Albarry M1008 or Croft Mono7R

[dgolh]

Hello,

I've recently moved from a 25R to a 25RS and I'm considering upgrading my stereo 7R.

What would be the better move between Albarrys and Croft Mono 7R (both 2nd hand) ?

This is all about matching with my current Harbeth SHL5 (may try some Tannoys next).

Thanks for your input.

[trio leo]

Albarry amps have always been reliable and sound great, however they are probably quite old now, maybe 30 years.

I can only vouch for the M1008's as I have owned a pair, I don't know the Croft, though many speak highly of them,
If it's second hand you want and you can get to hear both, all the better, if you can afford new, IMHO you cannot get better than Albarry for the same money.

regards Al

[dgolh]

Thanks Alan,

in fact, I'm rather looking for 2nd hand. The current m1108 are out of my reach (I sold some kind of highend stuff and started from near scratch with an humble set compared to the previous one and I'm now back on the never ending search for more :doh:).

The size of the albarrys is just nice for hinding them under my speakers :lol:

[DSJR]

The current Albarry's are so expensive in the UK they've all but priced themselves away for all but the very few these days in the UK who can afford them. They ARE great though :) I doubt many have been sold over here sadly, and they're made as a labour of love rather than a pure commercial interest I understand.

Enough's been said about the Crofts for me not to say any more :)

[dgolh]

Well David, there is a pair of M1008 for sale, I was just asking.

Monos 7R don't come very often on the 2nd hand market or I'd have to wait for a 7 or a 7R and send it with mine to Glenn for upgrade before cricket season :)

[DSJR]

Don't ask me to recommend either since I've heard both amps now into SHL5's and Croft preamp driven and love 'em both to bits.

If you can get the Albarry's at an affordable price for you, then I'd grab 'em and love the life out of them. Not too sure of the Croft is ok with long interconnects (they MUST be very low capacitance in any event), but since the Albarry's are happy with good quality sensible speaker cables of sufficient gauge, the choice is yours :)

Good luck. You'll enjoy whichever power amp you go for, I promise :)

[Audioman]

Albarry expensive? I don't think so compared to US imports. Apparently the 608 is £2.5K and is in the real world more powerful than the 100W rated 1008 of old. Frankly for new specialist gear these days not excessive if you exclude Chinese made product. Just look at EAR, Mark Levinson, Audio Research and even Linn and Naim these days. Seems good value compared with a £450 USB cable in my book anyway.


http://www.avguide.com/review/albarry-ap11-preamp-and-m608-monoblock-amps-hi-fi-90?page=1

[hifi_dave]

Dave, like me, is 'old school'. We can remember when Albarry M408s were £500 or so and it's a bit of a shock when they retail at £2995 now.

Unfortunately, that is the way it has to be with components as they are. In fact, the M608s are great value, especially when you compare them against most of the imported 'high end' gear.

There is also a lot of UK made products which are priced to sell abroad, doubling in price to protect foreign distributors. You don't have that with Albarry - they are priced to sell here.

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t406/hifi_dave/037.jpg[/URL]

[DSJR]

One of the things that hifi dave and I, grumpy old gits that we are, agree on is the obscene prices asked for sweet f... all in the "Top End" arena. Every issue of hifi news (lower case deliberately) is full of the stuff - expensive bling-boxes with little inside of any note whatsoever and not always boutique components either! What really infuruiates me is how some designer-product has doubled in price in just ten years or so, the added inflation going WAY beyond everything else. Maybe it's the shift away from (newly made) middle market stereo gear to old but still working used upper-end stuff, I don't know...

Both amps under discussion here are basically hand made I believe (I don't think Neil uses a board-stuffer..) and the Albarry is basically a bespoke made-to-order product line anyway I think, but I still wish the price wasn't £3K for these, as it deprives so many of the pleasures of owning and using them!

Anyway, both product ranges are BRITISH through and through! You're not paying extra for visual dressing and the performance from both brands I believe to be world-class, however much you end up paying! The OP is going to in for a sonic treat, whichever he buys, and hopefully something he'll enjoy for decades to come!

[trio leo]

With respect to Dave, it was 30 years ago when the Albarry M408's were £480 and many are still going, I only sold mine last November, IIRC an LP12 without an arm was £280 at that time. What are they now, 10 times that?

I have heard a pair of M608's (£2995) compare very well with a David Berning valve amp at £7,500 and an equally priced Spectral amp, IMO in musical quality terms Albarry are excellent VFM, I realise this price range will be high for some, but it is relative.
I recently saw a pair of Focal Grand Utopia's, for about £130,000, someone thinks THEY are VFM.

I agree with DSJR, at least Croft and Albarry are designed and hand built here and I know Neil does not flow solder his components.

Lets not forget the gov't takes 20% of these sales, it's quite a chunk.

I don't know Croft, but I do know hifi Dave is quite keen on them and he does know what he's talking about.

regards Al

[dgolh]

I'm quite happy with whatI read here and as stated DJSR, I'm quite sure that whichever move I'll make, I'll be happy with it.

The fact is that in the small, remote et recessed country I live, I don't have a chance to listen to the Albarrys. It is obviously quite easier for me to figure out the 7R monos could sound.