I hate it when there is a decent deal but something ruins it...

[RGA]

I was wandering by a Cash Converters in my town (glorified pawn shop) and looking for a decent used power amp to go with my Rotel preamp. What the heck - got a set of nice Tannoy speakers for $60 so you never know. Years back they had a Bryston 3b for $400 so deals are out there.

So the first thing I see is an Onkyo Subwoofer for $12. But yuck - it's no good. On a shelf I see a really nice Arcam Alpha 8 integrated, Alpha 8 power amp and 7SE CD player. I always liked the Alpha CD players (prefer the Delta amps) but the price was around $360 for all three units.

So I'm thinking not too bad at all. Don't really need the CD player or the integrated and they won't just sell the power amp by itself. They insisted selling it as a set. I tried to tell them that the power amp really isn't required since the Alpah 8 was an integrated and has a power amp on board. The guy said there was a "reason" it had to be sold that way.

The reason is I suspect that the power amp section on the integrated must have died. Buying that old of a CD player comes with risks and so what seemed like a good deal isn't. Damn I hate that. I will likely buy a little Rotel Power amp - I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the latest 2 Rotel model offerings of the past few years - really since about 2005 they have been making some in roads on the amplifier front considering the budget they're in. I have seen a few reports of people prefering entry Rotels to their big Adcoms and some others putting them up against some much more costly SS units. My dealer here actually prefers the Rotel power amps to their Bryston line. The new NAD Master series also has me interested.

[02audionoob]

I once took my Adcom GFA-545II amp over to a Craigslist seller's house to audition the speakers he was selling. He seemed to like my amp better than his own Rotel amp.

[RGA]

It depends on the Rotels and I suppose it depends on the Adcoms. And not everyone will agree.

I got the info from a reviewer at enjoythemusic.com. He was talking about the entry level Rotel RB-1050 power amp and said this:

"Low-level highs during loud passages were faithfully reproduced without a hint of smearing. Background stayed intact, smooth and quick. Hands down nicer than any of the vintage 1985 to 1991 Adcom amplifiers I have for comparison (GFA555, GFA545, GFA535)."
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazin...0601/rotel.htm

That review was from 2001 and what is interesting is that the 1050 was revamped again a few years ago. http://www.rotel.com/NA/Products/Pro...=9&Tab=1&Pic=1

[harley .guy07]

The Adcom 545 series 2 or "MK II" is what I have and it is a upgraded model to the original 545 and really the Rotel vs Adcom thing has been going on for quite some time. I have heard probably every Adcom amp ever made and I prefer the 545 mkII for the way it sounds and seems to be one of the best that adcom have produced. The 5500 and 5800 are also better units. I really think that both Rotel and Adcom are both good units and each will sound different with different speakers or front end electronics. I have a Rotel dealer hear where I live and I have heard the new stuff and they seem good to me but I have not taken my amp in for comparison either.

[RGA]

The thing is to be blunt i am not much of a fan of SS amplification to start with so I don't mind an amplifier that errs a little on the softer side of neutral. As My dealer who carries bryston and Classe notes - bryston is from the Crown school of amplifier while Classe is on the Levinson side of the approach. I prefer the Classe side and Rotel to me has been in both camps with some products that is ruthless and overly analytical while others have been somewhat more polite and Classe "like". I am not surprised that B&W bought Rotel and Classe as both would tame down their speakers. Classe and Rotel don't make my ears bleed. The newer amps seem to me to have belended some of the better attributes. The 1082 preamp is open and clear sounding and while it leans a little analytical it doesn't push it. prior preamps either sounded dull or ear bleeding bright. Ditto for some of the power amps.

Rotel and Adcom were both fairly common in Canada but Adcom lost the battle here. Probably because Bryston was also everywhere and difficult to overcome with their 20 year warranty and similar price points. Rotel offered up a larger product line and that was probably more appealing to dealers.

I've only heard a few Adcom power amps and I don't have anything to say one way or the other. So that is probably a compliment in that nothing they did bugged me. That's kind of the point of a power amp. As usual it will likely be system dependant. Rotel might sound better with one speaker, Adcom might win in another and they both may sound better than a more expensive Krell or MF in another. (and vice versa).

[Enochrome]

Noob,

How do you like your Adcom amp? What are the characteristics? I ask because I might be able to pick one up for $125.00, which sounds like a good deal. Is that a good deal?
Would it be a step up from my Luxman R-3045?

Thanks in advance!!

[02audionoob]

Noob,

How do you like your Adcom amp? What are the characteristics? I ask because I might be able to pick one up for $125.00, which sounds like a good deal. Is that a good deal?
Would it be a step up from my Luxman R-3045?

Thanks in advance!!

I like mine quite well. I also used to have a GFA-535 and a GFA-555II. I liked them all but I needed to clear up some space to move up. I think $125 is a very good deal and it could be a nice upgrade from the Luxman receiver if you need the power. I found the GFA-535's power adequate but I was able to get a good price for it. Given that, I kept the one with more power. I had a GFA-555II as well, but I got close to $400 for it, so off it went.

These are nice amps that can take a pounding and do sound pretty nice. They seem to strike a nice balance...not overly punchy, bright, polite, etc. They do a decent job of getting out of the way. Mine doesn't sound like a monstrous powerhouse whether the volume is low or high, but they do seem to have good power for their rating. That said, I think I have gotten my best results with efficient speakers.

[Enochrome]

Would I be able, or a decent temporary idea, to use the Luxman as a preamp with the Adcom?

[02audionoob]

I looked at the photos of a Luxman R-3045 up for sale online and I didn't see any outputs that would have volume control. I would think you could find a decent deal on a GFP-555 preamp, though.

[Enochrome]

Duh, that makes sense. Sorry about the dumb question Noob and thanks for the info.
I think the seller got cold feet and realized they were asking to little, resulting in flaking
on the sale. Oh well, next time.

Man, i've had some bad luck on CL this past year. But a new year begins with some delicious finds. Looking for a new phono stage, but that is for the Analog threads.

Regards