New Adcom GFA-555 se - Special Edition

Wow. I just stumbled across this. I own a GFA555II which I bought as a demo in 1995. I've been happy as hell with it for years (presently in combo with a Mac C220 pre) but that doesn't mean I'm not looking at upgrading at some point. Surely "Edsel" is not an appropriate analogy. The Edsel was a bomb right out of the gate and the 555 was one of the best value purchases a mid-level audiophile could make for years on end. That technology would advance beyond it twenty years on is no reason to dismiss one of Nelson Pass's landmarks out of hand like that.

So I'm curious what some of the Adcom naysayers would recommend if my target budget is $4-$5K. My present inclination is to go with the Mac 252 as I like the solid-state/tube combination. My present speakers are B&W cdm7se and I've got the 803d's in my sights somewhere down the road.

B&W mate exceptionally well with Classe and Mac. No need to necessarily go with tubes w/ Mac power amps (unless you want to) as they use output transformers like tube amps do. I've heard the B&W/Mac SS combo and it floored me. Many swear by this combo or w/ Classe. Incidentally Classe uses B&W speakers to voice their amps so you have upped the ante w/ the B&W/Classe combo.

System :
Denon DL-301/II on a Slindy modified Rabco SL-8E mounted on a four pillar Slindy modified Oracle Delphi 2, feeds into a B&K Phono 10 -digi out of that into a Benchmark DAC-1 -into a ARC-90B and out a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v-2's.
Have the Paradigm X-01 X-over - plan to just use the 801 woofers with a pair of GFA-555SE's to handle the bottom octave or two.Sold this version of 801's back in the day -my experience is they demand really powerful impedance stable SS amps- will be curious if the GFA-555SE's fit the bill?

"Wasn't there a Yugo SE at one point?"

Audiofeil likes car analogies, but hates sushi analogies!

I had the original GFA-555 from Nelson Pass Designs, in the early 1980's. That amp handled some of the most difficult to droive speakers, I had on loan. It drove my big ALON Model IV's and B&W SPeakers in stereo mode, 200 wpc, with no problem. I cant trash it at all. IT also lasted years, being left on all the time, till I sold it. I find the people trashing it, either didn't own one, or are jealous of it, not having to spend a fortune to get sound that they have spent tons of m oney for, and Adcom equalled or bettered theirs. Ray