Kinda OT: Home Stereo System Hack

[Woody Sound]

I'm going to be doing some piece-by-piece upgrades to my home hifi system. While doing so, I need to set up something that's workable to get by. Can I drive my Adcom 555-II 200w pwr amp from the tape out from an old Technics receiver, using the receiver as a system components preamp and bypassing its own pwr amp circuit?

[Old Nick]

Tape Out is fixed line level, no volume control, right? So, no. You need a preamp output from the receiver, does it have one?

[Woody Sound]

Tape Out is fixed line level, no volume control, right? So, no. You need a preamp output from the receiver, does it have one?

No it doesn't, that's pretty much what I thought. I may just have the use the old Technics by itself until I get my preamp situation figured out.

[Old Nick]

Something along these lines could work

Amazon.com

Tape Out > this thing > power amp

Then adjust level on the gizmo..never done it myself tho'

[2bornot2bop]

The Adcom 555 was once rated by Stereophile Magazine to be a solid Class B component.

But that was way back in the early 90’s. Capacitors and Resistors have a shelf life of 20-23 years.

Your options are to acquire a new or used integrated amplifier, an all in one unit that handles everything, tube or solid state, or separate components, amp and preamp.

My recommendation. Integrated amplifiers have come a very long way. You can purchase a very good used tube integrated for $750, that will handle all of your audio needs.

If you don’t care for tubes then purchase a solid state integrated for a bit more. I recommend buying used. I’ve purchased used audio for 40 years. In fact, how’d I learn how to buy/sell, or flip guitars, especially when I was a piano player? Buying and selling used audio gear. I’ve bought and sold used audio for 35 years. In fact I just acquired this used tube integrated recently for $700.

Generally you can find used gear for 50/60 % off of retail. It’s like buying a new car. Once driven off the lot the price plummets.

Check out USAudioMart for any used gear. And if you see something that interests you, only buy from sellers that sell via PayPal. I don’t prepaid for audio gear without some protection.

Happy to assist if you ever have any questions.

Just a moment...

here’s that $700 tube integrated I purchased 2 months ago. It was built in 2022, so barely used. Of course I’ve upgraded the tubes to Genelex Gold Lion KT66’s and NOS 12AX7, and 12AU7 preamp tubes.

[icr]

Depending on your exact setup, you might be able to tap in to the volume pot, just before the power amp, and run some stereo coax to a spare output jack that is disconnected from its source. I was able to wire up a "Pre-Out" on one of my integrated amps that way.

This was totally reversible. In fact I reversed it a few years ago when I got a matching dedicated preamp for my power amp. So I did not need this jumper any longer.

[Woody Sound]

Thanks all. Actually, the Adcom is humming along just fine. <edit: Ha! Actually, no hum at all .> That little vol pot might come in handy. I'm trying to decide between a new preamp or a tuner/preamp. Already have a fine Magnum Dynalab tuner, but I'd like to add AM for news/sports/emerg, etc. I'd also like a remote with vol control.

[RJVB]

Does your Technics have an "equaliser loop"? If so that's where you should be able to pick up the preamp output.

I've just used an old NAD amp in a similar way, using its tape-out signal as one of the lines into a 2-input selector box which then drives the RCA inputs of a Douk ST01 Pro that's replacing the NAD for now. I found out that

- Tape-Out never caries the signal from the tape deck itself (so I connected that source to an unused input on the NAD)
- The NAD doesn't need to be powered on for this to work (as you'd expect), except for the phono input (also as you'd expect).

You could use an Ampapa A1 to add a bit of tube sound

[Jabberwocky]

I am a recovering audiophool. Owned Audio Research Corp, Krell, Conrad Johnson, Spectral Audio, Jadis, Naim Audio when their founders and owners were still around. A lot has happened since I stopped following the highend audiophool scene. $10 000 in 1990 bought you a top of the line pair of 150W Audio Research Classic 150 monobloks. Today, $10 000 buys you an integrated amp. The highend prices have gone from eye-blearying stupid to astoundingly stupefyingly gullible-idiot category. Where highend audio used to strive for state of the art sound reproduction, today, it is a Veblen good, the very definition of conspicuous consumption. The more outlandish the industrial design, the higher the price tag, the better it sells. Nobody wants hifi; they want Lamborghinis in the living room. The audiophool press is just as corrupt, colluding and conniving. They and the audiophool industry go hand in hand. You could blame the current excesses on the audiophool press. Forget the purple prose, excrescence of a fervid imagination. dCs Audio used to be a pro audio digital to analogue converter manufacturer. dCs Audio found out that they could repackage their stuff in a fancy looking chassis and resell the same thing for 5X to 10X the price and audiophools will lap it up. Instead of dealing with critical audio engineers, they can sell to overeager highly impressionable audiophools and charge any price they want. I understand the top of the line dCs DAC is about $250 000 today. The top of the line pro audio DAC used in the studio to make music replayed on a $250 000 dCs is about $10 000. Go figure. dCs Audio left the pro audio scene many years ago as have Mytek and Briscati. There is more gold with audiophools.

So I got off the carousel. What do I listen to today? I use active monitors by ATC and Genelec. My ADC/DAC is from RME Adi Pro BE(<$2500; I would get spat upon by an audiophool) and Prism Sound Atlas (about $4500 as I fuck around with recording these days). I use active monitors to eliminate an external power amp; I drive the active monitors directly from the RME ADC/DAC.

There remain a few hifi companies, mainly British, which hew true to their audiophile ethos: Rega Audio, Harbeth Audio, Exposure Electronics, Sugden Audio, Spectral Audio, Bowers & Wilkins, if you know where to look, Rotel, Parasound, Bryston, B&K et alia. The ones with the stupefying price tags much lauded by the audiophool press are inhabiting lalaland where they sell conspicuous lifestyle, not audio. They are all in collusion with each other.

Sorry for the long missive but don't get sucked into it by Stereophile or The Absolute Sound or guys who used to write for them. Most of these "influencers" with the ultra-expensive stuff get free goods, a friend of the industry steep discount or stuff on a very extended loan until the next model upgrade. The cycle repeats.

[Woody Sound]

I am a recovering audiophool.

I Iove that word.

[RJVB]

Just for giggles, get one of those piggy-back devices that you plug between the wall outlet and the device and tell you the instantaneous power draw.

I got mine out to test if the on/off switch on the PSU I bought for my ST01 disconnects the input or the output, and then on a hunch had a look at the NAD's power draw (it's a 3225PE from the early 90s). Turning it on from cold I saw a peak of almost 160W, and an idle draw of about 50W (without speakers attached or any input signal being amplified). I think the maximum I saw from the ST01 was around 17W. I'm not certain just how much power that little brick has, but it's probably more than the NAD, and definitely more than enough for me.

[Jabberwocky]

Sorry, Woody. I kinda lost it there.

The Adcom GFA500 is great. I remember checking it out, nay, AUDITIONING it. Whatever happened to Adcom? If you are looking for new speakers check out the Genelec, Amphion, Barefoot, Dutch & Dutch, Adam et alia. I would stay away from the high-dollar crap shilled by the audiophool press. Wilson Audio...gimme a fucking break!

[Jabberwocky]

Woody, do you have an audio interface? The Monitor Out of an audio interface can be patched into your Adcom with volume control. I presume you stream music from a laptop or computer.

[Woody Sound]

I Iove that word.

PS - He probably has no idea what most of the knobs and buttons and sliders do.

[gionnio]

Add this between your tape loop's line out and the input of your power amp:

Amazon.com

PS: Never mind that nonsense about capacitor lifespan. I have 3 GFA-555 amps and they all sound great!

Oops! Old Nick already pointed that out.

[Flowboy]

Crikey O Reilly! I once had a pair of Quad II power amps & valve preamp. When the original KT66's finally failed, the cost of replacement KT66's was astronomical, many times what I paid for the amps! I have a feeling they were in short supply around then. Anyway, too much for my young pockets at the time. I think I fitted some 6L6's which were much more in my price range.

How "hifi" does the OP want the setup to be? I bought a fairly cheap but useful phono preamp to enable us to have the deck & vinyl in one room, with the ss amp in another. At my age I've lost the top end of my hearing so the system sounds fine to me!

[RJVB]

Add this between your tape loop's line out and the input of your power amp

From what I understand that is just an attenuator that allows making a too-weak signal even weaker.

I'd like to add AM for news/sports/emerg, etc.

Are you sure you want to listen to that over a hifi stereo set-up? I for one can't stand hearing talkshows over big music loudspeakers.

[Woody Sound]

From what I understand that is just an attenuator that allows making a too-weak signal even weaker.

That's what I thought, but with Prime's free returns, it's worth a try.

[2bornot2bop]

For the record, I’ve never been an advocate of Stereophile Magazine. It’s only been a hype rag for Manufacturers.

I’ve never personally purchased gear based upon someone else’s recommendation. I attempted to share knowledge about how to acquire good used gear. But if a 35 year old amp is good enough to meet your needs, then good for you. This isn’t the place to discuss audio, for they’re aren’t that many around here who are motivated to own a solid system. They’d prefer having $10k into a single guitar. Different strokes for different folks.

[RJVB]

That's what I thought, but with Prime's free returns, it's worth a try.

Better try a direct connection first before going through the hassle!

[Woody Sound]

Add this between your tape loop's line out and the input of your power amp:

Amazon.com

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and opinions. Turns out the above little remote pot works perfectly from the Tape Out, then into the pwr amp. (See it sitting on the Bud.) The Adcom vol knob is disabled, and I just select the source with the "Recording" selector instead of "Listening."

[2bornot2bop]

That’s quite a stack. You could use a stereo rack. But you already know that.

[Woody Sound]

The reason I posted this here, is because that stereo system in my studio is my main practice accompaniment. Probably unlike most folks here who use computer things, I use CDs and radio to work on music, especially for learning music theater soundtracks. The little remote knob allows me to adjust the vol from where I'm sitting. I know it's old school, but that's me.