matt49 said:
Unlikely, she was brought up in southern Africa and does not like the cold.
I am under instruction to try and sell our house in Andalucia so I am not quite sure what she wants next.
Answers on a postcard to...........
Unlikely, she was brought up in southern Africa and does not like the cold.
I am under instruction to try and sell our house in Andalucia so I am not quite sure what she wants next.
Answers on a postcard to...........
davedotco said:
With what speakers would you match the Creek? I'm very interested in that amplifier, but where I live (Braunschweig) no one seems to carry that brand. Neither Arcam, mind you. Some reviews describe the 50A as edging the bright.
The Croft without a remote control would just not be feasible for me.
davedotco said:
But that's the most beautiful corner of the World… Don't you have any other house you can sell first?
Covenanter
Well-known member
Prompted by this thread I walked down to a dealer yesterday afternoon and arranged an audition for next week. I'm going to listen to better (more expensive) amplifiers and better (more expensive) speakers.
Obviously I'm limited by the stuff that the dealer stocks but I've lined up:
Amps: Marantz 8005, Musical Fidelity M3I, Creek 50A
Speakers: Kef R 500/700, Monitor Audio Silver 10/Gold 200
He's also going to set up a close parallel to my current system Marantz 6005/Kef Q500 so I can do an A/B comparison.
Any comments on this and any other commonly available kit I should listen to. (Please don't tell me to listen to the OkeyKokey 6000 that I can only hear in Tibet.) Assuming I make a change I don't want to spend more than £4k but knowing me £5k might be possible. I mainly listen to classical music.
It should be great fun!
Chris
Obviously I'm limited by the stuff that the dealer stocks but I've lined up:
Amps: Marantz 8005, Musical Fidelity M3I, Creek 50A
Speakers: Kef R 500/700, Monitor Audio Silver 10/Gold 200
He's also going to set up a close parallel to my current system Marantz 6005/Kef Q500 so I can do an A/B comparison.
Any comments on this and any other commonly available kit I should listen to. (Please don't tell me to listen to the OkeyKokey 6000 that I can only hear in Tibet.) Assuming I make a change I don't want to spend more than £4k but knowing me £5k might be possible. I mainly listen to classical music.
It should be great fun!
Chris
After Wester Ross. Just sayin'.
But Andalusia is very lovely. Was on holiday there in 2002. Loved it.
But Andalusia is very lovely. Was on holiday there in 2002. Loved it.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Thropplenoggin said:
Given your budget I would be looking at ex-dem stuff from Audio-T, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision or any independent dealer. The latter generally carry small amounts of s/hand and ex-dem equipement.
So for instance, this is my local dealer - look at something like this. At least you can dem before parting with your hard earned, and they'll throw in a 6 month guarantee, in case something goes pear-shaped.
BigH
Well-known member
unsleepable said:
Never seen any reviews that say the Creek is bright? I heard it with a range of speakers, like Epos and Rogers, would like to have heard it with Kef R100s but dealer did not have them. Once you get over £1,000 I would also consider AVI 9RS which are £1,250 for speakers, amps and Dac then you just need a source. If money is tight I may get a Teac which are £190 or a used cdp, plenty of Marantz around.
Try some Exposure 2010s they are very good. Auditioned some connected to a Usher Mini Diamond dmd, they sounded fav. :cheer:
Native_bon
Well-known member
plastic penguin
Well-known member
BigH said:
No, me neither.
When I had the Creek Evo2 on dem it was Arcam with attitude. Fabulous amp. Can't see the new model being much different tonally.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
plastic penguin said:
Just seen this. Location not ideal but that's an awful lot of amp for the money.
Covenanter said:
Should be interesting.
Generally speaking I find the less commonly available kit to be better and more satisfying, but that could easily be my aversion to certain kinds of product.
In the 'old' days, when good dealers were more plentiful you would look to him for guidance and quite often end up with kit you never expected to buy and in some cases had never heard of. Mathewpiano's recent conversion is a case in point, this sort of experience used to be commonplace, much less so know.
Do the planned dem and see what you think, then do a bit of research on dealers, (you may already know) try and find one that really knows his stuff and offers some different solutions. If you can, take half a day (or more) and go visit. Give him a rough budget and your musical preferences and see what he comes up with, a really good dealer will probably surprise you.
Restricting yourself to commonly available product because it is, well, available may not be the answer.
matt49
Well-known member
Covenanter said:
I seem to remember you're in the W Midlands. Is that right? Just wondering which dealers you have access to.
Matt
Covenanter
Well-known member
davedotco said:
Yep I take all that on board. My main intent is to see if I can hear a material difference between what I have now and what I could afford. It has to be a material difference or I won't bother as I have many calls on my funds (like 3 granddaughters).
I did have a brief audition yesterday with the R500s and Roksan Kandy K2 and Musical Fidelity M3I and although it wasn't with my CDs I have to say I wasn't blown away, certainly not by the Roksan which I thought was frankly lack-lustre although the MF was better.
Chris
Covenanter said:
As always, when you have a decent well balanced system that you like, any real improvements are unlikely to be cheap. Just getting something similar but a bit better, is not going to do it hence my thoughts for something different. I do not rate the Kandy (generally speaking) and I will not give MF houseroom so you see that I have to cast my net further afield.
There always seem to be a dearth of quality components in the £1-1.5k region, sometimes you just have to spend a bit more or stick with what you have. Any chance you can get to Leicester and check out some valves, if that is not on maybe the baby Sugden, not properly class A, but fine sounding none the less.
Again, a really good dealer will be invaluable, if you can find one.
plastic penguin said:
Having to pay import taxes and VAT to buy a British amplifier from the US has a certain irony to it, doesn't it?
plastic penguin said:
I haven't been able to find the review stating that specifically—I may have made it up, but it was actually the main reason I didn't go for this amplifier. For this amplifier too, I mean, since I have already tried quite a few. But I found this post in which a user said he found the Creek Evo 50A a tad bright, and this other in which another user said that he found the bass slightly lean. According to Stereophile's A19 review, the Creek has an airier sound but lacks the A19's fuller bass and slightly warmer lower midrange.
The Creek website also hosts a couple of reviews in a pdf document. The first one compares it to the Cyrus 6a, and states that "the Creek proved just as capable and offered up a little extra detail and a brighter, more airy soundstage to boot." :O Ok, I may have mis-interpreted that one; but in Hi-Fi language, using the word "brighter" to compare an amplifier to a Cyrus is saying lot, no?
The description of the sound is the one I would make of the Exposure 2010s2—which I really liked—with the LS50, in comparison with the A19 but without adding the "bright". I missed the bass in the Exposure, but apart from that it sounded perfect to me.
I am very happy that Creek came up in the discussion since I am very interested. Has anyone auditioned the Arcam A19 with the Creek 50A to describe how they compare?
Out of platic penguin's comments, and seeing these reviews, I also wonder if the 50A really has the same signature as the Evolution 2—which incidentally, seems to have been finally phased out as it is not listed anymore in the Creek website. Does anyone know how the 50A would compare to the Evolution 2 or the Destiny?
BigH
Well-known member
unsleepable said:
That post does not mean much as he says different speakers were used and not say what speakers. I have heard both the Arcam and Creek but not along side each other. The main critism of the Creek is lack of bass. For me the Arcam was refined and sounded processed, the Creek seemed more musical than other amps I heard. The RK K2 did not do much for me, seemed to lack clarity. I have not heard any valve amps so can't comment. There is a group test of the Creek and Arcam by a Hifi mag. think its on the Creek website, the Creek was the winner but Arcam not far behind.
Chris, for classical I would be auditioning Icon Audio, Sugden, Croft and Electro. For speakers, Harbeth, Spendor Classic Range, Sonus Faber Toy Towers /Venere, as well as the R Series.
unsleepable said:
I have, so will answer this.
Like many of the better amplifiers the Creek has tremendous control at the bass end. The result is a fast tight bass that is, at it's price, pretty much unsurpassed.
That lesser amplifiers permit 'overhand' which of course leads to bass bloom or in some cases bass boom is not a fault of the Creek but of the competition. Most budget and mid-fi systems have far too much bass anyway, most of it completely spurious.
Thanks for the response!
So to clarify, do you refer to the A19 when you mention budget amplifiers with "overhanded" bass?
I am interested in the Creek with all these comments, so would like to give it a try. Living where I live, that likely means buying a unit—hopefully, pre-owned in good shape—, and selling afterwards it if it doesn't catch. The 50A is the obvious choice, but would you recommend the Evolution 2 or the Destiny better?
So to clarify, do you refer to the A19 when you mention budget amplifiers with "overhanded" bass?
I am interested in the Creek with all these comments, so would like to give it a try. Living where I live, that likely means buying a unit—hopefully, pre-owned in good shape—, and selling afterwards it if it doesn't catch. The 50A is the obvious choice, but would you recommend the Evolution 2 or the Destiny better?
unsleepable said:
Most sub £1000 amplifiers are too loose in the bass for my tastes, soft at best, boomy at worst.
I am really not that familiar with modern Creek product, other than the 50a. Historically Creek's entry level products have always been the best value, maybe that is still the case?
davedotco said:
It all depends what you call cheap. It also depends on what you've got now and what you can buy.
My favourite sounding source cost me £800. Prior to that my favourite sounding source had cost me £2250. Prior to that my favourite sounding source had cost me £2500 to £3000 when adjusted for inflation.
My favourite sounding solid state amp cost me £150. Prior to that my favourite sounding solid state amp had cost me £800.
My favourite speakers cost me £5500. But I know of someone who bought the same model of speakers for £50.
I haven't bought anything from a dealers for over 10 years now. During that time my system has evolved and improved to make it significantly better than it was before. When I have been to dealer demos in that period I've been disappointed in the sound quality on offer for the price. I find Google more useful than dealers when deciding what hi-fi equipment to buy and try.
Hi Lindsayt - it would be very interesting to know the hifi equpment you have used over the years.
Davedotco I appreciate most of the informed comments you make on this forum. Whereabouts in leicester can you hear some valve amplification?
Cheers tonky
Davedotco I appreciate most of the informed comments you make on this forum. Whereabouts in leicester can you hear some valve amplification?
Cheers tonky
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