2. amps-preamps
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Adcom?

Does ADCOM still make products and most importantly sell products?

I bought a amp/pre-amp combination (710 for the preamp and maybe 5300 for the stereo amp), and it was the worst electronics I have had in my house in 40 years, that is, beside NAD.
Both components started to malfunction majorly just after a few months (pre-amp volume control having a mind on its own, amplifier was discharging loud every couple minutes).
They both times promised me that they would exchange mine for new, so after agreement, I sent my gear back to them, and they sent it back to me with the same problems... we did that a couple times.... I think the tech guys were billing the department for new units, kept them for themselves, and sent me back the same crap untouched.
I could tell both times that the gear was untouched by adcom as I had marked the units on frames.

I feel like this kind of fraud is happening a lot, especially this time of the year when audio gear dealers offer "black friday deals", but in fact, they sell refurbished units thinking you won’t see anything.

Adcom, dealers selling refurbished as fresh from factory, thoughts?
128x128chrisr
schubert
7,386 posts
 
If you had any amp for 39 years it had problems long before that, you just  don't pick up on it as it is a slow process that you become accustomed to .
213runnin
914 posts
 
I acquired a Sansui receiver a few years back that was 42 years old, but sold it a year a later.  I could not believe how nice it sounded.  The model number was 4000, and it made my Onkyo TX SR876 sound boring.

Anyway, I should have the Adcom 555SE by Saturday.
213runnin
914 posts
 
I got the 555SE today and did a quick audition only as I'm busy, but will have more time on the weekend.  In short, this amp is the real deal.  Dead quiet, imaging, separation of instruments and dynamic, it's the whole package.  I'm running it with the Halo P5, Morrow Ma5 cables, and decent Wireworld speaker cables.  A Bifrost DAC and Nad C565BEE cd player, so decent supporting gear, but I am impressed with this amp.

On power up, all you hear is a little relay click as the amp comes on line, and of course the house lights dim upon powering it on.  There is no 12 volt trigger so you have to turn it on manually, but I think I can make an outboard box that will accept the 12 volts from a trigger cable and power up the amp using a relay.

Adcom has been pretty quiet the last several years, so it's nice to see they can still put out a great amp.  I'm replacing a Nad C375BEE and I've also had a Halo A21 a year ago.  Oh, and the 555SE sounds better than the GFA 5400 I've got too, though that amp is 19 years old.
quantumphysics
6 posts
 

Lights dim = the real deal.

Where was it manufactured?

213runnin
914 posts
 
Well, it's a 200 wpc amp that retails for $1299(currently on sale).  Would you care to hazard a guess?  I'll pull it out of the rack to check the back plate at some point,  but I'm betting it's not the USA.
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