Hi Hapdog,Looking at your system, it reminded me of a very similar set up I had. It consisted of a Marantz CD player,Hafler 945 Pre amp, Adcom 555 Amp, and Apogee Ribbon/cone speakers it was my first serious rig. At the time I had read many rave reviews about the adcom, so I tracked down a used one. When first heard it I was so disappointed I almost gave up this whole hobby thinking it was just hype or some minor difference in gear that was glorified. With the Adcom driving the speakers the sound was cold and lifeless. Part of the broblem was my speakers are a little bright in the treble added to that was the adcom's tizzy treble and hard midrange. Ribbons are very sensitive to brightness. When I upgraded to a krell amp the difference the detail, depth and involvement was dramatic. Escpecially the soundstaging depth the soundstage extended to the rear another 5 feet or so. Also the seperation of instruments. If you could spend a little more I would go with a used Krell ksa 100, they are so much more refined will match well with your ribbons. They are available for about $1200 and worth it in the long run. Later if your budget allows get a used VTL delux preamp ($400) used) and wow you very a very musical system.Looking back I would have saved so much money buying these component in the first place.Good luck
B&K vs Adcom – opinions please
I 'm looking to put together a 2-channel system with used mid-90s gear – either an Adcom GFA545 amp/GTP500II preamp-tuner or a B&K ST1400 amp (non-series II)/AVP1000 preamp-tuner. Each setup costs about the same. They will be used to drive a pair of bi-wired floorstanding 2-way speakers with 10” drivers and ribbon tweeters. I am looking for tight and full bass, good soundstage, and accurate highs for day in and day out listening. I listen to a range of music – jazz, rock, classical, vocals. I’d appreciate opinions on which amplification setup will give me better sound. Thanks for your help.