warmer pre-amp for Adcom GFA 555II

Gabus you can email Joe.His Agon username is Jpzhou.He normally auctions the Dareds on Audiogon and Ebay.I have no affiliation with this company ..just a happy customer.I think there's one or two Dared dealers on this site as well.The A versions are the models with the remotes.I also own some Deftecs and use them for HT...In this department they are king in my book! Take your time and enjoy the trip as far as the upgrade road goes. If you go Dared ..you will find it's very refined with a beautiful midrange and great low level detail.I compared it to a $2000.00 tubed preamp(name undisclosed) and the Dared made this highly regarded unit sound like the singers had cotton stuffed down their throats! So generalizing on prices isn't the ticket when comparing this stuff.You will eventually retire the Deftecs to HT duty in time I am sure... if you are into two channel music.And depending on the selection of speakers you will find your 555 isn't as harsh as you might think.I have fallen asleep while listening to music because it was so soothing ..so harshness isn't something I can deal with while listening to music.

I suggest going with some used magneplanars or electrostats if your music falls into this kind of refinement.There's also a reason why some of these guys on this forum have the same Quads or Maggies they bought 15 yrs ago..hooked to an amp they bought 15 yrs ago.Simple put they haven't heard anything that was leaps and bounds more pleasing than it.And see no reason to waste the money trying to impress other people.

Have Fun and Enjoy the Trip! It is the Best Part!

Thanks all for your quick responses. I’m looking for a line preamp, no phono stage needed. Denon DVD-1600 (24bit/192sampling DAC) as the main input plus a digital cable TV box and a Sirius satellite radio, so 3 inputs would be nice.

Pmwoodward: I’m using SignalCable analog2 ICs http://signalcable.com/analogtwo.html Would require a minimum of 3 sets to change. Any suggestions that are moderately priced?

Gmood1: I’m having trouble finding much info on the Dared SL2000a. The Dared site lists a SL2000 but not a SL2000a, is that the remote version? Where can I buy one..dealers? My web searching doesn’t turn up any current info other then the Dared site.

Soundwatts and Rx8man: The CJ PV11 looks about right. Small enough to fit in my current space and has 2 outputs but seems to be very much in demand judging by the wanted adds and lack of for sale listings. I see plenty of PV10s and PV12s for sale are they similar in sonic qualities? If I buy a pre with only one set of outputs is there a penalty for using Y cords or the Y adapter that Tara Labs sells http://www.taralabs.com/catalog/catalog_product.asp?ID=F5A15198D520443AB580515FA56108CE ?

JAB: Thanks for the warning :)

Brainwater: Starting to agree with you on the harshness of the Adcoms and DefTechs especially in a pretty bare 18x18 room. Will try another pre-amp before I start over again(wife will love to hear that!)

I have an unlisted system in a spare bedroom now that mirors your s. I have a pair of 555 11 s running Avalon Arcus and am using the ls3b to good results. The 555 11 is a beefy abiet harsh amp . Reliable however. Does nicely for dynamic theatre applications but I would not use it for building a dedicated 2 channel system . But thats just me . At least not for the long term. The ls3 was a massive improvement from the Adcom preamp I had it paired with earlier this week. Bigkids hit it nicely in that the source component is going to be critical. An inexpensive cd or dvd on those amps can be messy . Jab s use of a VAC sounds superb and from there you will end up selling the Adcoms and be on to something special. I had 7 of the Adcoms running at 600 w mono on a 7 channel theatre at one time and found it to be thrilling and bulletproof. They were on 7 bp 2000 s then Polk SRT s . On the Def Tech , it was open , atmospheric and dynamic but imaging was for crap and therefore had no real audiophile merit. The Def Techs are on the bright side and so is the Adcoms so you have a challenge on your hands. Sandy makes great speakers for theatre however so it will be fun taming the room and finding an appropriate source component. The old CAL 2500 dvd worked great for me in that system by the way as the digital output was nearly as transparent as the analog. Be aware that that unit has bugs and I am having real trouble getting mine serviced correctly as we speak. Good luck.

There was a nice audio research sp-6 for sale on this site. Very nice piece also has a great phono stage to boot!

A CJ PV11 is a great choice, or an Audible Illusions Modulus 2D (had both). Assuming you're running a digital front end, I'd try to stay with a good used player or better yet, a good used tube dac, and you'll be there. At this level you can do all the above at a quite reasonable price.
As Bigkidz said above, pay good attention to your front end (CDP,DAC), this can make or break a system.

Conrad-Johnson PV11. I used this with a 555mk11 with good results really smoothed out the mids and highs.

What is your source?

Hello Gabus,
I and another Agoner have had great results using a Dared SL-2000a tubed preamp with the 585 Adcoms.It has plenty of gain and matches nicely with the impedence.It is extremely quiet no hums or hiss. You also get a RF remote all for around $300.00 new.It has two inputs ..no phono. I have yet to see one put up for sale on the used market since they were released.I have a audiophile friend that has owned hundreds of pieces of Audiophile equipment from speakers,amps.. to preamps (he has albums of pictures to prove it).He is still amazed at how good this preamp is!That should tell you something about the product and the happy audiophiles that own them.

Good Luck!

Hi Gabus,

Have you considered a different IC? Not sure what you are using now for an IC, but a swap may indeed take the edge off the brightness.

Best of luck, Paul