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  3. 133720-1973

Amp away for 20 year upgrade...back-up amp to the rescue

I just sent my SMc Audio Revision A+ modified McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe amplifier to SMc for an apparently much needed upgrade.  I bought the amp in 1997, had a Revision B mod done in early 1998 and then the A+ revision done in 2002.  On a whim I decided to call Steve McCormack two days ago to find out what was current with their modifications for the DNA-1.

In the course of a 25 minute chat I learned that virtually none of the mod parts in my amp are part of their current upgrades and that for a reasonable price (approx. $1300) I would get an entirely new motherboard, upgraded soft recovery diodes as well as new output caps., resistors, input and output jacks and wiring scheme.  So away it went today via Fedex.

Out of the closet comes my Musical Concepts modified Adcom GFA-555.  In listening through it right now, I remember how endearing this amp can be as it flatters the music with good ebb and flow and a recessed soundstage so the music never seems to "come at you".  Very enjoyable.  So why own and upgrade my full service amp?  Verisimilitude!!   That you are there or even better, they are here presence to the sound.  The lack of transient attack and air around instruments also belies a sense of realism.  Again, don't get me wrong, I'll be enjoying music for the next month or so that my main amp is getting a spa treatment, but it will be exciting to hear the music back in the room with me and the open soundspace where the music seems here again.
128x128hifiman5
whitestix
719 posts
 
Great post. I have a DNA .05 Deluxe and it is a killer amp in stock form and have thought about the current upgrades.  I can imagine how fine it would sound with upgrades.  SMC is top notch.  I picked up an Adcom GFA 5400 recently and I really thought it was very musical amp, easy to like.  I am getting a DIY friend to do a major upgrade to it, hopefully with the expectation that is will be a very fine performer.  The DIY crowd has really figured out how to maximize the performance of this 5XXX line of Adcom amps. 

Extra amplifiers in the closet are like "packed power" to a cannoneer.   More is better.   
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5 OP
1,832 posts
 
@whitestix   The Adcoms are ripe for modifying. They are a good, solid, robustly built amp with room inside for a modifier to work his/her magic.  You are fortunate to have a DIY friend with the expertise to do the mod.  It was many years ago that I had Musical Concepts modify mine.  The results as I recall them were a sweeter, more musical amp maintaining the tight grip on the bass of the original.

Steve McCormack's DNA concept struck me as right as soon as I became aware of it. It makes the amp quick, real quick, like few others you will hear.  It was fun to talk with Patrick at SMc as he discussed how relentless Steve is about maximizing his designs.  In fact, he mentioned that they have been designing some custom amps for very well-healed customers and that as they work on the circuits of these beauties they have discovered some cost effective improvements to implement in the DNA series as they modify them.

"Trickle-Down Technology"
whitestix
719 posts
 
hifiman,
Right on, my friend.  My pal has been a significant participant in the DIY forum on Adcom upgrades and claims the properly modded 5400 is a truly refined amplifier at a small cost.

I tell ya, when I got my DNA .05 a couple of years ago, merely on a whim, I was literally floored when I swapped out my CJ MF-80, which had been upgraded by Richard Thalman, and inserted the McCormack amp in its place.  OMG, from the first measure of the music, I fell in love with the power, speed and extension of the amp.  It is just profoundly musical. 

Last summer I got a First Watt F5 in a trade.  I always wanted a Pass amp, but they are quite pricey.  I will say that the F5 is more revealing of inner details of music and has a unique crystal clarity... ultimately being, in my view, a very neutral amp.  I use both amps to drive my Spatial Audio M4 Triode Master open baffle speakers, and can't say that I prefer one amp over the other.  The F5 yields a pure glimpse of the music but does not approach the muscularity of the sound of the McCormack amp.  I love both amps, no question.  We will see how the modded 5400 compared to the McCormack amp.  
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5 OP
1,832 posts
 
@whitestix   I hope you post the results of the 5400 project. There are quite a few A'Goners who are prejudiced against modifying gear as they fear it will reduce the resale value when they decide to move on to other gear.  Perhaps some will rethink their stance if they hear enough success stories.

I have really taken a big bite of the modification apple as my SACD player, line stage and amp are all extensively modified.
whitestix
719 posts
 
Yes, I will do just that.  My DIY friend in San Francisco is a brilliant engineer with a lust for audio improvements that can be done very economically.  There is a problem, he tells me, with the delicacy of the boards in the 5XXX amps so mods can go sideways if not done with a high degrees of TLC.  I reckon he might have $100-$200 in new components in my 5400 so for the DIY cats, this could be a path to an excellent amp for a pittance.  Honestly, I thought the stock amp sounded quite pleasant (although clearly not comparable to my McCormack amp), but he tells me that I the amp I will be getting back will be profoundly better in every respect.  In part, he focuses on beefing up the power supply with lots of additional caps.  
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