Really nice unit, there is nothing special to say about it, it just works great.I use it with another Adcom products like : power amp GFA-5500, cd player GCD-700, AC enhancer ACE-515 connected to pair of Energy C-4 speakers. I also use it with Sennhieser HD-600 headphones and it works pretty good too, but in my opinion those headphones need a tube amp. For those who wants to upgrade their 2 channel system to Dolby Digital AC-3 can get processor/amp Vantas DPA-S50(with 3 channel built-in amp 100RMS each).

Price, simplicity

I've had this unit for about three years, coupled to an Adcom GFA-535 amp and Mirage 895 speakers. I got an excellent deal on the amp/preamp combo (demo gear) and have really enjoyed the step up from my previous mid-level Denon receiver. For not much more than the cost of a receiver this combination delivers a cleaner sound, larger soundstage, and more airy highs. Not audiophile equipment, maybe, but certainly better than most of the Circuit City type gear.

Controls well laid out, transparent sounding, detailed, great soundstage, strong tuner

NONE

I'm simply amazed by some of the reviews below! I read some of the most preposterous, unfounded statements by people that certainly don't understand audio.

Adcom remains one of the best value products in the world. The bulk of their budget goes into R&D and it sure shows with this wonderfully made product! You're not getting a machine where the appearance challenges that of an art masterpiece. No, you're getting a machine that is designed to play music well and at an affordable price. Well, enough of the yacking and onto the review.

I set out a while back with two goals in mind. I first wanted a preamp that was neutral and I also wanted a good tuner. I had set my budget at 1,500 for the pair and I was quite confident that that budget was going to be broke.

Anyways, I went to my local audio store and told the salesmen what my needs were and he quickly said that I should go with an Adcom. I asked why and he instantly responded because they're the best value components made.

However, I decided that I would audition some rival products before I listened to the Adcoms. So, I listened to a Creek and was impressed but the sound seemed a bit sterile for my taste. I then listened to a Parasound but it seemed to thicken the soundstage. I even listened to a bottom rung Krell, even though I knew it far exceeded my budget, but it just seemed too dull sounding to me.

I finally got the opportunity to audition the Adcom GTP-450. I, of course, wasn't expecting the world from this but when I heard it I got the world! The treble was there but not too harsh, no thickening of the soundstage, very transparent etc...I simply could not believe what I was hearing! I told the salesman I was shocked and he simply replied that he was too when he first heard it!

The salesman then went onto say that the tuner was as good as the preamp! So, I decided to give it a listen and could not believe the strength of it as it was pulling in channels that I never got from my house and there wasn't any background noise!

Needless to say, I was hooked on this product and bought it that day. I still believe that Adcom produces the best bang for the buck electronics in the world. Again, you aren't paying for the cosmetics with them but the sound!

Similar Products Used:

Creek, Parasound, Krell, Thorens

Dynamic, transparent and absolutely reliable

None

I bought this unit second hand and it continues to perform flawlessly. It's very solidly built, has lots of features, and has more than enough inputs for all my gear. The remote allows me to run everything from my sofa, and works without a hitch. Sonically, this piece is awesome: clear and detailed with no noise, grain-free highs and deep, well-controlled bass. The tuner pulls in every station strongly. I haven't had a problem with overlapping FM signals or multipath here in the frequency-crowded Chicago area.

The GTP-450 is a big step up from my Onkyo receiver, and it provides the clean, dynamic sound I like along with a wider soundstage and sharper placement of instruments and vocals. With my speakers (PSB Stratus Silver) the treble is not shrill or uncomfortable anymore, and seems to have a lot more air behind it.

I'm using this pre-amp with the Adcom GFA-5400 amp, and the combination really does deliver the goods, "for not much more than the cost of a receiver" as the ad says. I've become so sold on Adcom that now I'm saving up for the GCD-700 CD player to replace my aging Sony!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Onkyo and Sony

eInputs, Bass and Trebble are at the extreme highs and Lows, that don't effect the mid bass or mid trebble.
This is important when using speakers that have a flat response.

No Phono Input.

In the Strengths, I forgot to mention that the FM tuner, is the best that I have ever had. You can almost use a paper clip for your antenna.
If you are using cheap speakers, forget the Bass and Trebble controls; most of these roll off at 60hz and 10,000 hz at the high end.
Most bookshelf speakers will not be able to use the boost and cut at the extremes, because they are not there.
I would suggest using speakers that have a fairly flat responce from 35 to 15,000 hz. This usually requires a floor standing speaker.
An equalizer will do nothing if the speakers can't create the low and high frequencies.
If not used carefully, equalizers can push your amp and speakers into damaging distortion.

Similar Products Used:

Phase Linear 4000

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muffled sounding

update to my review on 4/27/01-----I decided to pull my 1989 luxman receiver out of the attic and use the pre out jacks to connect the 5300 amp to them so the luxman is now my preamp(it's amp section no longer works on one channel)----all i can say is WOW WOW WOW--I knew in the back of my mind for almost 5 years that something was not right with this adcom equipment but my luxman is leaps and bounds ahead of the gtp-450 in bass,mids,treble and overall clarity ! I hate to say this but the adcom is a ripoff for the $500+tax i paid in '98---i hope not to offend anyone by my opinion but it makes me ill that i paid this much for adcom,however, at the time i was under the assumption that they are a high quality company--i do not know about their higher end preamps but I can guarantee that for the price of the gtp-450 you can find a better sounding pre-amp(probably the nad c-160) ! I'M still using the 5300 amp for horse power and it does a fine job and i'm glad to have luxman back in my stereo again ! I'm putting the gtp-450 up for sale on e-bay shortly and probably wont get squat for it since the tuner does not work--it came right out of the box not working---thanks a lot adcom !

Similar Products Used:

luxman R-113 receiver

tuner does not work

I almost cried when my luxman finally bit the dust in '98--they are continually out of buisness so I had to resort to Adcom--i thought this was a similar sounding setup but was wrong.Dont misunderstand me--the adcom is okay along with the 5300 amp-clarity does not compare to the luxman,however,it's not terrible--just average ! When i opened the new preamp up i found that the tuner does not work,but thats okay cause i hate the radio.The adcom appears to be a bit bass heavy and I have decent interconnects and speakerwire which greatly improves bass response and the mids are more clean and forward.I will say this setup drives my pair of paradigm model 11 v.2 wonderfully.I feel that the adcom equipment should be priced about a $100 dollars less though.My opinion as to rating them is due to the fact that their quality control department is terrible and their products are overpriced but this is just my personal opinion !

Similar Products Used:

luxman 35 watt receiver

transparent, good FM

needs a stereo/mono switch

No problems at all with FM bleed through. FM sound is very CD like and seems to have no coloration when a station plays a CD I have. Tried putting the Adcom in the tape monitor loop of another preamp. Could not tell when the signal was routed through the Adcom. So it passes the "straight wire" test. How many "high end" preamps can say that. If you don't like the sound, don't blame this preamp. Very nice tone controls. Only affect the extremes, so they're very good for touching up a CD or an FM station without affecting the midband. I agree with the comments on the contour control-it's worthless. Am using mine with an Adcom 535 Series II, a very nice match up.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Hafler, Dyna

I've listened to my GTP-450 now for about 5 months. I bought it along with an Adcom GFA-5500 amplifier. Presently, I have to say I am quite happy about the sound quality of my system. Since I purchased them together, I can not rate the amp and preamp separately. What helped me make my decision to buy Adcom was a short listening session at the local high end audio store. I listened to well produced jazz on a system consisting of B&W speakers, Adcom amp, Paramax line conditioner, and straight wire cables (I don't know the preamp). I was impressed. I knew that there were no weak links in that system. Since Adcom had the reputation of excellent value I decided to swipe the plastic. After I brought home the components, initially I was disappointed with the sound. I didn't realize that there was a break in period with amplifiers. After about 40 hours of listening time my system sounded much better, but still not as jaw dropping as in the audio store. The other components in my system must have been the weak points. So, I bought a Monster line conditioner and MIT speaker cables and interconnects. Wow, finally I was happy with the total sonic package.
I am not happy about the loudness compensation (contour) feature. It is simply on/off, it is not variable. When on, it does not seem to boost all the frequencies in balance. Too "boomy". I do like the FM reception. I have never my FM stations come in so clearly. Like previous evaluations of the GTP, I have heard the "bleed through" of FM stations when listening to CD's.

Sound Quality: ****
Features: ***
Ease of operation: *****
Remote Control: ****
Overall: ****

My system:
Adcom GFA-5500 amplifier *****
Adcom GTP-450, of course ****
Acoustic Research 308 HO's speakers *****
MIT Terminator 4 biwires speaker interfaces ***** (highly recommended)
MIT Terminator 3 interconnects ***** (highly recommended)
Monster HT 2000 line conditioner ***** (highly recommended)
Pioneer PD-M552 CD player ***
Cerwin Vega 150 watt powered sub ***

Nice unit. All it needs are discrete inputs allowing monitoring of tape loopswhile sourcing a CD. The dipole FM antenna is a bit unwieldy, but so what.
Couple this unit with a GFA-5500 and you've got a winner.