2. amps-preamps
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Warm Replacement for Adcom GFA 545 II

I recently upgraded speaker cables and interconnects in my system and it revealed harshness of the Adcom. My system: JM Labs Daline 3.1, Jolida 5t (upgraded), Moon 100 d DAC, and Apple Airport wireless. Cables are Audioquest 8 cv and Audioquest Diamondback. The brass instruments became too harsh and fatiguing to listen to. I listen primarily to jazz, vocals and classical. I would also consider an integrated amp and replace the Jolida. I have no particular budget, but do not want to spend more than would make sense in the context of the overall system. Thanks very much for the advice.
hugo1
hugo1 OP
27 posts
 
Thanks very much for the input. Johnnyb53 makes the point better than I did. Since the Adcom is now worh less than the speaker cable, it seemed time to upgrade. The Parasound Halo gets excellent reviews and seems reasonably priced. Would it work well with Jolida 5t? I have also seen the Marantz PM-15 S2 available still in my price range but twice the price of the Parasound. Which might be a better fit? The Luxman would be great but it's out of my price range.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
The Marantz amps with the HDAM module are fantastic and perform above their price range. I heard a demo rig at a local store that had a Marantz PM8004 integrated amp ($999, their lowest price amp with HDAM) powering a $12,500 pair of Sonus Faber Cremona Ms. You would *never* have guessed that the sound from the Cremonas was powered by a <$1K amp. The Marantz HDAM amps are fast, clean, linear, neutral, with great control over the speakers, yet not a hint of edginess or clinical coldness. They also have a signal-to-noise ratio around 125 dB. which makes for excellent low level and inner detail. I heard some music I was very familiar with sound bigger, lusher, and more fully fleshed out than I'd ever heard it before.
jdoris
972 posts
 
I moved from Adcom to Odyssey. If you want to continue the theme of a burly SS amp, the Stratos is a thought. I'm not sure I'd call it warm, but it is definitely not brittle like the Adcom; I'm definitely sensetive to fatiguing highs, and I happily lived with a Stratos for five years. A nice amp, and a definite step up from Adcom, with good values (and continued manufacturer support) on used pieces.

Best,

John
unsound
7,318 posts
 
I would have still waited to upgrade cables, until after everything else was decided upon.
wolf_garcia
6,644 posts
 
I use speakers of a similar impedance (Silverline Preludes) with AQ Type 8 speaker cables...also a couple of pairs of Diamondbacks and a 60 wpc Jolida JD502P amp that is inexpensive, sounds amazing, and has plenty of power. A very even tone all around, and I found the Diamondbacks to be a really neutral well made cable.
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