March 8, 2012

• Adcom GCD-700, Part 1

  20 years ago, sick of grunge and rap, people turned to the new jack swing of Joe Public.  By the spring, all of the NBA's arenas were playing Joe Public's anthem, "Live And Learn."  Since then, a steady stream of "jock jams" anthems have arrived, so we don't usually hear "Live And Learn" any more.  But I have it, and during the mid-90s, when I went on my high-end audio binge, I used it to audition gear.  Perhaps if you were also at San Francisco's Ultimate Sound, you overheard me playing it.  Live and learn, baby!

  FML!  FML!  FML!  My mom recently cleaned out my bedroom closet [at my parents' place].  Among all my belongings, she came across a bag, which held my girlfriends', um, mementos.  If it had been a box instead of a bag, it would have been an Ex-Box.  Included in that bag were some of ACS's underwear.  So let's backtrack.  While still in college in the mid-90s, ACS worked part-time at a few Bay Area Victoria's Secret stores.  I'm not sure if she ever worked at the Union Square store, close to Ultimate Sound.  I learned that, at [her parents'] home, ACS slept in a t-shirt.  When living by herself, ACS, so long as it wasn't cold indoors, preferred to sleep topless.  In college, with roommates and housemates around, ACS usually slept in camisoles. 

  Correction.  If the camisole extended below the hips, ACS said, "Nnnn, it's a babydoll."  Live and learn, baby.
  
  One morning, instead of putting on the babydoll above, ACS gave it to me as a memento.  It came with matching panties, but she didn't give those to me   I remember her saying that the babydoll was "a bit long" for her.  It was long enough, that it covered her entire butt.  Furthermore, she said that the red color was "too conventional."  If she had a favorite lingerie color, it was probably green.
  
  While ACS was a VS employee, Adcom came out with the GCD-700 5-disc CD changer.  It sports the conventional Adcom aesthetics.  Perhaps this look was popular in the late-80s, but during the mid-90s, it had started to become dated.  I think the GCD-700 retailed for $700.  That put it above mass market CD players, but well below high-end audio's norm.  Problem was, while the GCD-700 was on the market, audiophiles were hot after separate (single-disc) CD transports and DACs.  Audiophiles, in their infinite wisdom, looked down upon CD changers.  Those audiophiles who were in the market for a CD changer predominantly went with models from Anthem and California Audio Labs.  In the 80s, several Adcom models were available in black and white.  Unlike the Adcom of the 80s, and especially unlike VS underwear, the GCD-700 was not available in multiple colors.  Indeed, it was only available in black.  However, like other black Adcom gear, the GCD-700 is in neutral shade of black.  It is neither matte nor gloss nor inky black.  ACS had fun mixing and a top which was a different color from her panties.  Likewise, the neutral black GCD-700 can look good next to silver-colored gear, white speakers, maple racks/shelves, a red Rega turntable, and especially, champagne-gold Conrad-Johnson components.
  
  Just as ACS's babydoll covered her rear, I will, in future posts, cover the GCD-700's rear panel.  But do note that it is not cluttered with tightly-packed jacks and switches.
  
  IIRC, my Adcom GTP-400 tuner/preamp and GFA-535 power amp were made in Taiwan.  There were no indicators on my Adcom ACE-515 powerline conditioner and GFT-555II tuner as to where they were made.  Just like ACS's red mid-90s VS babydoll, the GCD-700 was made in China.  And if you still have a box of mementos from old boy/girlfriends, make sure no one else discovers it!  Live and learn, baby...     
  

  • 3:37 am
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