Croft Micro 25 Preamp / Series 5 Power Amp
1. Croft Micro 25 Preamp with superb built in phono stage. £425 plus postage or collected in SE London. Comes in original box, with three recently fitted JJ ECC 83s.
Postage will be approx £22 to the UK, and I'm guessing about £34 to EU.
This has been fitted with the better volume and selector knobs from the 25R and has some extra internal damping fitted. The overall cosmetic condition is good but not spotless; there are some small marks on the top case, but nothing to really distract from the unassuming blankness of the Croft aesthetic.
The sound is a superbly judged mix of richness, clarity and openness. The 25 is a little bit more mid-range focused than the 25R, and some listeners prefer this. It is wonderful with vocal and instrumental texture but it also excels at a realistic sense of space.
2. Series 5 valve power amp. This the later model with horizontal valves in a nicely constructed case. It's in excellent condition and I have a decent Exposure branded box that fits it well for postage. Also £425 plus postage.
The design was an attempt to retain the sonic values of the Leek Stereo 20 with more power. 8 x EL84 valves gives about 28W, if I remember correctly. It powers 86dB Harbeths nicely if you don't listen at high volumes, and the only speakers I've found it really struggled with were Martin Logans, which have outrageously high impedance in the highest frequencies. It has a lovely natural and airy sound, with excellent tonal colour. I prefer it to a Series 7 with efficient speakers, and possibly over a 7R.
Series 5:
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and Andrew's Vitale...Beauty about Croft gear is that Glenn will bring them up to scratch/spec for peanuts! and mods are in abundance.
