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What to do with my Adcom amp?

S

Sapelton

New Member
Hey all,
Last year purchased a pair of B&W 706 S2s (https://www.bowerswilkins.com/home-audio/706-s2). At the time of purchase I knew I was breaking the budget, but fortunately my dad had an amp/preamp lying around which could hold me over. The speakers are currently being powered by an Adcom GTP 450 preamp and Adcom GFA 5300 amp. I now have the funding to purchase a new amp in the $600 to $800 range. Alternatively one of my main reasons for wanting to upgrade is the lack of a DAC in my current set up. Would it just make sense to buy a new DAC to pair with my old amp/preamp. I had been eyeballing the Cambridge AXR 100 as this has a DAC and also could biamp my speakers. Any suggestions would be a huge help!
-Dan
 
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If you're happy with the sound, as is, I'd just get a decent DAC, and find somewhere else to spend the leftover money. Schiit has some good products for reasonable prices.

Edit: Adcom is good gear for a good price. Personally, I'd keep it.
 
I meant that if he's happy with the way the Adcom gear sounds, a new DAC would likely be the better choice.
 
Sapelton said:
- Alternatively one of my main reasons for wanting to upgrade is the lack of a DAC in my current set up.
Would it just make sense to buy a new DAC to pair with my old amp/preamp. I had been eyeballing the Cambridge AXR 100 as this has a DAC and also could biamp my speakers. Any suggestions would be a huge help!
-Dan
Click to expand...

Thats what I did - I had a system I was happy to listen to (preamp/amp/speakers worked well together), but wanted to add digital streaming -
and knew the Audio Alchemy DAC I had been using with my Airport Express and older Oppo disc player would not do HiRes decoding. So, I bought a raspberry Pi4 and put that together, and added a basic $100 DAC from Amazon (SMSL M100) that does the digital side well.
 
IMO/E the GTP-450 is the weak link. I gave one to my brother so I have some familiarity with one. The IR sensor may be a problem. They go bad and any light source can trigger it.

The GFA5300 should be more than adequate for reasonable volume levels. I would replace the 450 with a preamp/DAC.
 
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The tech for amps is pretty stable, but the tech for DACs is always changing... so better to have a separate DAC so that you can swap that thing out if some new format/encoding/etc comes on the scene. Also, at some point you may just want to upgrade (and they do sound different)... not to mention the fact that a decent DAC is going to cost less than a decent amp with a decent DAC built into it.
 
Thanks for all the help. Yeah, the sound is great when coming from my record player, but digital sources seem to miss the mark. I will probably just grab a DAC then. I see the Schiit, and the SMSL posted. I'll look into these, and would appreciate any additional DAC pointers.

Cheers,
Dan
 
I'm in the "just get an external DAC" camp.
As stated that way you can experiment with different DACs to find what suits your tastes.
Also you have more upgrade options than "built-in" DACs have.
Me I'd probably buy a Schiit Modi3+ -or- Modius.

I'm fine with the Adcom gear,I mean sure there's better stuff out there.
But all in all so long as it's still wokring fine it's certainly adequate by my standards.

I'd also probably put a Schiit Lokius in the external processor loop.
I say that as I'm not all that crazy about the tone controls on the GTP-450.
And I tend to "shape the sound" to my liking.

I'd be more likely to look for some different speakers than a preamp -or- power amp.
But that deal is largely based on the fact that I've never heard those specific B&W's.
So I'm mostly just basing this POV on the general "rep" B&W speakers have.
Though the Schiit Lokius might help to mitigate that situation somewhat,I honestly dunno?

JM2¢ w/a bit of food for thought.

Bret P.
 
Sapelton said:
Hey all,
Last year purchased a pair of B&W 706 S2s (https://www.bowerswilkins.com/home-audio/706-s2). At the time of purchase I knew I was breaking the budget, but fortunately my dad had an amp/preamp lying around which could hold me over. The speakers are currently being powered by an Adcom GTP 450 preamp and Adcom GFA 5300 amp. I now have the funding to purchase a new amp in the $600 to $800 range. Alternatively one of my main reasons for wanting to upgrade is the lack of a DAC in my current set up. Would it just make sense to buy a new DAC to pair with my old amp/preamp. I had been eyeballing the Cambridge AXR 100 as this has a DAC and also could biamp my speakers. Any suggestions would be a huge help!
-Dan
Click to expand...
Hello. I have ordered bowers 706 s2 without demo as demo is not possible where I live . I will be pairing them with my old Harman Kardon 3380 stereo receiver. I have heard reviews that these speakers sound bright / harsh so one cannot listen for too long ? Does one have to do any tonal adjustments to 706 s2 for listening?
 
I believe your receiver has tone controls. Those are what I'd use first if I thought the speakers were "bright".
 
Bright and harsh can also depend on your room, not to mention personal preferences, etc. It's too early to worry about other's opinions. Lots of popular speakers have their share of haters.
 
Bright and harsh speakers have never been an issue for me. All the speakers I've ever owned were chosen because I liked their sound. This solidified in 1976 when I saw, heard and immediately bought a pair of Magnepan MG-1's (1976). Since then, I've had nothing but magneto-dynamic (Magnepan type) or ESL speakers.

Magnepan's and ESL's have never sounded harsh or overly bright to me. IMO/E the only area they are deficient is low frequency extension. This was fixed by using a pair of 12" DIY TL subwoofers.

Once I began using an equalizer that is set using measurements the effect of the room was pretty much negated. I now use a DSP for room equalization. It along with room treatments have taken the room out of the equation.

FWIW: My personal preference and reference is the sound of live orchestral and pipe organ music. My system and room are as close as I can come to that with my room, gear and budget. Suffice it to say, when I come home from a concert at the Kimmel Center my system doesn't disappoint me with its sound in comparison to live.
 
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