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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
roseofsa's avatar
roseofsa
51 posts
 
I've had some build quality/reliability issues with Advent. Take a look at NAD and Parasound 
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Upgrade everything and enjoy.
vsollozzo
58 posts
 
Golftime, I envy your golf time! congrats on your retirement! 

I had an Adcom 555/555 set for a while in one of my setups. Adcom was good value for money in the 90s, but I was shocked when an unassuming little Naim Nait 5i integrated amp that I had bought used simply made music more enjoyable.

If you gave me your rig, I'd ditch the Adcom front end, right down to the CD player. I'd want to see what those speakers and a little tuning to your Beolab can do with better electronics in the chain before condemning those.

I really like mesch's suggestion to borrow a nice integrated to try in your setup. If you are in Virginia, let me know. I'd be willing to bring a couple of mine over for you to try. I don't have anything high end, but everything I have I preferred to the Adcoms in any speaker matchup I've tried.

Another option is to try something like MusicDirect online that has a 60-day return policy. Contact them first to see what exactly it entails, but it is an option. If I were in your shoes, I would contact them to try a Rega Elex-R to see how that works in your system, better or worse. It may at least be a way to shortcut yourself to some answers about your turntable and speakers. If it works a treat, you know you are on the right path. Another option is something like a Naim Uniti or other all-in-one type product which may not be your cup of tea, but that may let you assess what replacing your entire front end electronics in one go would do for you without getting into mixing and matching a bunch of differing components.




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
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,748 posts
 
So here comes the big question ... what is your budget for replacing the preamp/ amp/ and player?  If you are considering new, I believe that you are looking at 3 to 4k for an integrated and CD player from companies like Creek or Rega.  If you like receivers, there is the Outlaw RR2150, which I have been using for 10 years, which would leave you plenty of dollars for a CD player and new cartridge.

Rich
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