Price Paid:  $900.00 from OneCall

Summary:
The Adcom GFA 5500 is a great amp. Too bad Adcom is no longer making power amplifiers. I wanted to purchase the GFA 5802, but their were none to be found brand new at the time I wanted to purchase an amplifier. Discontinued items suck. Adcom definetly needs to manufacture more power amplifiers like they have in the past. I hate 3 to 7 channel amplifiers for audio, they're okay for surround sound but not for audio reproduction. I haven't been disapointed by purchasing this amplifier, it produces clean sharp bass. Tight bass. Real tight bass. If you're the type of person who likes muddy bass, this amp is NOT for you!!! The distortion LEDs work! They let you know when the source music is crappy or there's just too much umph from the source calling for bass. This amp definetly rocks! I've got a fan installed on the back of the enclosure I placed the amp in because of my old Yamaha M-80 power amplifier. Even with the fan the Yamaha got hot, the Adcom stays cool with the fan going, it's awesome and I'm driving this amplifier @ 2 Ohms driving 2 Cerwin-Vega DX-9s per channel, this baby cranks!!!

Strengths:
POWER! POWER! POWER! Without losing fidelity.

Weaknesses:
This amplifier doesn't have vue meters like the Yamaha M-80. That's all I could think of that this amplifier lacks.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha M-80

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Price Paid:  $500.00 from ebay

Summary:
The ADCOM GAF-5500 has been a welcome addition to my audio system for over a month now. I find it absolutely superb. I was a little reluctant to purchasing this unit because of some of the reviews that was posted on this site, but after listening to it in my system I have no regrets. The entire musical range is very detailed at any listing level. I am particularly impressed by listening at high sound levels for extended periods without fatigue. I have no idea what another reviewer meant by saying that it got dull and tiring. I have several pairs of speakers including, Infinity Kappa 6, Infinity RS-6b, Rectilinear III, and a pair of speaker that I built myself. This amp has no problem driving any of them. Since it has so much clean power, ear shattering volumes can be obtained in my rather large family room without any clipping. This is a truly impressive amp for the money. Certainly, there are many amplifiers on the market that sound better if you are willing to pay considerably more. Overall, the ADCOM GAF-5500 is an excellent sounding amplifier and is hard to beat in its price range. I am really puzzled by the widely contrasting reviews. I guess with this amp, you either love it or hate it. I would strongly recommend this amp to anyone that is interested in purchasing an amplifier in this price range.

Strengths:
Detailed sound stage, ability to drive finicky low impeadance speakers, seemingly unlimited power, rugged construction

Weaknesses:
Runs hot, feel of the power button, power consumption

Similar Products Used:
Harmon Kardon Citation 16, Sony TA-N330, Maranz 250, Dynaco 400, Dynaco 120, BGW 500

Price Paid:  $800.00 from dealer

Summary:
I haved used this amp for over two years, to drive NHT 3.3s. Pre-amp Adcom GFP 750, Philips SACD 1000, Marantz CC9100 CDP, MIT Terminator 2 cables, DH Labs/Monster ICs.
I think this is an excellent amp and is a real value for money. It also extremely reliable, works flawlessly. This said, I cannot wait to upgrade to a more powerful amp - it somehow does not drive the gorgeous NHT 3.3s the way a real beast can. After a lot of research I have decided to replace this with an used Krell 100S.
My thought is - if you are driving average speakers, this is a great choice and is a real bargain (can be found real cheap at audiogon). But if you want to do justice to your full-range, 350W + speakers, something with more power and speed becomes essential.

Strengths:
powerful within its limitations
very reliable
a bargain

Weaknesses:
limitations become apparent with real good speakers.

Similar Products Used:
None, but audtioned Krell, CJ, Plinius (at least 3 times the price)

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Following up after several years use...
Earlier I would say good amplifier.
Now after 7 years use in many various
sytem arrangements,several speakers,and
cabling changes....this is a really exellent power amp.Here is what I have
learned so far,Adcom 5500 rewards you
with care in set-up.I re-read most of the 56 other posts.I agree with these earlier
observations;Reaches equalibrium at 2 plus
hours music signal.Use really good cables
and pre-amp this amp keeps up.Put it on a very solid stand(may I recomend stone slabs x2 with lead between.Give it lots of air to cool.Good power outlet like 20 amp service.Decent source/speakers like
you might pair with $2500-3000 level amps.
Makes exellent top amp in giant killer bi-amp set-up.(have had fun seeing reactions to listeners of my medium room rig)
Run short interconnects,and speaker leads.
Use in a bi-amp config but try pairing it
with the much cooler running efficient 555II doing bass duty(very cheap used)
The 555II will reach best sound faster so hold out thru 2 plus hour warm-up.

Strengths:
Very nice upper end from lower mids on up to very top,detailing very good.Great
micro-dynamics(once warmed up)and good
liquidity.Very good in all aspects for image wide,deep,detail up to point it goes into class AB.

Weaknesses:
Warmer bass(weakness for me)runs hot,long
warm-up.Springy power switch creeps me out
every time I turn it on(but it has worked
all these years knock-on-wood)
Chassis and heat-sinking seem to be where Adcom cut building cost,put it on really solid surface.

Price Paid:  $850.00 from Harvey's NYC

Summary:
Very clean. You don't get any cleaner, at any price. But poor dynamics gets dull after a while, soon tiring, and eventually irritating. How can a 200-watt amp sound so dead? I sent it to a Chicago custom-mod shop that made the midrange sparkle a bit, but it's still a lifeless amp. Finally sold it and returned to my old Dynaco Stereo A410, with new Dynaco audio transformers from a British supplier (took forever for them to ship here). Sorry, but the old Dyna is still a masterpiece. I'd have to spend upwards of $10,000 to do better. As for the Adcom, it's a pleasant chunk for those who like a really laid-back sound, but those who want something akin to live music will have to look elsewhere.

Strengths:
absolutely no audible distortion whatosever.

Weaknesses:
Sounds dead. No oomph.

Similar Products Used:
Dynaco Stereo A410