Head to head my recently acquired Adcom GFA-555II against my Bel Canto eVo2i. Do all modern amps in good working order sound the same? Not a chance, friends.

I recently bought the Adcom on eBay with the intention of using it in bridged mode to power a DIY passive subwoofer I intend to built one of these days. This old unit does 200 wt/ch into 8 ohms; also, it does 850 watts into 4 ohms in bridged mode -- should be enough. The unit's last MSRP was $800; I paid $305 plus shipping, etc..

On the other hand I bought the Bel Canto new. It's last MSRP was $3200; it was $3000 when I bought it, but there were incentives going around and I actually paid only $2600.

Hello!! The Adcom is great all things considered. It has a smooth, slightly earthy character, and the bass is solid and very extended. I'm listening the Rene Jacob's version of Haydn's 'The Seasons' as I compose: really enjoyable. It reminds me a little of the NAD C270 I paid twice as much for a couple of years ago, except that the Adcom totally trounces the NAD for bass.

The Bel Canto is something quite different. Lighter, more neutral; the bass is as good as the Adcom's but not better. I suspect it would be easy for many people to prefer the Adcom's earthy warmth, but is the Adcom better? Undoubtedly not: where the Bel Canto cleans up is in the area of detail and transparency. Warmth might be tempting, but you can't argue with resolution. This is what you get for all that extra money.

I would like to go back to separates but I won't be settling for the Adcom, pleasant as it is.