I bought Adcom's flagship (gold plate and switch) trio including the Adcom GFA-5802 (Nelson Pass' Mosfet amp), the GFP-750 Preamp, and the GCD-750 (CD Player) in around 1993. I hate to think what to do if any of it ever blows - irreplaceable at least at the prices I paid back then. Fantastic equipment that sounds phenomenal and lasts and lasts and lasts. Very cool video, Paul
I've got 5802 as well, I have had several amplifiers and I have never heard one as warm and bright as my 5802 with tons of headroom it simply cannot be replaced unless you are going to spend thousands of dollars more.
My Adcom pre and GFA5400 amp are still going strong after 40 years, powering the same Vandersteen 1C speakers. Absolutely wonderful performance, I love them.
I hadn’t used my GFA 555 for a while, but it’s now back in service at my teaching studio and is still working well somehow! It’s fun hearing it again. At the time it was certainly the best amp I had ever owned, and it’s still pretty darned respectable!
I was an Adcom dealer during their mid to late 80's heyday. The rep who set us up was a wonderful guy named John Bachman who lived in Richmond, VA. He had a bag full of goodies and was the embodiment of a honest and dedicated factory rep. He also sold us Infinity, both car and home. I had dual 555's driving the original Carver Amazing Loudspeakers and that was amazing! I still use an Adcom cartridge on an SL1000MKII. Truly great equipment as yours is. I'm old and retired now but I would love to be able to afford a nice piece of PS Audio gear. I enjoy your videos.
I myself own a Adcom GFA 555 gen2. series. Believe or not about back in January of this year I was searching through one of my local pawn shops and I saw the Adcom sitting all the way at the bottom of a stack of A/V receivers without a price tag. All in all I walked out of that pawn shop with the Adcom and never looked back, the best $180.00 invest in my life, and to top it off absolutely no issues what so ever.
Paul I am in love with the ADCOM gear they sound just amazing for the price , currently i own GFA 545 MK2 and preamp GFP 565 in amazing condition, i have just scored the big and rare GFA 555MK2 in new never used condition which is on the way to me. Thank you for this video !!
Super old-school stuff. I worked for a very small manufacturer back in the day as a "board stuffer". I still have my old ADCOM set-up and love it. When it goes down, it's fairly easy to fix. Today's stuff not so much.
I had a friend who worked for them back in early 90's, he was a design engineer with the CD division. I still have the pre amp and amplifier. 30 years later, they still work great!
I purchased a vintage ADCOM GFA-555 MKII several years ago, and it's still going strong in my secondary system, sounding great with hard to drive Maggies. It's a great amp and can be had for a very good price if you can find one. They deliver 200 WPC into 8 ohms. A similarly spec'd new amp would cost much, much more.
I own and still use a Adcom GFA-555 amp, I use an Adcom Preamp and CD player. The amp is rated at 200 watts per channel. Mine was tested around the time I bought it in 1989. I use either Klipsch Cornwall or Bowers and Wilkins 603 speakers with it. It all still sound amazing. It’s all lightly used since I bought due to my living spaces.
I just acquired a used 5500 and it sounds awesome. It makes a loud pop in the speakers when powering up so I need to replace the power assembly maybe. Otherwise once warmed up I really enjoy this amp.
I love my GFA-555, and I really appreciate Paul speaking nicely about other companies products. Too often people just badmouth other brands just because it is not theirs. Eventually I will have some PS audio stuff.
Keep in mind, ask others here if you don’t take my word, but Paul has himself spoken negatively about other brands that are not PS audio, he just didn’t happen to do it in this video
I've used my Adcom system for studio and home stereo for years, gfp555, gft555 and gfa545 running a pair of Klipsch R28-Fs, I get better sound from them than anything else I've ever heard
I copied a GFA-5800 Amp years ago and it worked fantastic. I made it to be 100% heatsink cooled (no fans) and even got the matching TO-3's direct from Adcom. It is sitting here in my office right now. What a great company.
Thanks for the background on Adcom Paul. Very interesting. I'm old enough to have fond memories of the company and their amps in particular (I owned the GFA535 and 555). Adcom offered value in the form of entry level high end priced for the rest of us. It's a shame they went away...
I have an Adcom GFA-2 that I bought used from Recycled Audio in Boulder back in 1990. It was my first high-end piece that I coupled with an Onkyo pre-amp my dad gave me for my college setup. It's the only piece of vintage gear I've kept and still use. It's still a great-sounding amp w/ 100W/CH and just the right amount of warmth with little noise.
Had Adcom separates in my home back in the day. My commercial install business had an emergency at a bar/restaurant. I pulled that rig out of my home and installed in restaurant where it drove about a dozen speakers 12-14hrs a day since forever !!!! GOOD STUFF 👍
Have a five channel GFA 7000 thx amplifier, and a gfp 750 stereo preamplifier, good stuff. Purchased new in the mid 90s. Still working! Today have my 5 Plinius products, 2 SA 102s, a SA 100mk3,a P8 class ab stereo amplifiers and a Plinius M8 pre-amp. In my main hometheatre. Also a Dared VP 845 80 Lb integrated, with nos 1942 RCA 845s. 18 watts pure class A. And finally a Cary CAD 300sei , a 300b tube putting out 8 glorious watts per channel, another pure class A integrated. Although I enjoy these higher dollar products largely today my Adcom is doing a fine job in the master bedroom ,still has a very warm and dynamic sound.
pumping out tunes for 30 years on my Adcom 500 535 and 2535.....still my favorite amps...Kit DynaAudio speakers express the quality and depth of these marvelous amps
Thanks, Paul! I lusted over ADCOM back in the day but, modestly priced as they were, couldn't afford one so I held out until I could. Time came and I was ready to plunk down some green on two of their 300 watt mono-blocks, only to learn they discontinued them. So I bought a magnificent 250 watt/channel stereo amp and pre-amp from ACCURUS which I bought new in 1994 and still use and cherish. When I bought those pieces, I purchased a used ADCOM tuner - awesome! And yes, I remember Scientific Audio Equipment (SAE), another brand I lusted over!
Wow. Another Acurus owner here. My first amp and system was Adcom. I still have it. Bought it in 1995/96. GFA-5500 and a pre-amp tuner which has the old Dolby Pro Logic. 😂. This system is in the family room. The Acurus system is in the living room. Bought it in the late 90’s. A200 and A200x3 with pre-amp and power conditioner. Have Pardigm P ref Studio 60 and 20 with M&K subwoofer.
Actually the SAE stuff was really cool and there's another guy who does tech reviews on CZcams And he bought a tuner from SAE that uses Nixie tubes for the tuner display.
I still have and enjoy my mid-late 80s GFA-545, GFP-555, GFT-555 and ACE-515. Had a pair of 565 mono blocks and regret selling them. Thanks for covering some Adcom history, Paul!
Had a friend who sent his 565's off to be modified or "hot rodded" by some company in the early 90s. They came back with a birth sheet and were more powerful than before. He ran a pair of Legacy Focus in 4 ohms with them. May be my favorite system of all time.
All I have is Adcom equipment. Two GFA-555's, two Adcom preamps, an Adcom DAC, even an Adcom power filter, supply. I still love it all.....I think the Adcom GFA-555 is built like a tank. God knows...I've tried to kill them for years. They get really hot if you get crazy and crank em up! They still sound great. And Adcom is back. They sell the GFA-555 again. Look it up!
I spoke to Nelson Pass about the GFA-555 at a San Francisco Audio Society meeting and it was fun hearing him describe how he designed it. I have a couple '555s and '535s and they're great amps.
Nice. I have the GFA 5500 amp GTP 550 Preamp with tuner and Dolby Pro Logic surround. 😂 Same GCD 700 5 disc changer. Bought all this in the mid 90’s. Still have and all work. It’s my family room set up. Edit add - I also have the ACE 515 AC Enhancer / power conditioner.
What’s striking is he knows all the details but then “GFA I don’t know what number”. Everyone knows what a 555 is. Specifically the 555 timer! Nobody forgets the GFA 555
I run an ADCOM GFA 545 for a desktop amp that I bought from a girl in a parking lot for $40 last year. It was her ex-boyfriend's and I think he DJ'd with it. A few scratches and broken binding post. Had it checked out and repaired for about $100. Sweet little amp. Nelson Pass rocks.
Same story with my GFA 545. Some body gave it to me free as he was moving. The binding posts were broken. The donor said, the amp works & if I could not repair it, to put it in the garbage. With my little electronic prowess I installed new binding posts & the amp is working fine. It even drove magnepan 1.6 to acceptale level.
Back in the early 90s I was deciding between Adcom and B&K for my new amplifier purchase. Reviews described the Adcom on balance as harsh sounding and the B&K as more tube-like. Went with the B&K and still have it powering a system in the basement; running flawlessly now for 25 years. I do have a bulletproof Adcom speaker selector which is OK as long as you don't use the protection circuit which puts an incredible veil on transparency.
The Adcom amps were really bright. Sounded good with my buddy's Vandersteen speakers, but too bright for my JSE Infinite Slope .6s. I went with the B&K ST-202 for the same smooth and rich sound, controlled with an Adcom GFP 565 preamp and using a run of the mill, belt drive Technics table with a Sumiko Blue Point cartridge and an Adcom disc changer. This is a pretty good sounding combination for the money. Still sounds good after almost 30 years, though 10 packed away while kids were small.
@@scotthester9010 Bought the ST 202 also. Paired it with the NAD 1600 Preamp Tuner and the Rotel 955 AX CD Player. I had a beautiful SME tonearmed Ariston turntable hooked up to it too but I had already pretty much moved off my scratched up vinyl. College parties had done them a disservice by then.
@@mostirreverent Funny you should comment 10 months later because I just sold that B&K this last Saturday. My wife was so surprised, she thought I'd keep it forever the way I used to praise it. It was replaced by a new Willsenton R8 tube amp. That Willsenton is so musical I don't miss the old B&K in the least. Cheers, the Blur!
I bought my Adcom from Bill Watkins in 1981 with Watkins WE2 speakers. Had the speakers re-foamed a few years ago. The Adcom is still working but it's finally starting to have some minor issues.
Morris is now Amplifier Technologies Incorporated (ATI). tasty stuff. his amps power both my theaters. there a a few fairly famous amp companies rebranding ATI.
I have an Adcom GFA 7500 5-channel amp. Bought it over 20 years ago. It's built like a tank, still runs great and I've never had a problem with it. (Watch it blow up tonight!)
Hey Paul, I used to work in a store that sold Adcom amps. I worked in the service dept., so I got to see their innards a lot, but never got to actually hear one properly set up. I was told that they were decent entry level amps. Not all the Sales reps were great guys. The folks in the sales dept. where I worked used to call them "Sales Reptiles". He-he! Say, have you ever heard the story about how Adcom amps got that 'GFA' designtion? : D
Currently running an Adcom GFA-5802 amp / GFP-750 preamp combo with 0 complaints. Fingers crossed 2021 will be the year I pair them up with a set of JBL L100 Classics.
Great gear! Currently using the ADCOM GFA-555SE & GFP-555 mkII in my system. A GFA-545 mkII sits on the audio museum shelf in my listening room next to another great piece of gear, the Hafler DH-500.
I never really did like the sound of hafler, I don't know,They always sounded hard to me and unnatural. Adcom on the other hand is fantastic, especially the models designed by Nelson pass.
Still have and use my neslon pass designed adcom gfp 750 preamp. Still a terrifc piece that has shown my upgrades over the years. When I first got it I was into html preprocessor at the time and that 750 just sat for years. I didn't realize how good it was until I started getting betters dacs and amps. Thanks paul!
still hold on all my Adcom back in the late 90's early 2000 all my are made in the USA , all mine unit are shrink wrap on stereo rack , most my children are just all grad university now , maybe soon reconnect again with all my LP's
Joining the ranks here of folks who made a re-entry into Hi Fi (well after college and the trusty Pioneer receiver) and found the Adcom GFA 555 quite the bargain. It brought a life to the party not heard before. Hooked from that point and on with the journey: PS Audio. Levinson. McIntosh. BAT. Audible Illusions. Wilson. ASR. Lampizator. - a great ride in a wonderful hobby, Long live the music and the Hi Fi that makes it sound so good! It's not a sin to enjoy the equipment, too. Does that make us nerds? Proud to be one.
Growing up in the '80's in the NY Metro burbs, the Adcom GFA 555 was the gold standard if you could afford one. I liked the Sumo Andromeda was a nice amp as well though pricier. Great content, thanks for sharing your knowledge 👍🏽
I still have some adcom, have a 5 disc cd changer. Worked the last time I tried it. Had an adcom system for my living room/background listening and sounded good for that application.
Never had any Adcom home stuff. But had Adcom car audio. Great SQ equipment. Had GFA-5450 4 ch. They had balanced-line inputs Not major power but were 1 ohm stereo stable.Great sq.
Started out (1985)with a GFA 555 ,Conrad Johnson Premiere 2 and DQ 20 speakers sounded great. Fast forward 1992 ... 2 GFA 555's CJ Premiere 2 and Wilson Watt Puppy's....Will never forget that system one of the best sounding ever.
Hi Paul...thanks for the history summary of ADCOM...I do have a GFA 7605 amp. It was a bargain in 2003 and still working. It is very humbling from you to call Nelson Pass your hero. He named the models GFA standing for Great Fu***** Amplifier.
I have 2 friends who had the Adcom tuner/preamp combo units with the separate power amps. Both had their tuner sections fail. One gave me their power amp when they bought new equipment and I still use that power amp today and I drive it with a Schiit Magni preamp. Still sounds great!
Adcom is still in business and selling their product today. I'm still using a GFA-535 as the primary power amp in my 2-channel system. It sounds fantastic and has way more balls than you'd expect for an amp rated at 60 WPC. I'm not a big fan of Adcom preamps, but their power amps are usually great. I've found their preamps aren't as transparent as other options on the market, including what Emotiva currently sells.
Back in the early 90s I owned the GFA-545, which was 125 watts per channel, I think.It had a really luscious warm sound that I liked very much. I subsequently "upgraded" to the GFA-565, which was the 300-watt per channel monoblocks. It had a rather sterile, electronic sound that I did not like. I never owned their most popular product, the GSA-555. It was revolutionary for providing great sound at a reasonable price. I think it cost about $800 for 200 watts per channel in the late 80s and early 90s, which was its heyday.
Yeah the original GFA 545 was great, so was the 555 and I never really did care for the 535. I always sort of felt like it's bigger brothers were because of their increased power more resolving. I'm currently using a GFA 5400, which is also like the 555 designed by Nelson pass
Yes, I had three small Adcom amps. In a triamp system back in the 90’s , then switching to Sumo amps class A . Amp history. SAE 31 B , Adcom , Sumo, classe, Byrston, Audio research, Krelll, and my favourite VTL
ADCOM brand was my first foray into "high-end" stuffs. I still own GDA-600, GCD-700, and AC line enhancer with perfect function. GFA-5800 finally gone after many many years of service.
Had the GFA-1A, GFP-1 and GFT-1. Absolute great performance from this set up. GFA-1A had a fan speed switch added and maybe better electronics inside than the GFA-1. Had the Design Acoustics DA-30 speakers with the system. Really pissed the neighbors off! Good thing I worked nights and they weren't home during the week.
There's a company that has actually brought back the ADCOM name and some of the more desirable vintage amps, "modernized" in various ways. I saw them at CEDIA 2017.
I had an Adcom 2 channel amp once. It suddenly blew up the left channel with no warning. Literally. It made a loud CRACK noise and let out a bunch of noxious smoke. My Father used to repair electronics professionally and looked at it for me and said he didn't even see any protection circuitry built into it so all it took was one component failing and the entire thing went up in smoke. Never bought Adcom again after that.
Had an Adcom 555 MkII in the early 90's along with the AC line enhancer and matching tuner/preamp and Adcom GCD-600 cd changer. All connected to my KEF 104/2's . Still have the cd changer and it works flawlessly and the KEF's while getting rebuilt a few years ago, still sound great. The Adcom amp, tuner/preamp and line enhancer were sold off to a buddy about 15 years ago. I'd love to have that amp back...The good old days.
did you buy it at the goodguys? haha used to work there and spent hundreds of hours in their listening room listening to the equipment you listed. i preferred the 103/4 over the 104 tho.
@@etm3398 It was a local, independent "stereo store" called Clark Music. I was a consumer and spent entirely too much time there...I was on a first name basis with everyone.
I still use my 1997 Adcom GTP-450, paid just under 500.00 sounds great after all these years! i wonder what the current equivalent brand sound quality would be, and how much price wise? with moderate high end gear costing so much more now...
I love that Paul has so much knowledge of the industry. I mean knowing the kinds of things that illustrate his passion and enthusiasm for audio.
Doan Trinh , REMEMBERING it though would have been better. We all used to know a lot of stuff....until we get to a certain age.
Uhh no he’s in the same business it’s kinda pinnacle to know your competitors
Yeah, but it takes him forever to say it. zzzzzzzz
I still have and use a GFA 555.Mine is from the first run with rack handles built into the face plate.38 years old and still rockin’.
Adcom gfa5500 here. Simply put, it’s a good frickin amp
I bought Adcom's flagship (gold plate and switch) trio including the Adcom GFA-5802 (Nelson Pass' Mosfet amp), the GFP-750 Preamp, and the GCD-750 (CD Player) in around 1993. I hate to think what to do if any of it ever blows - irreplaceable at least at the prices I paid back then. Fantastic equipment that sounds phenomenal and lasts and lasts and lasts. Very cool video, Paul
I've got 5802 as well, I have had several amplifiers and I have never heard one as warm and bright as my 5802 with tons of headroom it simply cannot be replaced unless you are going to spend thousands of dollars more.
I still have my GFA-545 I bought new around 1988 or so. Its still going strong.
Ron Shaw same here
I had the same model and regret selling - clean and solid. Always liked you could run it for hours and it would remain cool.
A GFA-545 was my 2-channel amp for decades until I got my new system, and it now powers a pair of bookshelf speakers for a desktop PC.
I used GFA-535II , GFA-545II and GFA-555II for 20 years, my friends use 545 and 555 in studios as a reference amp.
My Adcom pre and GFA5400 amp are still going strong after 40 years, powering the same Vandersteen 1C speakers. Absolutely wonderful performance, I love them.
I hadn’t used my GFA 555 for a while, but it’s now back in service at my teaching studio and is still working well somehow! It’s fun hearing it again. At the time it was certainly the best amp I had ever owned, and it’s still pretty darned respectable!
My aDs 910s love the high-current of the 555 and the 555 ll.
Paul makes me miss the good old days of audio.
i clicked so fast on this video because i’ve never seen anyone talk about them and i love them
Ive owned several of their amps. They were good stuff!
Felix Alonzo I still own 4 or 5 and they all perform flawlessly. Still looking for a few amps I never had a chance to pick up.
@@Assimilator702 WOWWW. They are built better then I thought. I had the big GFA7500. It was a beast in music.
I was an Adcom dealer during their mid to late 80's heyday. The rep who set us up was a wonderful guy named John Bachman who lived in Richmond, VA. He had a bag full of goodies and was the embodiment of a honest and dedicated factory rep. He also sold us Infinity, both car and home. I had dual 555's driving the original Carver Amazing Loudspeakers and that was amazing! I still use an Adcom cartridge on an SL1000MKII. Truly great equipment as yours is. I'm old and retired now but I would love to be able to afford a nice piece of PS Audio gear. I enjoy your videos.
I myself own a Adcom GFA 555 gen2. series. Believe or not about back in January of this year I was searching through one of my local pawn shops and I saw the Adcom sitting all the way at the bottom of a stack of A/V receivers without a price tag. All in all I walked out of that pawn shop with the Adcom and never looked back, the best $180.00 invest in my life, and to top it off absolutely no issues what so ever.
Paul I am in love with the ADCOM gear they sound just amazing for the price , currently i own GFA 545 MK2 and preamp GFP 565 in amazing condition, i have just scored the big and rare GFA 555MK2 in new never used condition which is on the way to me. Thank you for this video !!
ADCOM = really good stuff. I used a GTP 400 for over 30 years and enjoyed every minute of it.
Super old-school stuff. I worked for a very small manufacturer back in the day as a "board stuffer". I still have my old ADCOM set-up and love it. When it goes down, it's fairly easy to fix. Today's stuff not so much.
I had a friend who worked for them back in early 90's, he was a design engineer with the CD division. I still have the pre amp and amplifier. 30 years later, they still work great!
I still have my original GFA-555 that I bought new in 1984. Other than replacing the power switch a few years ago, it's been bullet proof.
Thanks for the Adcom history lesson on my ancient 545
and 545 ii I still use in my system great stuff!
I purchased a vintage ADCOM GFA-555 MKII several years ago, and it's still going strong in my secondary system, sounding great with hard to drive Maggies. It's a great amp and can be had for a very good price if you can find one. They deliver 200 WPC into 8 ohms. A similarly spec'd new amp would cost much, much more.
I got two Adcom amps, the 555 and 555 ll for $700 total. I never imagined I'd get such excellent sound so affordably.
Adcom is still in business, they recently relaunched the GFA-555 mk2 as "GFA-555se"
I love my GFA-5400, paid $30 for it at a flea market. I did have to replace a fuse in it, but now it works perfectly.
I hate you. LOL
What a deal! How long ago?
It's been 5 years I think.
I own and still use a Adcom GFA-555 amp, I use an Adcom Preamp and CD player. The amp is rated at 200 watts per channel. Mine was tested around the time I bought it in 1989. I use either Klipsch Cornwall or Bowers and Wilkins 603 speakers with it. It all still sound amazing. It’s all lightly used since I bought due to my living spaces.
I own the GFA 5500 and 5400. Great amps. Loads of clean power.
I just acquired a used 5500 and it sounds awesome. It makes a loud pop in the speakers when powering up so I need to replace the power assembly maybe. Otherwise once warmed up I really enjoy this amp.
@@jmichaelfortin Start the preamp first then the amp. Then when shutting down turn off the amp first then the preamp.
I love my GFA-555, and I really appreciate Paul speaking nicely about other companies products. Too often people just badmouth other brands just because it is not theirs. Eventually I will have some PS audio stuff.
I agree with that last statement. Even if it’s just a sprout!
Keep in mind, ask others here if you don’t take my word, but Paul has himself spoken negatively about other brands that are not PS audio, he just didn’t happen to do it in this video
@@nathanjones4039 Not very often.
Don't think he's the biggest McIntosh fan, but then again, everybody has things they don't like for one reason or another.
@@nathanjones4039 , and theres nothing wrong with that. i dont want him polishing a turd.
I've used my Adcom system for studio and home stereo for years, gfp555, gft555 and gfa545 running a pair of Klipsch R28-Fs, I get better sound from them than anything else I've ever heard
Thanks for remembering Adcom & S.A.E.... Blasts from my past! To this day I have Threshold and Nakamichi products designed by N. Pass. Good stuff.
The Adcom car audio amplifiers, from back in the day, were amazing too. Some of the best sounding amps to this day. 👌 Also designed by Nelson Pass.
Yes!
I copied a GFA-5800 Amp years ago and it worked fantastic.
I made it to be 100% heatsink cooled (no fans) and even got the matching TO-3's direct from Adcom.
It is sitting here in my office right now.
What a great company.
Great dissertation, I’m running the 5500 and it’s just peachy , happy listening
Thanks for the background on Adcom Paul. Very interesting. I'm old enough to have fond memories of the company and their amps in particular (I owned the GFA535 and 555). Adcom offered value in the form of entry level high end priced for the rest of us. It's a shame they went away...
I used a GFA-1 for over 30 years. Fantastic, pure differential power amp.
I have an Adcom GFA-2 that I bought used from Recycled Audio in Boulder back in 1990. It was my first high-end piece that I coupled with an Onkyo pre-amp my dad gave me for my college setup. It's the only piece of vintage gear I've kept and still use. It's still a great-sounding amp w/ 100W/CH and just the right amount of warmth with little noise.
Had Adcom separates in my home back in the day. My commercial install business had an emergency at a bar/restaurant. I pulled that rig out of my home and installed in restaurant where it drove about a dozen speakers 12-14hrs a day since forever !!!!
GOOD STUFF 👍
still using and loving my GFA-555 series 1.
How does it sound? Is it warm and smooth?
Have a five channel GFA 7000 thx amplifier, and a gfp 750 stereo preamplifier, good stuff. Purchased new in the mid 90s.
Still working!
Today have my 5 Plinius products, 2 SA 102s, a SA 100mk3,a P8 class ab stereo amplifiers and a Plinius M8 pre-amp. In my main hometheatre.
Also a Dared VP 845 80 Lb integrated, with nos 1942 RCA 845s.
18 watts pure class A.
And finally a Cary CAD 300sei , a 300b tube putting out 8 glorious watts per channel, another pure class A integrated.
Although I enjoy these higher dollar products largely today my Adcom is doing a fine job in the master bedroom ,still has a very warm and dynamic sound.
I have an Adcom GFP-565 preamplifier that works and sounds very nice to this day!
They still sell and produce products. I’ve purchased new products just recently. They also respond quickly to technical questions.
Adcom is alive and well. Good products at fair prices
pumping out tunes for 30 years on my Adcom 500 535 and 2535.....still my favorite amps...Kit DynaAudio speakers express the quality and depth of these marvelous amps
Looks like Adcom is still around selling new versions of their classic amps.
I still have a GFA-555 driving my Magnepan 2.5R’s. Using a PS Audio 4.6 pre-amp. All 30+ years old.
Thanks, Paul!
I lusted over ADCOM back in the day but, modestly priced as they were, couldn't afford one so I held out until I could. Time came and I was ready to plunk down some green on two of their 300 watt mono-blocks, only to learn they discontinued them. So I bought a magnificent 250 watt/channel stereo amp and pre-amp from ACCURUS which I bought new in 1994 and still use and cherish. When I bought those pieces, I purchased a used ADCOM tuner - awesome!
And yes, I remember Scientific Audio Equipment (SAE), another brand I lusted over!
Wow. Another Acurus owner here. My first amp and system was Adcom. I still have it. Bought it in 1995/96. GFA-5500 and a pre-amp tuner which has the old Dolby Pro Logic. 😂. This system is in the family room.
The Acurus system is in the living room. Bought it in the late 90’s. A200 and A200x3 with pre-amp and power conditioner. Have Pardigm P ref Studio 60 and 20 with M&K subwoofer.
Actually the SAE stuff was really cool and there's another guy who does tech reviews on CZcams And he bought a tuner from SAE that uses Nixie tubes for the tuner display.
@@Audiorevue good to know there are people out there appreciate it and work on the older stuff! Thanks for sharing!
Bought my GFA 6000 used back in the 90's for $400.00 still powers my main system today.
I still have my PS Audio 100C power amp - a competitor to Adcom - it's still sounding great!
I still have and enjoy my mid-late 80s GFA-545, GFP-555, GFT-555 and ACE-515. Had a pair of 565 mono blocks and regret selling them. Thanks for covering some Adcom history, Paul!
Had a friend who sent his 565's off to be modified or "hot rodded" by some company in the early 90s. They came back with a birth sheet and were more powerful than before. He ran a pair of Legacy Focus in 4 ohms with them. May be my favorite system of all time.
All I have is Adcom equipment. Two GFA-555's, two Adcom preamps, an Adcom DAC, even an Adcom power filter, supply. I still love it all.....I think the Adcom GFA-555 is built like a tank. God knows...I've tried to kill them for years. They get really hot if you get crazy and crank em up! They still sound great. And Adcom is back. They sell the GFA-555 again. Look it up!
I spoke to Nelson Pass about the GFA-555 at a San Francisco Audio Society meeting and it was fun hearing him describe how he designed it. I have a couple '555s and '535s and they're great amps.
I own an Adcom GTP 500 II and I love it. The thing sounds great and is built extremely well.
I have an Adcom GCD 575 CD player. Beautifully built and wonderful sound.
I bought the gfa 535 power amp used for 250.00 and it rocks!
Great story! I use the GFA555 amp and the GFP 565 preamo and the GCD 700 cd player in one of my setups. Still love it to this day.
Nice. I have the GFA 5500 amp
GTP 550 Preamp with tuner and Dolby Pro Logic surround. 😂
Same GCD 700 5 disc changer.
Bought all this in the mid 90’s. Still have and all work. It’s my family room set up.
Edit add - I also have the ACE 515 AC Enhancer / power conditioner.
What’s striking is he knows all the details but then “GFA I don’t know what number”. Everyone knows what a 555 is. Specifically the 555 timer! Nobody forgets the GFA 555
I run an ADCOM GFA 545 for a desktop amp that I bought from a girl in a parking lot for $40 last year. It was her ex-boyfriend's and I think he DJ'd with it. A few scratches and broken binding post. Had it checked out and repaired for about $100. Sweet little amp. Nelson Pass rocks.
Same story with my GFA 545. Some body gave it to me free as he was moving. The binding posts were broken. The donor said, the amp works & if I could not repair it, to put it in the garbage. With my little electronic prowess I installed new binding posts & the amp is working fine. It even drove magnepan 1.6 to acceptale level.
I still own quite a bit of Adcom equipment, it works fine.
I bought GFA555ii back in 1994, still have it and sound great with my Klipsch Chorus ii’s.
Back in the early 90s I was deciding between Adcom and B&K for my new amplifier purchase. Reviews described the Adcom on balance as harsh sounding and the B&K as more tube-like. Went with the B&K and still have it powering a system in the basement; running flawlessly now for 25 years. I do have a bulletproof Adcom speaker selector which is OK as long as you don't use the protection circuit which puts an incredible veil on transparency.
The Adcom amps were really bright. Sounded good with my buddy's Vandersteen speakers, but too bright for my JSE Infinite Slope .6s. I went with the B&K ST-202 for the same smooth and rich sound, controlled with an Adcom GFP 565 preamp and using a run of the mill, belt drive Technics table with a Sumiko Blue Point cartridge and an Adcom disc changer. This is a pretty good sounding combination for the money. Still sounds good after almost 30 years, though 10 packed away while kids were small.
@@scotthester9010 Bought the ST 202 also. Paired it with the NAD 1600 Preamp Tuner and the Rotel 955 AX CD Player. I had a beautiful SME tonearmed Ariston turntable hooked up to it too but I had already pretty much
moved off my scratched up vinyl. College parties had done them a disservice by then.
Stereo review liked the 555 very much, comparing it to a Krell
@@mostirreverent Funny you should comment 10 months later because I just sold that B&K this last Saturday. My wife was so surprised, she thought I'd keep it forever the way I used to praise it. It was replaced by a new Willsenton R8 tube amp. That Willsenton is so musical I don't miss the old B&K in the least.
Cheers, the Blur!
I bought my Adcom from Bill Watkins in 1981 with Watkins WE2 speakers. Had the speakers re-foamed a few years ago. The Adcom is still working but it's finally starting to have some minor issues.
I bought my GFA1 power amp in 1980. $1/watt. A year or so later I added the GFP1 preamp. Still have them, still kicking ass.
I use the gfp-750 preamp and it's still amazing, and built like a tank!!!! Nelson Pass design!
Adcom is still going. I have a GFA 585se that is fairly new. 450 wpc, Class A/B. It is a beast. 79#.
I bought the 575 SE and couldn't be happier. Excellent amplifier.
Morris is now Amplifier Technologies Incorporated (ATI). tasty stuff. his amps power both my theaters.
there a a few fairly famous amp companies rebranding ATI.
I have an Adcom GFA 7500 5-channel amp. Bought it over 20 years ago. It's built like a tank, still runs great and I've never had a problem with it. (Watch it blow up tonight!)
Hey Paul, I used to work in a store that sold Adcom amps.
I worked in the service dept., so I got to see their innards a lot, but never got to actually hear one properly set up. I was told that they were decent entry level amps.
Not all the Sales reps were great guys. The folks in the sales dept. where I worked used to call them "Sales Reptiles". He-he!
Say, have you ever heard the story about how Adcom amps got that 'GFA' designtion? : D
they made some car audio equipment too. The amps designed by Nelson are highly sought after.
Currently running an Adcom GFA-5802 amp / GFP-750 preamp combo with 0 complaints. Fingers crossed 2021 will be the year I pair them up with a set of JBL L100 Classics.
I have the Adcom 700 CD player. Love it. One of the best out there.
Great gear!
Currently using the ADCOM GFA-555SE & GFP-555 mkII in my system.
A GFA-545 mkII sits on the audio museum shelf in my listening room next to another great piece of gear, the Hafler DH-500.
I never really did like the sound of hafler, I don't know,They always sounded hard to me and unnatural. Adcom on the other hand is fantastic, especially the models designed by Nelson pass.
Still have and use my neslon pass designed adcom gfp 750 preamp. Still a terrifc piece that has shown my upgrades over the years. When I first got it I was into html preprocessor at the time and that 750 just sat for years. I didn't realize how good it was until I started getting betters dacs and amps. Thanks paul!
still hold on all my Adcom back in the late 90's early 2000 all my are made in the USA , all mine unit are shrink wrap on stereo rack , most my children are just all grad university now , maybe soon reconnect again with all my LP's
SAEs were some of the coolest looking equipment. Still running my GFA - 555 version one, with a threshold FET 10 Driving some a ADS L 880s
Joining the ranks here of folks who made a re-entry into Hi Fi (well after college and the trusty Pioneer receiver) and found the Adcom GFA 555 quite the bargain. It brought a life to the party not heard before. Hooked from that point and on with the journey: PS Audio. Levinson. McIntosh. BAT. Audible Illusions. Wilson. ASR. Lampizator. - a great ride in a wonderful hobby, Long live the music and the Hi Fi that makes it sound so good! It's not a sin to enjoy the equipment, too. Does that make us nerds? Proud to be one.
uh oh.... this guy again, adcom is still around, new amps are available, even more powerful than my 5802.
I remember SAE back in the day, was good stuff but over my price point. thanks paul ;-))
I had an SAE Mk 9 pre amp feeding a Phase Linear 400 into the original Magnaplanar speakers. Sounded really good to me as a 19 year old college kid.
I still own my GFP555 and GFA555 from the 90's, still in use weekly
ATI is still in business. I have a pair of Adcom GFA-565 mono-blocks driving a pair of Magnepans. Also have an ATI 1502, a wonderful amp.
Growing up in the '80's in the NY Metro burbs, the Adcom GFA 555 was the gold standard if you could afford one. I liked the Sumo Andromeda was a nice amp as well though pricier. Great content, thanks for sharing your knowledge 👍🏽
I still have some adcom, have a 5 disc cd changer. Worked the last time I tried it. Had an adcom system for my living room/background listening and sounded good for that application.
Never had any Adcom home stuff. But had Adcom car audio. Great SQ equipment. Had GFA-5450 4 ch. They had balanced-line inputs Not major power but were 1 ohm stereo stable.Great sq.
Started out (1985)with a GFA 555 ,Conrad Johnson Premiere 2 and DQ 20 speakers sounded great. Fast forward 1992 ... 2 GFA 555's CJ Premiere 2 and Wilson Watt Puppy's....Will never forget that system one of the best sounding ever.
Hi Paul...thanks for the history summary of ADCOM...I do have a GFA 7605 amp. It was a bargain in 2003 and still working. It is very humbling from you to call Nelson Pass your hero. He named the models GFA standing for Great Fu***** Amplifier.
I have 2 friends who had the Adcom tuner/preamp combo units with the separate power amps.
Both had their tuner sections fail. One gave me their power amp when they bought new equipment and I still use that power amp today and I drive it with a Schiit Magni preamp. Still sounds great!
Using a GFP-555II preamp that I picked up a few years ago from eBay, love it.
Adcom is still in business and selling their product today.
I'm still using a GFA-535 as the primary power amp in my 2-channel system. It sounds fantastic and has way more balls than you'd expect for an amp rated at 60 WPC. I'm not a big fan of Adcom preamps, but their power amps are usually great. I've found their preamps aren't as transparent as other options on the market, including what Emotiva currently sells.
GFA 5400 dated 1995 acquired in 2012. Runs hot, but still sounds good
Back in the early 90s I owned the GFA-545, which was 125 watts per channel, I think.It had a really luscious warm sound that I liked very much. I subsequently "upgraded" to the GFA-565, which was the 300-watt per channel monoblocks. It had a rather sterile, electronic sound that I did not like. I never owned their most popular product, the GSA-555. It was revolutionary for providing great sound at a reasonable price. I think it cost about $800 for 200 watts per channel in the late 80s and early 90s, which was its heyday.
Yeah the original GFA 545 was great, so was the 555 and I never really did care for the 535. I always sort of felt like it's bigger brothers were because of their increased power more resolving. I'm currently using a GFA 5400, which is also like the 555 designed by Nelson pass
Properly working Adcom GFA 535 II is STILL a top shelf amp with right speakers
I'm just listening to this video through the ADCOM GFA 5400 amplifier :)
Yes, I had three small Adcom amps. In a triamp system back in the 90’s , then switching to Sumo amps class A . Amp history. SAE 31 B , Adcom , Sumo, classe, Byrston, Audio research, Krelll, and my favourite VTL
ADCOM brand was my first foray into "high-end" stuffs. I still own GDA-600, GCD-700, and AC line enhancer with perfect function. GFA-5800 finally gone after many many years of service.
Adcom is today owned and made by a company in Thailand, still the 555, 565 and a meaty 585 :)
Best part is, their new amplifiers are every bit as good, if not better than they used to be, especially their gfa 585se
Had the GFA-1A, GFP-1 and GFT-1. Absolute great performance from this set up. GFA-1A had a fan speed switch added and maybe better electronics inside than the GFA-1. Had the Design Acoustics DA-30 speakers with the system. Really pissed the neighbors off! Good thing I worked nights and they weren't home during the week.
There's a company that has actually brought back the ADCOM name and some of the more desirable vintage amps, "modernized" in various ways. I saw them at CEDIA 2017.
I had an Adcom 2 channel amp once. It suddenly blew up the left channel with no warning. Literally. It made a loud CRACK noise and let out a bunch of noxious smoke. My Father used to repair electronics professionally and looked at it for me and said he didn't even see any protection circuitry built into it so all it took was one component failing and the entire thing went up in smoke.
Never bought Adcom again after that.
Had an Adcom 555 MkII in the early 90's along with the AC line enhancer and matching tuner/preamp and Adcom GCD-600 cd changer. All connected to my KEF 104/2's . Still have the cd changer and it works flawlessly and the KEF's while getting rebuilt a few years ago, still sound great. The Adcom amp, tuner/preamp and line enhancer were sold off to a buddy about 15 years ago. I'd love to have that amp back...The good old days.
did you buy it at the goodguys? haha used to work there and spent hundreds of hours in their listening room listening to the equipment you listed. i preferred the 103/4 over the 104 tho.
@@etm3398 It was a local, independent "stereo store" called Clark Music. I was a consumer and spent entirely too much time there...I was on a first name basis with everyone.
I have a 5ch adcom amp. Been using it since 2000. Very reliable unit.
I use an old GFA 555 with my new JBL L100 Classics and it’s off the charts awesome.
I still use my 1997 Adcom GTP-450, paid just under 500.00 sounds great after all these years! i wonder what the current equivalent brand sound quality would be, and how much price wise? with moderate high end gear costing so much more now...
I remember buying my first ADCOM stereo amp...😍
I bought my GFA-535 and GTP-400 preamp, (along with the Adcom CD player) in 1991. Still sound great with my old Klipsch Heresys.
The 5400 is a wonderful amp.