I too have owned the ST140 as well as the Adcom 535, 545 and 555. Believe it or not, the Adcom GFA-535 is, by a good margin, the best of the lot and puts out quite a bit more power than the rating would suggest. Perhaps it is due to it having seperate frame transformers for each channel as opposed to the single toroidial in the other amps. The B&K and bigger Adcoms just sound glazed and sluggish compared to it.
B&K vs Adcom – opinions please
I 'm looking to put together a 2-channel system with used mid-90s gear – either an Adcom GFA545 amp/GTP500II preamp-tuner or a B&K ST1400 amp (non-series II)/AVP1000 preamp-tuner. Each setup costs about the same. They will be used to drive a pair of bi-wired floorstanding 2-way speakers with 10” drivers and ribbon tweeters. I am looking for tight and full bass, good soundstage, and accurate highs for day in and day out listening. I listen to a range of music – jazz, rock, classical, vocals. I’d appreciate opinions on which amplification setup will give me better sound. Thanks for your help.