Integrated Amp Reviews

Awesome! review- HR. These "little" integrated amps are something special indeed. A few years ago, I was struck by how well the 4330
made beautiful music w/ (my reference) Thiel CS 2.4 loudspeakers.

Like you, Herb, my taste used to be in expensive audio - high power amps, multi-driver speakers, etc.

A divorce - wherein my former wife got custody of that audio equipment - coupled with my changed financial situation forced me to re-examine my audio priorities.

I now use single-driver full-range speakers (Omega Super 3S) and a tube integrated amp (Dared 2A3C - 3.5 wpc) sourced by an old Nakamichi OMS-7 CD player.

I've had this system almost 2 years, and I wouldn't trade it for what I've ever had before. The sound is magical - and the whole system cost me less than $2500.

For me, the music comes first. As for the rest of the stuff, I just want it to get out of the way of the music; as simply and affordably as possible. I don't care to impress anyone with audio jewelry. Same goes for the music; it's mostly between the artist and me. (There's an old saying in the tailor business: "Is the man wearing the suit, or is the suit wearing the man?") As a result, my gear is pretty basic, but my music collection is rather large. (The walls are lined with records, which provide great acoustic room treatment.)

I was pretty happy with my:

deplinthed Dual 701 TT
Shure M97xE cart
Jico SAS stylus
Sony PS One as CD player
Creek 4330 SE integrated
Paradigm Studio 20 V3 speakers
entry level Wireworld cables...

...until I heard someone's full range system. I realized how much low end info I wasn't hearing at home. Space did not allow for large speakers so I got a pair of REL T5 subs at a good price.

Although my gear isn't even close to that of many of your readers, it does what I want and can afford. Every album sounds different, which I suspect means my gear is getting out of the way of the music and allowing the production values to come through. As a result, I've culled my music collection over the years. (The only upgrade I'd consider at this point is a more efficient pair of small speakers. Something which allows the music to flow easier, as in a more realistic midrange.)

I suspect that if I started buying high end equipment, I'd start thinking about the gear more than the music; focusing on gear integration, etc. And, not being the manager of a hedge fund, I'd worry more about gear value vs price. I don't want to go there. I'd rather just enjoy my music.

Anthony & Rick-
both of you guys have great systems. And yes, it is all about the (reproduction of) MUSIC!

You knew who made it, had the specs and the 'philosophy' behind it before you reviewed it.

These things should really be reviewed BLIND so the reviewer doesn't have any preconceived ideas on what to expect. Which he then listens for, and of course, finds.

Manufacturers don't like blind testing of course. Simply because it might well find that their $10,000 amp sounds no better than someone else's $3,000 one. That's the REAL reason, not all this "Blind tests are unrealistic because of listening fatigue, unfamiliar music, environment, etc" garbage. And by yourself of course, none of this 'panel' or 'scoring' nonsense. It is YOU that is going to buy it, or not.

I experienced this myself recently. I have a bias towards a well-known UK manufacturer (I'm in the UK). The local dealer had the one I was biased towards but had two others as well, both lower cost. I could not see them. I chose (blind) one of the lower cost ones. Had I been able to see them I would undoubtedly have walked out with the one I was biased towards.

I can PROVE what I say -
"Beowulf-like bleakness of the Anglo-Saxon landscape". You've not been here, have you? Beowulf is (1) imaginary, (2) set in Scandinavia, not England, where Creek amps are made :) The landscape is exactly the same today, unchanged. Not "bleak" at all. The UK is a 'cosy', manicured place, like a rich man's garden, and by comparison with the USA, always has been. Your pre-conceived ideas are getting in the way :)

PS: It's a very good amp, though not the one I chose. You really DON'T need to spend any more on an amplifier, integrated or separates. HiFi means 'accuracy'. If it has a flat frequency response over a wide range things such as PRAT, slew rate, 'impact' etc. are all a result of that frequency response. Given sufficient power to drive the speakers of course. And this one has enough power. You might find a $200,000 KSL Kondo Ongaku (a real one, not the British copy) or one of these expensive D'Agostini amps sounds more to your preference, or 'magical', but if it sounds different from the Creek it ISN'T HiFi as it isn't accurate. (The more you pay the more amplfiers should sound the same. If they don't something is seriously wrong. 'Budget' amplifiers may have excuses for inaccuracy, costly ones have not. And there is only one accuracy - something is either accurate or it isn't. Huge bass? To quote 'Jud', an audio enthusiast and a wise man "No one ever came out of an opera or a classical concert saying 'Wasn't the bass good?'")

"High Fidelity" means "Accuracy" by definition. Look it up.

And obviously if a box does not have a FLAT freguency response over at least the AUDIBLE bandwidth it can't be accurate so isn't HiFi.

In fact you need more than the audible bandwidth to give a good rise time as rise time is a function of frequency response - read a school physics book. So called 'Pace, Rhythm, And Timing' will automatically follow - it CAN'T do anything else.

Offhand I would go for 50KHz minimum.

It's not meant to br 'nice' or 'what you like'. It's meant to be ACCURATE. If you don't like the music go buy a more accurate recording. All this 'subjective' garbage is just typical American nonsense marketing.

If you want it 'subjective' go buy a $500 WalMart complete stereo and be happy - you don't need to spend $100,000 plus if you want it inaccurate, do you?

Justify? No. Only stupid people buy something first and justify it afterwards. Sensible people like me do the justification first.