Recommended Preamp for pairing an Adcom 555II Amp and Theil CS 3.5 speakers


My Bryston 0.5B preamp was inadvertently put down over the holidays by an incident now known as 'The Sippy Cup Mystery'.  Regardless of the cause, I need a new preamp for my system.  I am driving a pair of Thiel CS 3.5  (with the electronic bass equalizer) speakers with an Adcom GFA-555II amp.  The majority of the eclectic music (classical, 80s, folk, funk) being played on the system is streamed from iTunes through my Audioengine B1 DAC.  I have read a number of posts with various recommendations for the GFA-555II or the Thiel CS 3.5s but not for their paring.  Short of winning the lottery this week, cost is a factor. Any suggestions or directions would be very much appreciated.
iowanna33

Showing 1 response by mattmiller

I have used the GFA 555 with the GFP 565 and while the pair is very good sounding (and the 565 has a great phono section if your into vinyl). But, I will say that when I installed the Modwright SWL 9.0 SE ($1000 used) it really showed me how beautiful sounding the Adcom 555 can be. A tubed pre amp is what I highly recommend. Manley labs shrimp?? possibly. Doge 8 Clarity, Dehavilland Ultraverve III, these are all tube based and around your price range and are very special indeed. Also, all of these will have very low output impedance to drive the Adcom no problem.


Matt M