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New Member Needs Help

Hello everyone.  I am a new member and could really use some advice.  First, I hope I am posting this in the right section since I suspect the problem lies in the area of my electronics, although admittedly I am not sure.  I was a budding audiophile in my younger days and accrued some equipment, all bought new.  It consists of an Adcom GFA-555 amp, Adcom GTP-500 preamp/tuner, Adcom GCD-700 CD player and a B&O Beogram 1700 turntable.  I am using a set of Soundwave Grand Soliloquy speakers.   My wife would sometimes turn on the equipment for background music but there really hasn't been any serious listening in years.  

Having just retired I now have some free time, so after checking all the connections, I began listening to the system using the CD player as the source.  Overall, I thought it sounded very disappointing - pretty harsh and a bit thin, lacking in bass.  I couldn't listen to it very long.  I then tried the turntable.  The sound wasn't much different but the belt on the TT must be shot and the resulting rumble made serious listening difficult.

Having done some searching on this forum, I decided to pull the speaker cloth and examine the Grand Soliloquy speakers.  They looked perfect.  The cones and surrounds were butyl? rubber and looked good, as did the glue, which I read was a weak spot on some early model Soliloquys.  

So now I am wondering where to go next.  Could the amp/preamp have deteriorated that much with time?   Is that something I would audibly notice?  Would the crossovers in the speakers deteriorate over time?  Or maybe it is just my memory and I don't remember the sound very accurately?  And is any of this equipment up to today's standards and worth saving?  

I also have a pair of Ohm Walsh 2 speakers and an old Harmon Kardon HK730 receiver packed away that I could haul out for a comparison, but I am not sure that will answer any questions, and might confuse me more.  I appreciate any and all ideas from forum members.  Oh, and my room is large - about 14X22 feet.  Sorry for rambling a bit but thanks very much in advance.  
jpl



golftime

Showing 5 responses by golftime

golftime OP
15 posts
 
Thank you guys.  I will let the system start to idle for a couple of days and try again.  I don't have access to any other systems locally as my friends are no longer into sound.  I am not even sure what real sound stores are around me.  There used to be a few but I think most of them went out.  

I have a follow up question.  I recall the Adcom stuff was Nelson Pass designed.  I have read about a number of places that I can send the Adcom electronics to (one being Musical Concepts) who will replace capacitors and perform upgrades.  Do the upgrades put the equipment in the same category as modern electronics such as a Bryston or Conrad Johnson, or am I putting lipstick on a pig?  

golftime OP
15 posts
 
We are in a similar boat Rich.  Having recently retired at 60, I would like to use the equipment I have and save the major expenditure but clearly don't want to throw money at a lost cause.  The Grand Soliloquy's were great sounding speakers at the time and have been mentioned by others on this forum, but the company went belly up during some hard times.  In fact I used them to replace my Ohm Walsh 2's and felt they were a nice upgrade at the time.  As for the Adcom equipment, I found it to be good but alway felt it was a bit thin or harsh, although not as much as I hear now.  I appreciate the input from you guys.  I obviously have some decisions to consider.  
golftime OP
15 posts
 
First, thank you everyone for your responses.  The knowledge here is impressive.  I first took note of ebm's and several others suggestions to just move on with new equipment.  It is undoubtedly the simple and effective solution and I am going to give it serious consideration, particularly given the fact I am not sure any of my current components are worth trying to save.  

However besides the obvious issue of expense, replacing everything has other challenges.  I have been away from this stuff for about 20 years and the idea of starting the research all over is a bit daunting.  Making it even worse, there are almost no brick and mortar stores close to my house anymore......... other than Best Buy, which as was already mentioned, doesn't count.  

So here's where I'm at.  I let the system run several days, and although I sense some improvement, it's marginal.  I suspect the problem is more the electronics since the speakers were pretty innovative (Jim Vera design) when new and appear to be fine.  I also realize the Adcom amp, preamp and CD were probably just OK in their day, but are all weak links now.  Before I decide to simply move on, there are places such as Musical Concepts that claim they can perform mods/upgrades on the Adcoms that will smooth out the harshness and improve their overall warmth and sound - basically modernize them.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Is it too good to be true?  I realize this is somewhat subjective, but it would help to know if these mods are a viable option.  
jpl
golftime OP
15 posts
 
As you can probably determine from my first post, I was away from this for about 20 years - a long time.  When I started doing some serious listening to my system, I was obviously disappointed from what I heard.  As such, I had not set any budget.  I am working my way through all the usual questions - what are the weaknesses, what is needed to address those weaknesses, what are my options, what are the potential gains, and finally a personal decision, what is my level of commitment to make those changes.  There have been some responses here giving me different options with different costs, which I appreciate.

To answer the question, my sources are a 50-50 mix of LPs and CDs.  I also have a large number of digital downloads that I have never even played over my system - just listened thru a pair of Ultimate Ears earbuds.  

I agree with the suggestion that I first need to do some listening at an audio store to help me with those decisions, and see what "moves" me.  In the meantime, I plan to keep reading here including checking out the equipment being sold here.  Again, thank you for all the great responses and offers for assistance.  For someone who just jumped on here, you guys have treated me like an old friend.

golftime OP
15 posts
 
Sorry for the delayed response.  Been busy prepping for a getaway to some nicer weather - Florida.  To answer the question, I live in central PA, outside Harrisburg.  Not to refuse help, but I think I will at least start with an audition of all current equipment in an audio shop and see where technology has come, and then go from there.  Thanks all.
jpl
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