Yamaha 2500 + Adcom?

[bongobob]

I have a friend who has a 7 year old Adcom GFA 6000 he's not using. It has 100W X 3 and 60W X 2. Is there any advantage to using the Adcom for my mains and center and using the Yammy for the 4 rears? All comments welcome! Thanks, Bob

 

[jaxvon]

If it's free, why not? You certainly can't hurt anything and you may like what you hear.

 

[Nomo]

I have a friend who has a 7 year old Adcom GFA 6000 he's not using. It has 100W X 3 and 60W X 2. Is there any advantage to using the Adcom for my mains and center and using the Yammy for the 4 rears? All comments welcome! Thanks, Bob

Are you kidding? Go for it. If nothing else it will give the 2500 a break and extend it's life. Like Jaxvon said: it's free.
Honestly, there is a slight chance you may not like the difference in sound, but I doubt it.

 

[Leprkon]

Are you kidding? Go for it. If nothing else it will give the 2500 a break and extend it's life. Like Jaxvon said: it's free.
Honestly, there is a slight chance you may not like the difference in sound, but I doubt it.

more back-up for Nomo's continuing wisdom... the only real issue with the RX-V2500 has been the amount of heat it produces and the mostly ineffective and sometime noisy fan that comes with it. Offloading the fronts to a second amp has been heavily favored in these posts basically since the 2500 first came out. it will definitely add to system life.

it also adds to the INTIMIDATING SYSTEM factor when your friends come over to watch movies !!

 

[bongobob]

Actually I'm more of a music guy. I haven't had heat problems with the 2500 and I only heard the fan come on once or twice. The Adcom runs hot too or so I hear. The 2500 boasts 130 WPC but supposedly bench tests around 65W when in acual use. The Adcom supposeldy tests around 125W in the same situation. I know, it's the "All Channels Driven" thing. For practical purposes, will the separate amp deliver cleaner, higher power? And if so, will it be noticable? I have a pretty good ear for such things but it'll involve a major rack re-do to make the room and leave enough headroom for heat dissipation. The price IS right though Damn, I wish my '60's Fischer tube integrated amp had inputs....Still love that sound..... - Bob

 

[zumbo]

I doubt you will notice any difference based on the sensitivity and ohm rating of your speakers. I agree that it will extend the life of your receiver.

I am using a Yamaha 1400 with an Adcom 7605 amp. But, my speakers are 4ohm with a sensitivity of 87dB. There is no difference in the sound at low to normal levels, but at high levels (when I am alone kinda high levels), it makes a huge difference.

 

[PENG]

You said it yourself, the 65W is the "all channel thing". Otherwise, the 2500 should be able to deliver the 120 to 130W to 1, or 2 channels at the same time. If you are really good at hearing those minute differences, you may find the Adcom sound "different". Whether it means better, only you can tell. Much also depends on your speakers.

 

[bongobob]

Let's get a little esoteric now...I've always felt when listening to music that there is a certain point in volume where you go YeSSS. A bit below is acceptable but there is the Yesss factor boost which makes my ears happy. This point waries widley depending on the mastering of the record. I find it also can vary considerably between tracks. Louder than that is wasted unless you're trying to impress a crowd. Is it true that more clean wattage allows a better listening experiance at lower volumes? And I do agree that taking the pressure of of the 2500 is a good thing. I do like the proccesor in it. Nice and clean to my ears.... Bob

 

[Nomo]

Again, I think you may have answered your own question. I completely understand the point you're making with the "Yesss" factor.

How do you listen to music? I myself prefer, even 2 channel recordings, thru PLXII. Therefore, the addition of an amp on my fronts is a benefit to my set-up.

If you prefer music primarily, as many people here do, in 2.0 or 2.1 then the addition of an external amp is a waste.

 

[bongobob]

I'm a big fan of the Plxx2 Music mode. The Pure Direct on the 2500 is lacking for me in comparison. Sometimes I switch to the "staight" setting for the PLxx if there is already a wide soundtage in the recording. The question remains from an analytical standpoint, is there a gain by adding the Adcom in sound quality and if so, why? - bob

 

[PENG]

I'm a big fan of the Plxx2 Music mode. The Pure Direct on the 2500 is lacking for me in comparison. Sometimes I switch to the "staight" setting for the PLxx if there is already a wide soundtage in the recording. The question remains from an analytical standpoint, is there a gain by adding the Adcom in sound quality and if so, why? - bob

From an analytical standpoint, yes there should be a gain. The Adcom amp is designed to amplify only, whereas the 2500 has all sorts of components in one box and invariably compromise has to be made. The question is whether you can hear the difference. Based on my own experience (3805/Adcom GFA-555), the difference is minute, yours and others may differ.

 

[Nick250]

(snip) Is it true that more clean wattage allows a better listening experiance at lower volumes? (snip)

IMO if your speakers idling along using 2 or 3 watts it does not matter if the source of the 2 or 3 watts is from a 1000 watt amp or a 20 watt amp, it will sound just the same.

 

[bongobob]

That makes sense Nick. Why then buy an amp that has enough power to make your ears bleed three times over? Is it just a "Mine is bigger than yours" kind of thing?

 

[bongobob]

I hooked up the Adcom last night to drive my mains and center. The first thing I noticed was that those speakers were pushing more dB's than when driven with the Yamaha. After balancing the levels I sat back for a listen. Sounded great. Sounded great before too. It might have a bit of a warmer tone but it's really hard to tell since I can't A/B the setups. Yamaha still runs pretty hot even though I've taken off much of the load. The Adcom is nice and cool though. Must be those massive heat sinks

 

[Bobster]

BongoBob,

When you are running the Adcom, make sure you turn off the A and B speaker outputs on the Yamaha.

That will REALLY cool it off, and they aren't needed.

 

[zumbo]

BongoBob,

When you are running the Adcom, make sure you turn off the A and B speaker outputs on the Yamaha.

That will REALLY cool it off, and they aren't needed.

Yes, Yes. And also be sure Zone 2 and 3 are off as well.

 

[bongobob]

Thanks for the feedback! I never considered those options. Only thing is that I can't seem to turn off zone 3 and the manual is'nt much help in this regard. Any clues? Thanks, Bob

 

[zumbo]

I have a 1400. I can only tell you how to turn mine off.

I push the button "AMP" on the remote. I use the up arrow by the display on the remote until ZONE2 appears. Then I push "standby". Repeat for Zone3.

Always use the remote to turn the power on. The Zone2 and 3 turn on automatically when you use the power button on the receiver.

 

[bongobob]

Thanks! I had to teach the remote to set standy for zones 2+3. Now I have to figure out how to get this into my Harmony 880 - Bob

 

[Leprkon]

Yes, Yes. And also be sure Zone 2 and 3 are off as well.

you may want to check that in the manual, especially Zone 3.... I think that section of the amp drives your prescence speakers....