Price: £550
Website: www.creekaudio.com
Size (WxHxD): 43x6x24cm
Weight: 6kg
Power output: 50W into 8 ohms (both channels), 60W into 4 ohms (one channel)
Optional remote
Plus points:
Slim and sleek good looks, easy and relaxed character
Minus points:
Might be too 'smooth' for some, needs some care with speaker matching |
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Good things often come in threes - Wayne Rooney hat-tricks and Mis-Teeq to name but two. Creek Audio too appears to have been thinking in triplicate with the introduction of its sleek-looking 50 series. All three products, CD50 CD player, T50 tuner, and A50i integrated amp share the same slim, silver look, which work very well together as a system - not so idiosyncratic as say, Cyrus, but certainly distinctive and desirable.
However, it's the A50i amp that concerns us here. Actually it's the A50iR, the R standing for 'remote', which incidentally is an attractive little affair, but which only controls volume and muting. It's obviously a useful addition, but since the non-remote version retails for around £475, it's worth considering which you need most - the remote or the exercise you'll get from popping up and down to control the volume by hand.
Since its inception in 1982, Creek has long made a name for itself not just for the sound of its products, but also the look, and there's no mistaking the slim and elegant look of the A50iR's casing. It's the successor to the 4330SE, which came in for criticism in some quarters for being heavily system-dependent, a criticism which seems to have been largely addressed, although Creek does warn against using the A50iR to drive low-impedance speakers.
The new model is slimmer (at 6cm high it's a good third slimmer than most full-width integrated amps) and prettier than its predecessor, with a brushed silver anodised aluminium fascia broken only by two rotary knobs at either end (for channel selection and volume) and two buttons (on/off, tape monitor) plus an infrared window for the remote.
Around the back are four line inputs marked for CD, video, tuner and aux/phono, a tape loop and pre/power amp output (for bi-amping use) as well as a single set of stereo speaker outlets. For vinyl heads Creek offers the optional OBH 15 plug-in phono stage for both MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil) cartridges.
The preamp section is passive, so it doesn't provide any gain to the sound source, and the power amp section is only attenuated by a level control, which keeps things nice and simple. It also means the power amp section needs to be sensitive enough to handle the source component directly from its line output, and so uses a bank of small capacitors instead of the usual one or two, along with proprietary Creek circuitry specifically designed for the purpose.
Though it doesn't run particularly hot, it's still advisable to place it at the top of a rack or standing alone on a shelf to allow adequate ventilation to the heatsink connected to the power amp stage which is mounted in the centre of the device. There is no external heatsinking, though ventilation slots are located both above and below.
Sound
First impressions are that this is an amp that makes a pretty good fist of being all things to all people. It handled orchestral classical music and acoustic jazz with aplomb, showing broad dynamic range and scope. Rock too was generally well presented but there was a smidgeon of hesitation in the higher ranges of some blues and folk material, harmonica and solo violin seeming just a tad shut-in on occasion.
But only on occasion, and this could be due to a slight cosiness in the amp's character, which may prevent it from giving a blisteringly accurate portrayal of the music as it was recorded, but equally can present an extremely beguiling musical picture which can be quite seductive after a period of prolonged listening, when you suddenly realise you've spent considerably more time concentrating on music than perhaps you should.
The amp's inherently warm and cosy character can be counterbalanced by the use of bright or lively speakers if that's what you feel you need. Epos speakers such as the ELS3 make an unsurprisingly good match - unsurprising since Creek owns Epos, but that small speaker's clean, open sound makes for a good partner with the A50iR's cosiness. Or you can just settle into the sound, luxuriating in a rich, chocolatey warmth that will reward music lovers, if not musical analysts.
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Not an amp to party with, perhaps, but if you can see the attraction in a warm and inviting amp sound that rewards prolonged listening without ever making the sort of demands that might make you tire of it, then the A50iR has plenty going for it. |
