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Adcom 555 Mk 2 Questions

I'm a newbie here. I'm hoping someone is familiar with the Adcom amps & can provide some insight.

Long story short: My NAD 2600 blew up from static electricity. A friend who is not an audiophile has offered me an Adcom 555 Mk 2 really cheap for $150.

The rest of my system is: Teac Esoteric P-10 transport to PS Audio sl3 D/A by Illumanati cable. McCormick Line Drive Deluxe passive pre. NHT 2.5I speakers bi-wired. All analog wiring is Tara. Also have analog components & a Pioneer universal SACD player. Listening comments below are with the digital front end.

I just plugged the Adcom in (I'm told it hadn't been used much lately) & have 3 concerns. With all 3 concerns, my question is, "Is this normal behavior for an Adcom amp?

1. The heatsinks are quite hot from playing 4 songs at normal volume

2. There is some light hiss in both channels, even with the input muted. One channel has more hiss then the other

3. The amp is quite a bit brighter then the NAD. It may need to warm up for awhile (though again, the heat sinks are almost too hot to touch)

Thank you for your answers!
moomoo

Showing 1 response by kats

kats
26 posts
 
Moo, I've had a mkII for about 15 years without any problems whatsoever. When it was my only system I ran it 24/7. At idle it runs just slightly above room temp, but the longer/louder you push it the hotter it gets. Never really gets too hot to touch though. I recommend leaving it on 24/7 if possible for best sound. I use it sparingly lately and turn it off/on as needed - big difference in sound quality IMO. Not the smoothest amp around I'll admit but sounds very good with speakers that are voiced a bit on the warm side like my VA Bach Grands. Pushes them to the limit with great control. Probably not a great match for NHT which, from what I've ever heard, are a bit on the bright side.
Bottom line: still a great amp for the money though if the heat does bother you get it checked out.
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