new at this...which amp?


I have B&W htm1 center, cdn nt9 front, cdm nt7 rear with Adcom 7500 150 by 5 amp and Adcom pre amp. The mids and highs are harsh beyond half volume. Speaker cables are the good stuff, but interconnects are Radio Shack's best sheilded cable. I have been told here that while interconnects could be the problem it is more likely lack of power. Would Adcom 7805 300 by 5 be a reasonable choice for a new amp? Is there a better choice for around 2500.00? If the 7805 is not enough I am considering bi amp with the 7500 and 7805 as the final solution. If so, would the more powerful amp go on the bottom end? Your comments are greatly appreciated.
baffled

Showing 4 responses by tgrisham

I second the post from brownsfan. The room is very important-taming resonances, toning down harsh reflections, taming bass modes, etc. I had an ADCOM amp and sold it. I thought it was too brilliant on the high end, and that was a "soft" room. I really don't think its a power issue, but more of an amp issue. I bought Outlaw M200s for each channel and they really "disappear". I don't perceive any harshness or ear fatigue. I think there are many amps in your price range that you would be happy with, but, again, you may want to work on your room first. Good luck!
It's really hard to get so much advice, isn't it? Maybe more than you bargained for! The difficult thing about audio is that all the individual pieces have to work together. If you are like me you put together a system one piece at a time, when you could afford it. Some of the best advice I ever got was this: the speakers are the most important device because they produce the sound waves that travel to your ears and they translate all the electrical signals (good and bad) into sound. The next most important piece is the source component,in this case the CD player because this is the beginning of all the electrical signals. GIGO. All of the other pieces are of diminishing importance compared to these two. That is where you want to spend your money. In my view, the following pieces fall in order of importance: speakers, source, pre-amp, amp, interconnects, speaker cables. Each one is dependent upon the other. My Classe CDP is not the most expensive, accurate, revealing or detailed, but it allows me to forget that I am listening to a disc and it sounds so beautiful. My Dynaudios allow me to forget that there are speakers there and I can listen to them for hours. After all, its only about being able to listen to music and forget about all the equipment in front of you. Turn the lights off. Do you like what you hear?
I think the advantage of listening to the B&Ws at the dealer is that you can not only listen to the sound they make, but also what is paired with them, esp the source. I have not found a DVD player that can match dollar for dollar what you can get in a stand-alone CD player. There are so many that its hard to recommend, but may I suggest that you poll Audiogon members for which CDP they are playing with your exact speakers. I hope that your dealer has a listening room that is similar to yours. Its always "apples and oranges" but maybe you can get close. You will get several hundred recommendations for CDP! After all, we all think we made the right decision! But it will be your ears that will decide. Your money is best spent on a really good CDP instead of using the DVD. That may solve your issues, or at the least give you great sound. I think the B&Ws are simply projecting what they are given. By the way, I had ADCOM and didn't care for it, however, I helped a friend buy a nice system and he went with Rotel and I love his sound. He has a Rotel pre-amp, Rotel amp and B&W speakers (I can't remember which, but the tweeters are all similar and it sounds like the high frequencies are what's bothering you). Good luck and have fun shopping around!
I pleased for you. The hunt was good! This website is really great and unlike so many other similar sites it has very few obnoxious "know-it-alls" who preach but don't teach. I'm glad you were able to hear your speakers at their best. All speakers have a "style" and with the right source and environment will give you years of pleasure. We look forward to hearing what you do to your room. Maybe you can teach us something!