Seeking to upgrade a little

[wanderer456]

Starting a new setup. I am a novice and want to play a lot of traditional jazz, moderate to soft rock, older pop, and r & b. Shopping for some speakers, perhaps anywhere from Wharfendale to Mangepan ($800 budget). Looking at maybe a Rega RP1 turntable sometime soon. My question to you guys: I have an older, but solid, Sony DA333ES home theater amp. Should I just use it for now, or spend $300 on a vintage ADCOM GFA-545 II Amp & SLC-505 Preamp? Thanks in advance

 

[americanaudiophile]

The Adcom separates will sound better than the Sony HT amp. They will drive the speakers much better. They are quite reliable. If the price is fair go for it. You can then upgrade later and probably get all or most of your money back. The only issue is if the passive preamp will provide enough output to drive the amp with the speakers you choose. A passive preamp doesn't add any gain to your sources so sometimes sounds compressed and lacking in bass compared to an active preamp. The upside is it won't change the sound of your sources at all.
The baby Maggies are great but you will need to position them with great care which can be hard to do if the room won't allow it. They may not give you the bass you want either. Listen carefully to them and check out the reviews and owners manual to find out if you can set them up right. The Adcom will drive them fine.
You will need a phono preamp since the Adcom is a line stage.

 

[wanderer456]

americanaudiophile: thank you for your prompt response. I'll consider selling the Sony amp and surrounding Energy surround speakers. I haven't used the setup in years. I also have a Paradigm PDR 10 sub that I used with the HT, but won't be able to use as low frequency support for the speakers.I will consider another amp/preamp combination that may support the sub or I will sell it as part of the HT package and reconsider spreakers. Again, thank you for the valued feedback