I've got a PS Audio GCC-250 on the way. Mistake??

One aspect of the amp that I’ve found very interesting over the last week is how much its presentation changes with regards to associated equipment. Cables, for example, make huge differences where with other amps the changes were much more subtle. I’ve also never had an amp change so much, so quickly, with “break-in”. Perhaps it’s the level of detail this thing digs out that’s the reason.

The point is, that if you're expecting this thing to work "out of the box" with your associated equipment, you're probably going to be disappointed. If you’re committed to it, you’re going to have to rethink your associated equipment sources. If you get it right – you’ll be rewarded with unbelievable clarity, transparency, and detail with loads of musicality; not an easy feat for any system.

I initially tried it with a combination of three speakers I had on hand and three pairs of speaker cables. The speakers were pairs of NHT Classic Threes, Paradigm Studio-20s, and newly acquired Usher x-718s. Speaker cables were PS Audio xStream Plus, AudioQuest CV-4 w/ 48v DBS, and AudioQuest Type-4.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the NHT’s in the past, so those were first up after running the amp in for about 24-36 hours. My natural selection for cables were the PS Audio – it’s a PS Audio amp, after all, those HAVE to be a match, right?!? Horrible, horrendous, unlistenable sound – painful. I let it run overnight again but it didn’t improve so, I figured, it was time to start experimenting. Here’s how things played out:

Speakers – the NHT’s improved with speaker cable changes, but never sounded right to me with the GCC-250. The Studio-20’s sounded wonderful and the Usher X-718’s are just stellar, beyond belief for their size, really.

Speaker Cables – the xStream cables sounded terrible with almost everything (they were actually tolerable with the Ushers). I’ve used them in the past with other amps with great success. Odd. The Type-4’s sounded pretty good, but the CV-4’s were the ticket with both the Paradigm and, especially, the Ushers.

The GCC-250 / Usher X-718 combo is the first time I’ve heard dramatic differences between the Type-4 and CV-4 DBS cables. Don’t get me wrong, with my other amps I can hear subtle differences between the two; but, with the GCC-250 the CV-4 cables are clearly much more transparent than the Type-4.

Simply put – with about 100 hours on it and being fed a Dynavctor 20XL cartridge via a PS Audio GCPH phono stage via the balanced connection, this is hands down the best system I’ve ever had in my room.

It took some experimenting, however, and will probably result in changes in other equipment to get it right in most systems. I did some research and found that PS Audio used Usher speakers with the GCC amps at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival in 2007. Instead of re-inventing the wheel and going through a bunch of speakers that might have worked, I decided to trust PS Audio’s judgment and ears. It paid off in spades.

I’m convinced that the upper midrange/lower high-end problems people have experienced are due to one of three things: associated speakers, associated cable, or (less likely) they’re hearing recording anomalies for the first time due to the overwhelming resolution of this amp.

02-24-09: Johnnyb53
You have a PS Audio GCC-250 on the way?

I'm jealous.

Told 'ja.

I am a bit surprised that the PS Audio XStream speaker cables don't work so well for you, given that they're from the same vendor. I have a biwire trio of those for L-C-R, and they were a mighty step up in all parameters from the big box MIT 750s I'd been using before. However, they're connected to a MOSFET class A/AB amp.

What are you using for a power cable to your GCC-250? Most reviews I've read of class D amps indicate that their sound changes significantly with different power cables, strips, conditioners, etc. My class D integrated is an Onkyo A-9555, and after trying out 3 or 4 power cables, my preference went to a PS Audio Prelude.

Hey Johnnyb53 - I'm using a Furman Elite-15PFi power conditioner and PS Audio Plus power cables with good success. I was surprised by the XStream cables too - they sounded pretty good with my old A/AB amp. They really closed in the highs with the GCC-250 and just didn't sound natural. The AudioQuest CV-4's I thought sounded much much better.

I've been trying to locate a nice PS Audio Quintessence power conditioner but am not having any luck. I'll keep watching the 'gon, one will show up eventually!

I have owned a GCC 250 for 5 years. I moved it to my video system. I can tell you it is very responsive to better power cords (I like Tek Line Cables Reference seris) and interconnects- Clear Day Audio solid core with Xhadow connectors