Is it my adcom preamp?

[Rick DeSonia]

adcom gcd 750 CD player
Adcom gtp 450 preamp
Adcom gfa 5500 amp
B&W nautilus 803 speakers

It just sounds flat. The room is carpeted concrete with drop ceiling. The speakers are on metal posts that came with them. The amp seems to have plenty of power. I’ve heard good things about the CD player. It has both balanced and non balanced output. The speakers seem to reproduce well and with detail. I’ve heard nothing about the preamp. I borrowed a rotel preamp from a friend. That changed and added a new dynamic but I just did not like it. I’m looking for a warmer sound that the rotel helped but just did not make it. I used balanced output from the CD player to the rotel. I was thinking a more vintage tube preamp. Am I going down the wrong road thinking it’s the preamp? Any suggestions?

 

[xero-D-hero]

That TOTL GCD-750 CDP was typically meant to be paired with Adcom's TOTL GFP-750 preamp.
And that GFP-750 preamp is (by most all accounts) a better preamp than that GTP-450.
So the idea that a better preamp might help your situation is sure to have some proponents here.

Me,I'd probably just EQ/DSP the GTP-450 to get it to sound the way I wanted,but that's just me (YMMV).
I'd maybe even look into the Schiit Loki tone control and put that in the GTP-450's EPL as a grand experiment.
If I could'nt get that preamp to sound more to my liking that way,I'd likely start looking to lay the blame elsewhere.
Which would probably have me giving the speakers a bit more consideration (placement,room treatments,etc).

That said you could probably try some sorta tube buffer in the GTP-450's EPL.
That would likely be an easier/cheaper way to see if a tube in the signal chain adds the "warmth" your looking for.
If it does then at least you'll have a better idea if a nice tube preamp is gonna be a move you'd appreciate.
Heck you may even be happy with the tube buffer in the EPL and decide to leave it with that way.

FFT ~ HTH

( Oh yeah,welcome to AK )

Bret P.