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As usual, I preconditioned the NAD M3 by running it at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms for one hour with both channels driven. While the measured percentage of THD+noise remained constant throughout this period, at a low 0.0035%, the chassis got almost too hot to touch, and the side-mounted heatsinks definitely so. Measured at its speaker terminals, the M3 offered a maximum voltage gain of 39.2dB into 8 ohms for both balanced and unbalanced input signals. With the volume control set to "0.0dB," the overall voltage gain was 29.2dB. This was also the gain…

• pristine, extended, and detailed high frequencies with no trace of hardness, and a purity and delicacy that reminded me more of the pricier Jeff Rowland Design Group products than of older Creek designs; appearing in my listening notes many times: "Clean! Clean! Clean!"

• an organic rendering of low-level dynamic articulation…

Description: Remote-controlled, solid-state integrated amplifier with five line inputs, one tape loop, switchable preamp output & power-amp input, two pairs of speaker terminals and a headphone jack., Maximum output power: >100Wpc into 8 ohms, both channels driven (20dBW); >200W into 4 ohms, one channel driven (20dBW). Maximum output current: >25 amps. THD (no level specified): <0.05%, 20Hz–20kHz. Frequency response: 3Hz–80kHz, –1dB. Voltage gain: 33.6dB (48x) with passive preamplifier, +3dB +6dB +9dB with built-in gain stage. Input sensitivity:…

Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Aurum Beta S cartridge.
Digital Sources: Creek Destiny & CD53 Mk.II, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek 5350SE, NAD C 372.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver RS6, Joseph Audio RM7XL Special…

I tried to precondition the Creek Destiny by running it at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms for one hour with both channels driven. However, it shut itself off after 20 minutes, and the area of the top panel over its internal heatsinks was very hot. Pressing the Standby button brought the amplifier back into operation.

Looking first at the Destiny's preamplifier section, in passive mode the maximum voltage gain, measured at the preamp-out jacks, was 0dB, as expected. Also as expected, the input impedance varied according to the setting of the…

When I reviewed the Destiny integrated amplifier in January 2007, Creek Audio had not yet released that model's plug-in moving-magnet and moving-coil phono-stage boards, now available for $500 each. I've since received the MM board and have put it through my usual battery of tests. As you'd expect from the price, these plug-in boards are more elaborate and complex than those available with other Creek products.

The MM board uses a split-rail (±15V) power supply with twice the usual number of pins, to allow for separate…

After a recent stroll through a book about the graves of rock stars (see "Aural Robert," January 2006), I did a little web research and found out that rock stars die at an average age of 36.9. (For the rest of us, the average is 75.8.) Of the top 300 or so best-known dead rock musicians, 18 have been murdered, 3 electrocuted, and 5…

T-Bone Blues is a rare exception to the rule that artists' rerecordings of their own hits don't measure up to the originals. First released in 1959, it reprises such 1940s classics as "Mean Old World," "T-Bone Shuffle," and the inevitable "Call It Stormy Monday." Blunting the raw edge and dropping the swing feel of his earlier recordings, Walker finds a mellower groove, with longer guitar solos and better…

The East Village Opera Company features rock arrangements of such well-known arias as "Un Bel Di," "La Donna e Mobile," and "Nessun Dorma." Sounds like a candidate for the most embarrassing crossover recording…