2. amps-preamps
  3. 1352603751

What is my weak est link...? Suggestions please.

So here it is: I have a budget of $4000 to upgrade one of the following:

Speakers: Hales Concept 2 (one tweeter - one 7" driver)
Pre: Adcom GFP-750 (Nelson Pass design)
Amp: Adcom 5800

My Thoughts:

Speakers are built like tanks - solid walnut & concrete. Although they lack bottom end.

Bought the Pre years ago; A/B'd them to a Krell Pre ("lower line") which I was prepared to buy. Based on my audition at that time, I picked the Adcom.

Originally, I was thinking about a McIntosh 300 watt amp to replace the Adcom. However, does anyone have any experience with the Adcom GFP-750 as compared to other pre-amps? Also, do you think $$$ would be better spent replacing the Hales with a pair of BW801? I could add a subwoofer, but I kinda like the simplicity of the two speaker set-up.

Thanks for any positive feedback! It is great to have a support community out here in iPod world...

ABP
abp689

Showing 2 responses by krell_man

krell_man
827 posts
 

I remember back when Adcom first came out. I had Adcom's top of the line 555 amps running in mono with their top of the line preamp. The speakers were Definitive Technology BP-20's, their top of the line at that time.

I bought a Krell KRC-3 preamp and KSA-50S amp along with Dunlavy speakers to replace the system.

For grins, before swapping out the Definitive Techs with the Dunlavys, I hooked up the BP-20s to the Krells. I never heard the BP-20s sound as good as they did then!

If you want to upgrade, leave the speakers alone for now.

Chuck
krell_man
827 posts
 

I guess you have to decide if you want to get into the higher end and, if you do, how you want to get there.

What I was trying to say in my earlier post was that you don't know how good or lacking your speakers are until you get an amp that will grab the speakers and tell them exactly what to do.

For $4000.00, you can get yourself a really good high end amp that will do that. I don't see one listed here, but call Mark at Reno HiFi. I think that you might be able to get a Pass X250.5 demo or refurbished in that price range.

If your electronics aren't up to the task of really controlling your speakers, you'll never know how good or lacking any speakers you get will be.

Then again, they always say to choose your speakers first. If you're going to do that, make sure that you're hearing them in as good of quality system as you can so that you can hear their full potential.

Chuck
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