llzackll Posted June 21, 2002 Share Posted June 21, 2002 Looking for a amp that would work well with these speakers. Don't want to spend much more than $1100. Would the Creek 5350 SE be any good ?? There is also the Creek 4330, which is almost half the price and rated at only 40 watts instead of 90. But with that I could spend the extra money on a sub. This message has been edited by llzackll on 06-21-2002 at 03:46 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 21, 2002 Share Posted June 21, 2002 With all the great used equipment available at AudiogoN -- you can afford to go with separates. Why are you set on an integrated amp? Creek uses passive preamp sections which I have decided I am not a big fan of. The lack of gain and buffering lends itself to a somewhat dry and sterile presentation. Would you consider something with tubes? Your RB5's would love you. I've had my eye on this Cary SLI-50 for a while, and frankly, I can't believe it hasn't sold yet. The Bryston BR60 is also a killer unit if you want to stick with solid state. Personally, I would go with the Cary. If you want to consider going the separates route, I'm still very fond of the Anthem products. The Anthem Amp1 (40 tube watts) and Pre2L matching preamp can both be had together for around $1100 (used). The point is -- you can really make your money stretch buying used gear. Why don't you go to www.audiogon.com and look around. Audiogon is for the most part a high end user community made up of people who take great pride in taking care of their equipment. I have made almost a dozen transactions and have never been disappointed. Didn't leave much for a sub did I? Well, you can always get a sub down the road. I had RB5's for two years, I can tell you that with careful placement, they do very well. I would put my money into the front end gear. What good is a sub if you end up unsatisfied with the other 90% of the sound?f>s>------------------ Deanf>s> Cary AE-25 * S F Line 1 * S9000ES * HSU x-over * SVS CS+ * Klipsch RF7s f>s> Psalm 122:6f>c>s> This message has been edited by deang on 06-21-2002 at 12:03 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llzackll Posted June 21, 2002 Author Share Posted June 21, 2002 The reason I was looking at a Creek amp is because a friend of mine has one of their older models and I really liked the sound from it. I don't think i've actually heard a tube amp before, so I wasn't really looking for one.. That Cary looks very nice though. It will be about a month before I can buy one. If it's still there I might actually give it a try.. Thanks for suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 21, 2002 Share Posted June 21, 2002 Well, since you like the sound of the Creek, buy the SE version. These also show up at audiogoN quite often.f>s>------------------ Deanf>s> Cary AE-25 * S F Line 1 * S9000ES * HSU x-over * SVS CS+ * Klipsch RF7s f>s> Psalm 122:6f>c>s> This message has been edited by deang on 06-21-2002 at 01:14 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llzackll Posted June 21, 2002 Author Share Posted June 21, 2002 I have heard that the passive preamps can be good or bad. They are more dependant on the source and interconnects, and it's harder to find a matching power amp if you are going the seperate route. So if the output level on the source isnt very high, a passive would probably be worse than an active. This message has been edited by llzackll on 06-21-2002 at 02:31 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 This Bryston B-60 integrated is a nice little trouble-free amp. Under $1000 is a nice deal for a turnkey piece of gear. Bryston is good for solid state although it will not have the quality of good valves it wll be excellent and perhaps fine of you dont explore the differences. I think there are other tube amps that you might prefer to the Cary as well depending on your musical taste. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1361874562 kh ------------------ Phono Linn Sondek LP-12 Valhalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point CD Player Rega Planet Preamp Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified Amplifier Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks Cable DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect Speaker 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing f>s> This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 06-24-2002 at 01:35 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 If you're open to "vintage" equipment, one option is a Yamaha CA 810 or 1010 integrated amp. Produced in the mid 70's, these integrateds have a warm and clean sound, and match very well with my RB-5's. They have alot of functional flexibility and an outstanding phonp preamp section should you ever decide to use hook up a turntable with either a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge. ------------------ Mike - Livonia, MI Klipsch RF-3 L/R Klipsch RC-3 Center Klipsch RB-5 rears HSU Research VF-2 Sub Marantz SR-19EX receiver Marantz MM-9000 Amp NAD T550 DVD Adcom GCD 700 CD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 Yeah, those old Yamaha's of that vintage were beasts. I still have a Natural Sound CR-800 from the 70s. Still, the solid state receivers of the 70s were, on the whole, not the most high performing beasts around. You will be able to find them for dirt cheap, which is one advantage. Yet the Creek and Bryston and others of this ilk are far better sounding devices although at much higher expense. Although there are a few on here that do admire the 70s SS amps, I find even the really good examples to be inferior to the 50s and 60s tube amps and later well-made solid state amps. That era was fraught with trying to achieve great specs without realizing what the numbers really added up to sonically; in many ways, this did more to handicap good sound then many understood. Achieving vanishingly low THD number with the heavy use of negative feedback brought about poor musicality as well as more mediocre performance. It did float the units out of the hifi huts, however. Yes, if opting down the solid state road, money seems to be needed to reach the next level. I will say the little Monarchy Audio SM-70 is a great little amp for a paltry amount although still not on the cheap vintage tube level in overall sense of "rightness" and harmonic richness. And if you opt for the SM-70 Pro version monoblocked, the price is getting up there. Bryston does make an excellent integrated and their 4B-ST amp is a very nice piece. Still, I sometimes shake my head in wonder at the idea that vintage tubes deliever more musical goods... Yet the difference between midfi solid state and a well-designed tube amp (vintage or not) is almost staggering. And that is not an exaggeration. There are some good SS amps out there, though. kh Phono Linn Sondek LP-12 Valhalla / Linn Basic Plus / Sumiko Blue Point CD Player Rega Planet Preamp Cary Audio SLP-70 w/Phono Modified Amplifier Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondog Monoblocks Cable DIYCable Superlative / Twisted Cross Connect Speaker 1977 Klipsch Cornwall I w/Alnico & Type B Crossover system one online / alternate components / Asylum Listing f>s> This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 06-24-2002 at 08:51 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llzackll Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 That Bryston B60 looks nice.. I guess I will have to choose between the Creek or the Bryston.. I wish there was a decent store in my area that I could try some out. Everywhere I go only sells the same old sony or kenwood or KLH. I am just curious.. If I ever wanted to add a powered sub to one of these units, how would I hook it up without degrading sound ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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