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Vintage Onkyo gear vs Adcom

Looking for some help on the budget upgrade path:

I currently have an Adcom GFP-565 and have been searching for a power amp to do it justice.

In the course of my research I have stumbled upon quite a few Onkyo integrateds from the late 80's--early 90's (a-8800, a-890 to name a couple) that look very appealing.  I have heard the Adcom and also some Onkyo stuff from that era and they seem much closer in performance than I would have guessed.

So my question is this: should I continue to pursue a power amp for the 565 or sell it to purchase one of the high end Onkyo/Integra integrated?

Thanks

84miles
loomisjohnson
1,941 posts
 
i had the (first generation) 545, which i didn't like as much as the 535 or 555, for whatever reason--if your speakers aren't too demanding you can get a 535 for $125 or so. i've also owned various rotel (and currently using an rb-971 in my office)--my sense is that you'll get better synergy with all adcom, but like you say it's hard to tell without hearing
84miles OP
6 posts
 
It’s interesting that there is such a wide array of opinions on the Adcom gear.  I’m currently driving B&W 684’s—so not sure if the 535 is up to task.  I’m sure the 555 is great but that’s a big price jump from the 535 or 545.

Then there is always the option to dump the Adcom pre and go for the Rotel/B&W synergy...
mesch
3,475 posts
 
I believe I woulf sell the preamp and purchase a used  integrated of more recent vintage? 
mesch
3,475 posts
 
I hit post too fast. What would your budget be if you sold preamp?
loomisjohnson
1,941 posts
 
the b&w 684 are rated at 87db, which makes them relatively hard to drive--the 60w 535 might (or might not) be enough amp (b&w recommends 25-150w, which isn't terribly helpful). i've found adcom to be conservative in its power ratings, but if you're concerned you can try the higher adcom, rotel or something like parasound hca, which is excellent value.
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