Arcam A19/Creek 50A/Roksan Kandy?

[Daveperc]

OK - it seems that it won't be too long now before I get my hands/ears on my EB2 speakers - which means I have to start thinking Amps. The speakers are renounded for their clarity, and I listen mainly to folk/rock/country (and lots of it 20 years or more old!). Primary source is a Cambridge Azur 640H though I also stream spotify DAC will be next on shopping list) and also play vinyl on AR77XB.

I've narrowed down my options to probably the three above based on a lot of reading here. Be interested to hear people's "contrast and compare" responses to any pairing of the above.

Obviously I will be listening to all three, though one of the challenges seems to be finding a dealer who carries all three. I suspect multiple visits which will be required and that may make comparing more tricky

All help gratefully received!

Dave

 

[Vladimir]

The new Roksan Kandy K2 BT has both excellent phono section and embedded DAC via bluetooth streaming, not to mention pristine clean and smooth sound with loads of clean power on tap.

Highly recommended.

 

[danrv]

For those music styles or any for that matter, the Kandy in fantastic. Smooth delivery with great midrange and has the abilty to make rock and country really kick without harsh or untidy treble.

 

[radiorog]

Do not buy any without listening with your speakers. My speakers made the a19 sound awful.I couldn't believe it when it started getting good reviews.had almost literally zero bass.needs efficient speakers.

 

[Al ears]

Good though the Roksan is I would personally go with something without the 'bells and whistles', and especially with the EB2's I'd be putting my money on the Creek.

 

[matthewpiano]

Do not buy any without listening with your speakers. My speakers made the a19 sound awful.I couldn't believe it when it started getting good reviews.had almost literally zero bass.needs efficient speakers.

+1. Excellent advice.

 

[BigH]

Out of those I preferred the Creek but good luck finding a dealer who stocks them. You can try them at home for 2 weeks but then you have to pay for return to Creek. For me the Arcam was too refined and sounded like listening to hifi rather music. The RK has more power but for me lacked a bit of clarity maybe the bass was too prominate but I don't like a lot of bass, for me the Creek was just right very musical but it will depend on your speakers. For folk/country I would pick the creek, for rock maybe the RK. Creek does not have a phono stage as standard.

 

[matthewpiano]

It would be worth seeking out a pre-owned or ex-demo Creek Destiny or Creek Destiny 2. Beautiful, fluid sounding amplifier - one of the very best under £2k in my opinion.

I would also say, don't under-estimate the Cambridge Audio 851A. It is beautifully built and has a very refined sound with lots of very stable power behind it.

BigH hits on a relevant point. Finding dealers for some brands is getting very difficult. There is some beautiful kit out there by companies like Creek, Quad, Audio Analogue, Sugden, Castle, Exposure etc. but some of it is extremely hard to track down for an audition as many dealers seem to simply concentrate on stocking the same old stuff, much of it WHFS&V Award Winners. It is a shame, because there is much more to music and hi-fi than that.

 

[BigH]

Yes good point about used gear, I thought similar after demos, the Creek 50A was good but seemed quite expensive at £700, I'm sure you could get a used amp for around that thats much better, brands like Creek, Leema, Exposure, Electrocompaniet and Sugden spring to mind.

 

[Daveperc]

Many thanks for your various thoughts. I was hoping someone might be able to offer a "compare and contrast" type view - I did find a brief comparison in the Stereophile review of the A19 which has helped me. I also built myself a comparison spreadsheet and in the process realised that the Roksan is too deep to fit in my rack - so that probably rules it out.

And I have found a couple of local(ish) dealers who can demo both the Arcam and Creek with my speakers so that should help me decide between the two.

Have thought about second hand, but given I really want to hear before buying it's not really an option.

Demo's next week I hope

Dave

 

[Daveperc]

Had another thought - what about the Croft Integrated??

Reviews and opionions on here pretty good it appears, but will 45W per channel be enought to control the speakers??

Am planning to have a listen - though I really can't find anyone stocking all three so it's going to be hard to really compare.

Dave

 

[davedotco]

Possibly some of my posts regarding the Croft.

It really is a niche product, but that niche is all about the sound quality.

If you can live without a remote and have reasonably sensitive speakers the Croft can sound sensational. A hybrid design that does not go out of its way to sound 'valvy', just very natural with that 'listen into the music' quality that I associate with more expensive and capable product.

Really not sure of a speaker match though, for my own requirements I would want something in the 90dB sensitivity range......... :?

 

[Daveperc]

Yep some of your posts - but also some of the reviews.

I really like the fact that it's about the clarity and musicality - features that also led me to choose the EB2's. The are 87dB sensitivity so not too bad - and I don't need/want massive volume - so it's really about whether there is enough muscle there to control the speakers.

I guess listening is the only way!

Dave

 

[davedotco]

Yep some of your posts - but also some of the reviews.

I really like the fact that it's about the clarity and musicality - features that also led me to choose the EB2's. The are 87dB sensitivity so not too bad - and I don't need/want massive volume - so it's really about whether there is enough muscle there to control the speakers.

I guess listening is the only way!

Dave

I forgot about the EB2s. If it were me I would be looking for a little more power, I have a 'thing' about dynamics, transient response, whatever.

I find it very hard to listen to systems that fail to keep up with the dynamic shifts of the music, a fault I find all to obvious on many modern systems at the budget end of the market.

 

[Philim]

2nd hand nait xs...

 

[RLCCM]

I had a similar question not so long ago. I heard the Creek and Arcam, even a more expensive Roksan... I from what I could tell the differences were not all that great, admittedly I heard them on different speakers, the arcam seemed... fine, the creek possibly a touch bright, but lively.

But I picked none of the above!!

I ended up with an Icon Audio valve amplifier. The difference for me is like night and day. Yes I spent a little more, but there are cheaper valve amps as well as 2nd hand, and the valve sound for anything accoustic is simply a must. The other option is to try to find a Croft amp, they are similarly priced I believe to those you have listed, and are a valve/transitor hybrid. And are meant to be fantastic, if a bit basic in functionality.... but who cares when the sound is good!

 

[plastic penguin]

I had a similar question not so long ago. I heard the Creek and Arcam, even a more expensive Roksan... I from what I could tell the differences were not all that great, admittedly I heard them on different speakers, the arcam seemed... fine, the creek possibly a touch bright, but lively.

But I picked none of the above!!

I ended up with an Icon Audio valve amplifier. The difference for me is like night and day. Yes I spent a little more, but there are cheaper valve amps as well as 2nd hand, and the valve sound for anything accoustic is simply a must. The other option is to try to find a Croft amp, they are similarly priced I believe to those you have listed, and are a valve/transitor hybrid. And are meant to be fantastic, if a bit basic in functionality.... but who cares when the sound is good!

This is something I've touched on before: When looking for a replacement for the Arcam A65+ I heard most sub-£1000 integrated amps, and there is very little between them, assuming, of course, you take the additional power outputs for granted.

At the time the most impressive amp I heard for my budget was the Creek Evo2. Again, it was gnats between that and the Kandy K2 and Naim 5i, but due to the lack of inputs on the Creek (and built-in phono stage) made it a no no for me.

 

[csq2]

I choose Roksan K2 because it is punchier sounding with better bass response.