does this amp do it for you ?

leftfielder

Active Member
Hi guys, I've been living w/ my Adcom gfa-555 for 11/12 years now and while I have found it to have no obvious flaws some say it's a bright sounding amp and I should listen to some others. My Adcom will power my '87 modded Polk SDA 2Bs and maybe that's it ,they love power and current. My friend has one industrial looking Mitsubishi DA-A10-DC 100WPC. This could push my Ohm E or my Advent Maestros or what ever else I rotate over time. They also have a 75 wpc younger brother.
So my question is, would this be a different enough sounding amplifier to warrant an interest in ? I can not afford Mcormack, B&k,Boulder, McIntosh or just about any other quality amplifier. I will show you guys the amp and then tell me what you think. Right now I have a NAD 1020a doing nothing so the pre amp is taken care for the time being.
They are showing one of the coolest looking amp/ preamp combos I have ever seen. The 1st is the 100wpc amp alone
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MI...m=202502698843&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

This is the one that can be connected together or seperated depending on space limitations.....Lew


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-St...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
 
No it doesn’t bother me or I would have flipped it ages ago. I would like to know what you guys think of the Mitsubishi’s I showed you their own tonal qualities or look else where. Personally I think they are great looking but do they sound as good as they look. Hey McIntosh took the mc2105 w/ meters and a walnut case if you wanted it BUT they also made an industrial model the mc2100 @ also 105 wpc. So which one does it. Again price is a huge factor so do the DA-10s work for any of you guys and why. I’d rather not hear about all other brands only those I brought out to evaluate. I have not compared specs and no engineer here so if any of you are or have experience just jump in please.....Lew
 
I've been using Adcom amps for more than 20 years. They are rugged, reliable, sound good, and can handle most difficult speakers with ease. If you like the combo with your Polks, then that's what really matters. Let YOUR ears decide.
 
That Mitsubishi setup looks like their version of a Sansui 22000. That should have been the Mitsubishi I should have bought instead of the rinky-dink 50 wpc Mitsu I bought and sold about ten years back. If it were me and I had the money laying around, I would buy that Mitsu setup in a second.
 
I think if your friend wants to talk smack he should put up a li'l something to back it. Tell him to bring over the Mitsu for a little shoot-out.

Maybe you will find out you're missing out. Maybe not. I am sure it would be fun either way and you get to hear it for yourself.

I know most people don't want to move there gear around like this for lots of reasons, but it certainly can be done.
 
There are a few threads here on AK about the Mitsubishi DA series amps. I searched the sight for info when I was considering the DA-A-15DC. The absolute truth of the matter is that if you want to really know if you'll like that amp you need to listen to it yourself. Like yourself I was drawn to the looks of the DA amps, but ultimately decided to buy an HK Citation 16 because I already had spent some time listening to one and liked it. Just my .02. If you end up with the DA make sure you let us know how you like it.:beerchug:
 
I had the Mitsubishi set, think the amp was the DA-A10, bolted to the pre. Quality was just so so, and I got rid of it. B&K amps are going for pretty cheap, sold off a ST-2140 and it wasn’t much. There’s an ST3030 that looks good also.

As for Adcom, depends. I have had the 535, 555, 555 II, 565 - all gone. As I type, I’m listening to the GFA-5800 driving ADS L980, and love it. 32 output transistors, Nelson Pass designed, very dynamic. The GFA-5802 is good to, and without the fans.
 
Well we sure don’t hear many bad things about the 555 ... with exception of their lack of speaker protection circuits. You’ll likely have to spend some coin to best it.
 
American amps generally tend to be well built and relatively straight forward design, making service and maintainance simpler tho there are exceptions.
 
The 555 is a classic Nelson Pass design. Can it be bettered? Obviously. But cheaply? No. Not at all.

For perspective, I had to spend roughly 4x as much as I did on my 555 to /significantly/ better it. And I was very lucky to find what I did at that price.
 
The 555 is a classic Nelson Pass design. Can it be bettered? Obviously. But cheaply? No. Not at all.

For perspective, I had to spend roughly 4x as much as I did on my 555 to /significantly/ better it. And I was very lucky to find what I did at that price.

Experiences will vary, but I bought a 555 in 1987, and replaced it within 2 weeks with a Superphon amp that was a bit cheaper and sounded better.
 
I feed my GFA 555 I with an old PL 2000 Series II preamp to a pair of ADS L880s. While i can hear differences in different set-ups at stores, I tend to think of sounds as different, and not better for the most part. I'm quite happy with the sound of this system. Maybe I just like the ADSs...
 

I don't know if this helps you at all but this guy on youtube just went through a Mitsubishi DA-A15, Meter module, and Pre Amp in a 4 part video series




 
How about a Hafler amp as something different?

The Hafler/ Accoustat transnova 9500 is quite a good amp if you want to continue to play in the 200+ watt range.
 
How about a Hafler amp as something different?

The Hafler/ Accoustat transnova 9500 is quite a good amp if you want to continue to play in the 200+ watt range.
And the 9505 even better. Jim Strickland and Mark Albers were quite proud of it. Many studios agreed.
 
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