Croft Series 7 monos

[Firebottle]

The improvements bought by the mono power amps are unexpected and not what I presumed.

I think it is interesting that you have said 'unexpected', when with hindsight it is understandable where the benefits come from.
I had an open mind when scratching the itch to try monoblocks and was very pleasantly aware of the improvement in transparency when they were plumbed into the system.

Another incremental improvement on the law of diminishing returns, yeah

[Jimbo]

I think it is interesting that you have said 'unexpected', when with hindsight it is understandable where the benefits come from.
I had an open mind when scratching the itch to try monoblocks and was very pleasantly aware of the improvement in transparency when they were plumbed into the system.

Another incremental improvement on the law of diminishing returns, yeah

Absolutely agree Alan, it is the law of diminishing returns and you could surmise an expensive route to go for a small gain. But can you then live without those gains?

I have found every small step i have taken has taken my system to a completely different level compared to where it was when I first lashed the items together. Interestingly I could actually reverse the process and listen to my system in its original form but I don't think it would be half as involving or enjoyable.

[Frazeur1]

James, I have given thought to having mine upgraded, the only real negative is that I am on the other side of the big pond, so would have to ship them over to Glenn. Not that I wouldn't do it, it certainly has crossed my mind.

Alan, I think with most things in our hifi world, it is always good to have as much of an open mind to things as possible(note to self here). I know when I tried my little Naim amps and took a pair of them and used them like a mono's, I was aware of the "potential" sonic benefits, as I have witnessed this before, but wasn't too sure it would necessarily be transferred to something I could really hear as an improvement and not just different in this instance, and with this gear. Fortunately as you said, definite improvement in transparency.

Always nice to hear when others too have similar experiences! Especially when they are good ones!

[Jimbo]

James, I have given thought to having mine upgraded, the only real negative is that I am on the other side of the big pond, so would have to ship them over to Glenn. Not that I wouldn't do it, it certainly has crossed my mind.

Alan, I think with most things in our hifi world, it is always good to have as much of an open mind to things as possible(note to self here). I know when I tried my little Naim amps and took a pair of them and used them like a mono's, I was aware of the "potential" sonic benefits, as I have witnessed this before, but wasn't too sure it would necessarily be transferred to something I could really hear as an improvement and not just different in this instance, and with this gear. Fortunately as you said, definite improvement in transparency.

Always nice to hear when others too have similar experiences! Especially when they are good ones!

Yes that is a small issue and could be bit costly in shipping terms. Maybe the other option would be to sell your 25 and buy a 25R? Nice to hear folks on the other side of the pond have discovered Croft and really appreciate you input Tim. I think Stereophile magazine did a review of the Croft Integrated a few years back and were quite taken with it. They should go back and review Glenn's separate pre and power amplifiers. I think they would be suitable impressed.

[Frazeur1]

Yes, it was nice to get some US press on the Crofts at the time. It would be nice to see more coverage/reviews on the separates too. The Stereophile review did create a little bit of a stir over here, but like many things in audiophile land, I think it was seen as another "flavor of the month" which is what tends to happen often, and real merit gets tossed aside. Plus too many of the folks that take measurements as the utmost end all, be all, dismissed the little integrated due to the results of JA's measurements-not something I want to bang on about here, as it has been covered before. Me, I don't listen to measurements, I listen to the music, and this is where the Crofts do shine. Screw measurements to some degree. Art and Stephen were happy too with the music it made.

Probably you are correct that selling my Micro 25 and just buying an "R" version would come in cheaper, possibly. I may talk to my distributor over here if it comes down to looking more seriously at the "R", maybe they will have a better solution perhaps.

I do think that there are those that really appreciate what the Crofts do, and do like the understated "spartan" look of them as well. Count me as one of them. While I do tend to every now and then switch things up between my Naims and Crofts, I have to say that the Croft overall just sounds right. Good stuff for sure!

[hifi_dave]

Despite the reviewers raving over the sound of the Croft Integrated, the magazine published measurements which were described to me as "political". Certainly hasn't affected sales one jot.

[Frazeur1]

Dave, you would know more about those measurements and the reasons than I ever would, and probably most of the readers too. I probably shouldn't have said anything about it anyway, as it really means nothing to me either. I tend to think of most US audio types that read Stereophile may be a bit more finicky. Then again, maybe not. It seems to me that so many over here base their buying decisions on reviews/flavor of the month gear instead of using their own ears. While I like to read reviews of various kit on occasion, it tends to have little influence on me.

Hard to say what affect it had-if any-on US sales. I think again, the Croft gear would be dismissed by many here on looks and the dual pots alone, although I readily admit, I have no numbers to base my comment on. If so though, it would be a shame, as the Croft gear punches well above its weight and cost for the most part. I personally hope Glenn can continue to make his wonderful little gems for a long time, and I am happy that I purchased a couple of them!

[Firebottle]

.... as it really means nothing

Sorry to paraphrase your post to such a degree but the test results obtained were flawed because the conditions of test did not take into account the impedance miss match presented to the line output.
This output is different to the main output as it is not buffered, the same as probably most line/tape outputs in other pre amplifiers.

If the loading had been at high impedance then no degradation of performance would nave been found.

[Arkless Electronics]

I would expect amplifiers of this type to measure awful in exactly the way Stereophile reported.

While I'm at it, and as I explained at some length a few weeks ago, there is little or no advantage to monoblocks. Whilst they will often sound better it is nothing to do with them being monoblocks and everything to do with all the resources normally spent on a stereo amp being put towards just one channel...

[Frazeur1]

Jez, but in this case, the money was already spent as a stereo amp to begin with-and comparing sound of stereo vs mono, one is only utilizing a single channel of two stereo amps, same guts, no added electronics in this case. Otherwise yes, I get what you are saying.