-Tuner-Preamp_W0QQitemZ230434979806QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a6febfde

wingzam

Yep,thats the one.Went for $212 plus shipping.Heard so much about the GPF(?)750 that I got all excited thinking this was a close rendition.I'm really impressed with this Sony A/V receiver i've got.Thought of sawing it in half for the pre-amp...didn't work too well the last unit I tried that on...

BTW Concealer what pre-amp would you suggest?

concealer404

wingzam wrote: »

Yep,thats the one.Went for $212 plus shipping.Heard so much about the GPF(?)750 that I got all excited thinking this was a close rendition.I'm really impressed with this Sony A/V receiver i've got.Thought of sawing it in half for the pre-amp...didn't work too well the last unit I tried that on...

BTW Concealer what pre-amp would you suggest?

Ah that's right, you're looking for a preamp, not a processor. Yeah, the GTP-740 wouldn't have been the right choice. I'm sure it would have been pretty decent, and eliminated the need for a DAC or a high dollar CDP to start out with, but it's not ideal in the long run.

I've been thinking about your other thread, though. It's hard for me to recommend something since i tend to stay fairly far off the beaten path when it comes to components to be honest. Simply because i like trying unknowns.

So...

Check out this thread.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86866


Please note that i ended up with a B&K Reference 5 SII. If you can find one of these, this is a VERY nice preamp. I love it.


Another strange shot out of left field if you can live without a remote would be the Adcom SLC-505. It's a passive preamp that sounds great on some systems, and maybe not quite so great on others.

I liked it as much as the B&K. Just as much. But for different reasons. But in the end, i wanted a remote, since my 2-channel is also currently doing TV/Movie duty. But that SLC-505 had an amazing soundstage and just sounded "right." Of course, being passive... it may have just been a matter of letting my source and amp play by themselves without interference. Who knows.

wingzam

Thats all good stuff! I've got 7 units as contenders,and reading your thread got me to thinking of capabilities I hadn't thought of or seriously considered before (sub,variable XO), cause i've just sarted on the hunt.
Definately want to stay away from anything that has more connections than I have fingers and toes!
There's a hi-end audio dealer not too far from here that i'm going to send my wish list to.They're pretty reasonably priced and they sell on eBay.Those salesmen are darn good too,sometimes I sweat going in there cause they'll put you right in something and I like to look more than I have money to buy.
They have these McIntosh 1200watt monoblock amps..weigh 180lbs a piece..were they 24K a piece?or something like that..just being around the stuff gets me high!

wingzam

There is a B&K Pro-5 and Reference 5 SII up for auction!You know anything about the Pro-5?

concealer404

That's an early Pro-5. I'd pass unless you could get it for pretty cheap. They sound good, and the passive/active deal is pretty cool, but the rca jacks have some cheesy mounting.

That Ref 5 looks nice. I've give it a shot. They usually go in the $350-$400 range i think? I think it's worth every penny.

Here's my amateur review on it:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89453

heiney9

wingzam wrote: »

Yep,thats the one.Went for $212 plus shipping.Heard so much about the GPF(?)750 that I got all excited thinking this was a close rendition.

Not even on the same planet as the 750.

concealer404

heiney9 wrote: »

Not even on the same planet as the 750.

Agreed. Entirely different target audience, though.

I'd buy one for $200 though, as an alternative way to get the GDA-700 DAC.

heiney9

Don't kid yourself the GDA700 is a better DAC, despite the fact that pre uses the same processing chipset. The analog section in the GDA700 is whole lot better.

But, for $200 and killing 2 birds with one stone it's not such a bad thing.

H9

wingzam

heiney9 wrote: »

Not even on the same planet as the 750.

Yeah,but a 750 just went for a thousand bucks on eBay!Ouch!Definately "a different target audience"!

Conealer I read your review and the B&K probably isn't what i'm looking for,but I noticed the speaker wire you're using - MonsterXP.That "stuff" seemed to PARTLY exhibit on my system the downside qualities you attributed to the B&K.
But there's a provision here:I've been hobbled by malfunctioning equipment since I started back into this hobby (after 25 yrs.) so am just NOW at the point where I can get some accurate "impressions" on the things I change in and out,and need to give those Monsters one more try.Yet the Sonance wires i'm using now did give a noticeable improvement to even a bad system with the XP's.
For what it's worth from a newbie..
The biggest improvement I can make to this system right now is to change out the building it's in!
The SDA's have the worse placement possible.Add 400+ watts to a listening space of 11'x13' and it's an Audiophilic Disaster!! - it's also my living space:(
But i'm looking to buy a house now and really look forward to setting up this system!After that I can start looking for that GPF-750!

concealer404

heiney9 wrote: »

Don't kid yourself the GDA700 is a better DAC, despite the fact that pre uses the same processing chipset. The analog section in the GDA700 is whole lot better.

But, for $200 and killing 2 birds with one stone it's not such a bad thing.

H9

Yeah, i don't think i worded what i was trying to say correctly.

concealer404

wingzam wrote: »

Yeah,but a 750 just went for a thousand bucks on eBay!Ouch!Definately "a different target audience"!

Conealer I read your review and the B&K probably isn't what i'm looking for,but I noticed the speaker wire you're using - MonsterXP.That "stuff" seemed to PARTLY exhibit on my system the downside qualities you attributed to the B&K.
But there's a provision here:I've been hobbled by malfunctioning equipment since I started back into this hobby (after 25 yrs.) so am just NOW at the point where I can get some accurate "impressions" on the things I change in and out,and need to give those Monsters one more try.Yet the Sonance wires i'm using now did give a noticeable improvement to even a bad system with the XP's.
For what it's worth from a newbie..
The biggest improvement I can make to this system right now is to change out the building it's in!
The SDA's have the worse placement possible.Add 400+ watts to a listening space of 11'x13' and it's an Audiophilic Disaster!! - it's also my living space:(
But i'm looking to buy a house now and really look forward to setting up this system!After that I can start looking for that GPF-750!

That's an old review. Different speaker wire, different ICs, speakers are spiked, vibrapods throughout the setup, and tube buffer added.

Don't even bother putting the Monster XP wire back in. It's crap.


Out of curiousity, what is the B&K missing for you?

wingzam

I'm glad my impression of XP agrees with yours and not a figment of my imagination!Must be why i've found so much of it at the flea market and garage sales..think i'll throw it away instead of befuddle someone else with it!
What the B&K may be missing is that slam effect you were talking about.Big fan of that!Course that may come out with different amps and the SDA's seem to project that characteristic pretty well.I noted a huge difference between the Adcom 5800 and the Kenwood M2 Basswise,and the M2 might be the better match-up with the B&K.
Thinking about it more,i'm open to checking out the B&K and reselling if I don't like it.Was going to get rid of the M2 but it's a darn good amp...heck,a guy outta have 2 good amps right?

concealer404

wingzam wrote: »

I'm glad my impression of XP agrees with yours and not a figment of my imagination!Must be why i've found so much of it at the flea market and garage sales..think i'll throw it away instead of befuddle someone else with it!
What the B&K may be missing is that slam effect you were talking about.Big fan of that!Course that may come out with different amps and the SDA's seem to project that characteristic pretty well.I noted a huge difference between the Adcom 5800 and the Kenwood M2 Basswise,and the M2 might be the better match-up with the B&K.
Thinking about it more,i'm open to checking out the B&K and reselling if I don't like it.Was going to get rid of the M2 but it's a darn good amp...heck,a guy outta have 2 good amps right?

Oh... slam is back now, and it's tighter than before. The Adcom was over-accentuating the low end compared to the B&K, which actually made it sound balanced to my ears, because my setup was inherently lacking in bass.

HOWEVER, i was missing out on a metric crapton of bass not having my speakers spiked, and probably some with the Monster Crap XP wire.

I have more bass than i ever had before, and it sounds great.

Like i said, that review is old, and my system had some fairly large problems, from lack of room treatments, to poor placement, to terrible speaker wire, and speakers that weren't coupled to the floor.

The M2 is a darn good amp, but it's not on the level of the 5800 in my eyes. That said, let me know when you get rid of it.

If you've got some long runs of that XP, send it my way. I could use it for HT, and i really don't care in the slightest what's in my HT setup.

wingzam

Oh, well that changes the picture!
Thats the B&K Reference 5 SII - with the tuner?There's one on eBay at $122 with 5 days left..bad sign...
The XP's are in 8 and 10 ft lengths.You wanna pay for shipping and i'll throw in some wire nuts to string 'em together!But don't forget to dab a little RTV on the inner polyethylene tubes and glue them together!Wouldn't want to defeat that cutting edge technology!!
I put the SDA's on large tiles,but this was when I hooked up the 5800 and the Sony so don't know what difference it made.
Spikes?..I dunno...at that point I might as well put mohawks on them to increase high frequency dispersion!:p

concealer404

wingzam wrote: »

Oh, well that changes the picture!
Thats the B&K Reference 5 SII - with the tuner?There's one on eBay at $122 with 5 days left..bad sign...
The XP's are in 8 and 10 ft lengths.You wanna pay for shipping and i'll throw in some wire nuts to string 'em together!But don't forget to dab a little RTV on the inner polyethylene tubes and glue them together!Wouldn't want to defeat that cutting edge technology!!
I put the SDA's on large tiles,but this was when I hooked up the 5800 and the Sony so don't know what difference it made.
Spikes?..I dunno...at that point I might as well put mohawks on them to increase high frequency dispersion!:p

Eh, that's not long enough runs. Just want them for my surrounds. Thanks though!

Yep, the B&K Reference 5 SII with the tuner. Actually a decent tuner stage in there, too.

I think those guys are just the early bidders that won't win it. Keep your eye on it, go $350-$400? These show up on Audiogon from time to time, too, those more often in Silver, for whatever reason. I think the last one sold for $375.

Your SDAs on carpet? If they are, don't do tiles. Spike 'em. Couples with the underlying floor better.

wingzam

Spikes!Never thought i'd.....
well,thats another thing to add to the list!