Experiment 2:
Add a MOSFET power amp
The fun continues with a bit of a random find: Adcom GFA5300.
Published stats are 80 watts per channel into 8ā¦. What interested me was the amount of comments saying itās a bit of beast & likely to be rated v conservatively.
According to tāinternet itās a Nelson Pass design that runs class A up to 10 watts. Although Adcom is an American brand, this range was built in China. So it was pretty affordable. Given the spec, the design & the lack of brand recognition vs Naim/Rotel/Quad/Linn etc I decided to take a chance on it.
(I did buy a matching pre-amp. Sadly that arrived with a smashed volume control & it was wedged in so I didnāt want to try and move it. Thatās going back & makes everything a bit easier.)
So, I plugged it in (via a 1000w transformer!) & all I can say is: wow š¤©. It makes the Rega & Audiolab sing.
Comments also said it gets really hot. Nowhere near as hot as the Rega during testing š
Saying goodbye to the Elicit tomorrow, so was nice to try this last comparison before it went.
Very long story short (over 6 pages on here), the Audiolab 8000LX & Adcom GFA5300 combo is going to make a fine non-overheating replacement. Thereās room to improve the pre-amp based on the comparisons, which I might think about rather than an integrated amp at some point in the future.
Once again, a massive thanks to everyoneās input, help & suggestions. Really appreciate it & Iāve learnt a tonne about stereos in this thread š