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Review 3 of 25
Price Paid:
$250.00
from eBay Summary:
Hello music lovers,
Several years ago, after about 2 years of searching, I bought a pair of Zingali Overture 4b's, an Italian-made high effeciency horn-loaded floorstander that will shock most with it's ballance and realism, particularly in the mid- and upper-freqs. With my budget, owning such an amazing pair of speakers seemed unlikely, but got them realitively cheap as a trade in from someone who upgraded to a higher-end Zingali. However, my associated equipment was (and still is) in a far lower league than the Zingalis and budgetary constraints will probably keep it that way for some time to come. Sure, I feel a little guilty for not pairing more worthy equipment with these speakers, but what can I do? I'm just a blue-collar guy with a great pair of speakers and a love for music.
So, bang for the buck upstream gear will be necessary for a while.
Before, I was using a borrowed HItachi A/V pre with a fairly decent Sony N80ES power amp (200wpc, totally unnecessarry for the 94db rated Zingali's, but it's what I could afford). Still, I got to enjoy listening to music, but I knew these speakers were just waiting to show me more of what they had.
I fist started by getting a pair of SignalCable's Silver Resolution bi-wired speaker cables, which for a reasonable price showed a marked improvement over the generic 12ga copper stuff I had previously.
After breaking these in and listening for a while longer, I decided that a new dedicated two-channel pre would help, so I began the research process, which for me always lasts a very long time, due to my wanting the best I can get for my money. I've always been a somewhat obsessive researcher.
After reading many favorable reviews on this sight and other audio forums, I found a used ADCOM GFP 565 on eBay for about $250. It showed up clean and in quite nice condition. After hooking it up a played several well-recorded pieces through it I was instantly impressed. I played several tracks from FOURPLAY's first CD, several from Diana Krall's "LIve From Paris", some from Casandra Wilson's "Blue LIght 'Til Dawn" and "New Moon Daughter", some from Lyle Lovett's "Joshua Judges Ruth" and a few other Jazz tracks from various well recorded collections, wanting to put the system though it's paces.
The ADCOM sounded wonderful (grin). The soundstage expanded in all directiions, airy yet realistic, with good imaging showing increased instrument seperation and a nicely focused center image. The mid and top end was sweet and warm, but still maintained decent clarity, detail and air. The ADCOM's bass was a very distinct improvement from the HItachi's. It was deep and tight with good extension. After extended listening I almost felt there was perhaps too much bass, maybe a touch of artificial bloat added to satisfy those fond of such a presentation. I was concerned that it might be affecting the mids, preventing some vocal clairity from being revealed.
So, I replaced the interconnects between the ADCOM and my amp with a very nice pair of silver/copper hybrids. A fairly new company, AudioArt Cables, came to my attention via AudioGon one day. Their line of cables is manufactured to their specs for them by DH Labs and have prices as good as I've seen. Rob Fritz, the CEO of AudioArt Cables even hand-signed a thank you note on my invoice when the IC3 cables showed up and we have exchanged e-mails several times since the purchase--excellent product, customer service and ridiculously fast shipping times.
Anyway, after the IC3's considerable break-in period (200hrs, and well worth the wait...just read the reviews!) the system had undergone more changes, all of which were for the better. The ADCOM now, while still sweet and pleasant in the mid and hi freqs., revealed so much more...a veribable plethura of detail and space. The earlier bass bloat I was hearing with my RadioShack level copper I.C.'s was long gone. The bass is now even deeper and more articulate, quick and tight and solid without sounding overblown. I used to think my Zingali's bass response was just a little slow and overly thick (or thin depending on upstream components)--the speaker's only weakness, but I'm a moron! This speaker doesn't have any. My associated equipment was the only holding them back. The overall sound is so clean, natural, revealing and ballanced, a guy could cry.
Even without pairing these stunning Zingali's with valves (as the manufacturer recommends), my little system sounds borderline spactacular. The ADCOM and some nice cables have really transformed this system into a fatigue-free, open, airy, ballanced, detailed, dynamic soul-mover.
"Perhaps I'm just vain?" you ask....just impressed due of the simple fact that it's mine? I suppose that is a possibility, though I generally consider myself a skeptic and a picky person where sound quality is concerned. Being a long-time musician, I cannot bear hearing music that sounds cheap and cheesy (I don't mean inexpensive, mind you, just sub-par...you know, harsh, muddy, veiled, etc...).
Granted, with the exception of the Zingalis, non of my equipment is what could be considered "high end". Mid-fi, I believe is the going descriptive. I guess I'm finding that even inexpensive components, carefully mated with each other can produce a truely wonderful result.
Could my system be better...yep!
But do I bask in luxurous, engaging, lump-in-the-throat generating music reproduction that sometimes makes my hair stand on end and even periodically moves me to tears despite the fact that my car still costs more than my stereo system?
Yes I do!
Admittedly, I attribute the majority of this joy to the Zingalis themselves. No question, they are wonderful and in a league with few peers at their, or dare I say most, price- points.
But the ADCOM is a diamond in the rough. For thier going used price... come on! Sure, I don't have much to base my opinion on, I'm still a budding audiophile. I'm doing my homework and paying my dues though, getting Stereophile, reading lots, listening to everything I can and talking to those in the know. Still, I've heard enough to conclude that this ADCOM 565 is well worth even it's original MSRP. I can't really find much to complain about with this piece. It looks like an ADCOM--to some that's bad. If your eyes are closed when the music is playing, who cares? Admittedly, I too enjoy merely looking at stereo gear...somehow just knowing what it's for makes this stuff beautiful in one way or another. But really, it's liking what you hear that ultimately matters.
With the ADCOM GFP 565, I unreservedly do. 'nuf said.
Strengths:
Bang for the Buck, galore! Deep, solid bass. Clean, open, sweet, detailed mids and highs. Quiet. Very nice, ultra-quiet, phono section. Nice soundstaging and imaging. Easy on the ears (No fatigue). Makes you want to listen to music........ a lot! Weaknesses:
Not the prsettiest thing you ever layed eyes on.
Weeknesses other than that? For about $300, surely can't be seirious? (I am serious...and don't call me Shirley.) Similar Products Used:
AMC, SoundSource, B&K, auditioned some nice tube pre's (AudioNote, wow!), but I can't afford anything like that yet.
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