Gfp Review Article Text

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In recent years, adcom has carved an enviable niche for themselves in the entry level category of high end audio. Their excellent gtp 400 tuner/preamplifier, which i reviewed in september 1989 vol.12 no.9 , has further enhanced their reputation for musically satisfying sound at affordable prices. The gfp 565 was designed to offer more than simply excellent performance for the price asked.

This new arrival is adcom's attempt at manufacturing a preamplifier which can compare favorably to the most expensive state of the art products offered by other high end manufacturers. As such, its $798 price tag is still reasonable, especially when the 565 is compared with other preamps in the under $10 price range. I'd like to correct a potential misunderstanding a dealer i know was even confused regarding adcom's current product line. Although the physical appearance of the gfp 565 is virtually identical to adcom's older gfp 5 preamplifier, the 565 bears absolutely no internal resemblance to the 5, and as such it is not an updated gfp 5. Adcom is preparing a completely redesigned gfp 5, called the gfp 5 ii, which will retain the physical appearance and $500 price tag of its predecessor.

By retaining the same case, front, and rear panels used in the gfp 5 for both of their new preamps, adcom has been able to put all of their money into the circuitry of these new products, rather than spending some of it retooling the mechanical parts. Like the gtp 400 tuner/preamp, the gfp 565 combines the design talents of walt jung and adcom's product development director c. The 565's main amplification circuitry and power supplies were designed by walt, while component selection was a collaborative effort.

Walt's contributions involve far more than the fine tuning of existing circuitry, since the phono preamp and line level stages employ unique circuit topologies which he developed. Walt's reputation as the foremost authority on the use of ic op amps in high performance audio circuitry is further reinforced by the gfp 565 preamp, in my opinion. Victor campos brought his rare talents for realizing a first class design through the final stages of production without compromising the performance along the way. In fact, the production version of the gfp 565 is, if anything, slightly better than the pre production prototype i first evaluated. As has been the case with other adcom products, the 565 is completely american in design, and although the main printed circuit board is manufactured in the far east, final component assembly and testing are done right in east brunswick, nj. The gfp 565 was designed to satisfy purists, who normally demand as simple a signal path as possible, as well as those audiophiles in need of a full featured preamp.

These two seemingly contradictory requirements were addressed by supplying the 565 with three sets of outputs. No tone controls or filters corrupt the signal path when the bypass outputs are used, but the balance control is still operational. The bypass outputs are also direct coupled, eliminating any possibility of sonic degradation normally associated with coupling capacitors. The bypass outputs still allow the use of an external processing loop, so they are not absolutely purist in the sense of minimizing every possible switch contact.

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A mono switch and loudness contour are also available when the bypass outputs are used, but the contour switch and its associated filter components are connected to a tap on the volume control, so these components and switch contacts are not in the signal path. Like the gtp 400, the loudness contour's characteristics are based on the studies of robinson and dadson. The contour characteristics are gradually reduced as the volume control is advanced, but the circuit should be switched out when listening at normal volume levels. Similarly, the mono switch does not actually place contacts in the signal path it simply connects the left and right channels together. A few purchasers may wish adcom had included separate left/right mono switching, helpful for playback of the double duration mono cds from rodolphe productions.

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