Croft Mega Micro with seperate PSU

[kininigin]

I could be potentially be picking this up on Saturday. Does anyone know much about this model? There's not much info online. Here is a few pics and the blurb from the seller.

Croft Mega-Micro Valve Pre Amplifier - with magnificent 12 valve power supply

Croft Mega-Micro Valve Pre Amplifier - 2 box system - the second box in the last picture is the power supply -
each valve in the preamp gets it's own completely separate power source - it's own transformer with it's own rectifer valve and it's own voltage regulator valve, and it's own smoothing valve. Nowhere have I ever seen such a complete solution, not even in the most hi-end equipement, overkill? certainly, and why not.

reconditioned by Glenn Croft a couple of years ago.


https://i.ibb.co/djGMHqn/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/WgVqGq3/s-l1601.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Jv2qnHh/s-l1602.jpg

[Wakefield Turntables]

I’d certainly purchase that and then send to Firebottle for modding further still you’ll not need another after that.

[hifi_dave]

Sold quite a few of those back in the day. It's one of his early offerings, later ones came in the black boxes.

Not much to say except they were/are very good. This one looks untouched, which is what you want as so many of his products have been 'improved'.

[kininigin]

I’d certainly purchase that and then send to Firebottle for modding further still you’ll not need another after that.

I have purchased it, with an opt out option if i don't think it's suitable. I'm going to demo on Saturday. Not sure i would want to mod anymore to it. Maybe a couple of fancy volume pots but that's it.
The pre amp section has been updated along with replacing all capacitors. It runs on 2 eec83, 2 eec99 and 1 ecc82 valves. Power supplies have been updated and also all caps replaced.


Sold quite a few of those back in the day. It's one of his early offerings, later ones came in the black boxes.

Not much to say except they were/are very good. This one looks untouched, which is what you want as so many of his products have been 'improved'.

Yes, it's only been touched by Glenn, which is good to know and it looks in great condition. I may get it re-sprayed as it's certainly an interesting colour scheme! I am curious as to how it would compare to a 25RS, which is what i was intially after.

[kininigin]

So picked up the Croft on Saturday and to say i'm over the moon with it is an understatement! It really is astonishing to me. Granted, i have very little experience with top notch pre's but this is certainly one. Soundstage is on another level compared to the Micro 25, being wider and deeper. On certain albums, it's almost like wearing headphones. It is far more detailed but not in a punch you in the face sort of way, if you catch my drift. There's body and a fullness to the sound but without sounding bloated or slow. From top to bottom, it just sounds right.

It's such a musical thing, you can listen for hours on end and it will keep surprising you. It's making me go through my whole collection and hearing familiar music sound completely new. That's the biggest compliment i can give it.

This Croft will be staying with me for a very long time :thumbsup:

[Jimbo]

That was the top of Glenns Micro range back then and is extremely good. probably not even bettered by his later stuff in my opinion.

I think there was 3 in the range

Micro
Super Micro
Mega Micro.

I had the first 2 and they were very good but did hear the Mega Micro on a number of occasions. Fantastic amp and great you have acquired one as they are quite rare and as you have heard extremely good.

[kininigin]

That was the top of Glenns Micro range back then and is extremely good. probably not even bettered by his later stuff in my opinion.

I think there was 3 in the range

Micro
Super Micro
Mega Micro.

I had the first 2 and they were very good but did hear the Mega Micro on a number of occasions. Fantastic amp and great you have acquired one as they are quite rare and as you have heard extremely good.

No idea if it's better than his latest top of the range (25RS) but yes, it is extremely good! The bloke i bought it off, reckons that there are only a handful of the Mega Micro's at the same spec as the one i have. This is why i will not be modding it at all. I feel it would be criminal to touch it now Glenn has sadly passed away. I think it should be left as an example of what he could do (yes, even the brown and beige colour lol) and as you say, it is quite rare.

[Barry]

Obviously this has nothing to do with the sound quality, but I for one, like the cream and beige livery of the pre-amp.

As it is somewhat unique, I think you should keep it "as is" in memory of Glenn Croft.

[hifi_dave]

Obviously this has nothing to do with the sound quality, but I for one, like the cream and beige livery of the pre-amp.

As it is somewhat unique, I think you should keep it "as is" in memory of Glenn Croft.

Definitely.

If you spray it black, it's bound to lose value instantly.

There were more than a handful of these made because back in the day we sold on average, one per week along with others in the range

[Jimbo]

The first micro I had was cream and brown and definitely had a retro feel. It was one of the reasons I became so interested in hifi. Amazing sound for a tiny price. I think the original micro was £125. I used it with a Quad 405 and it elevated my vinyl listening no end

Those early crofts I think will become the most sort after in the future I feel as they were his first designs and you rarely see them for sale now.

I have never come across an original Micro for sale in the last 30 years.

[kininigin]

Obviously this has nothing to do with the sound quality, but I for one, like the cream and beige livery of the pre-amp.

As it is somewhat unique, I think you should keep it "as is" in memory of Glenn Croft.

I'm not exactly keen on the colour but the sound more than makes up for that. It will be kept as is in memory of Glenn Croft.


Definitely.

If you spray it black, it's bound to lose value instantly.

There were more than a handful of these made because back in the day we sold on average, one per week along with others in the range

I initially thought about a re-spray but quickly decided against that. Must be quite a few of these then if you sold one per week. Must admit this is the first i've seen, infact, the first time hearing of the Mega Micro's existence.


The first micro I had was cream and brown and definitely had a retro feel. It was one of the reasons I became so interested in hifi. Amazing sound for a tiny price. I think the original micro was £125. I used it with a Quad 405 and it elevated my vinyl listening no end

Those early crofts I think will become the most sort after in the future I feel as they were his first designs and you rarely see them for sale now.

I have never come across an original Micro for sale in the last 30 years.

That is a crazy price. Not sure what that equates to in today's money. I think the Micro 25 Basic was about £350 when that came out, so not a huge leap from the original Micro. I have to say though, i do love the look of the newer range, just simple and understated. I got the Mega Micro off ebay, which i had seen been advertised for awhile. I had actually missed out on a 25RS (by £50) and decided to investigate the Mega (which i had never heard of) I'm surprised it was not snapped up by someone!

[hifi_dave]

Back in the day, Glenn used to drop in twice a week with a car load (Porsche) of amps we had sold. Took a couple of years before we had packaging as the amps came in black bin bags, often smelling of cat wee..:eek:

We also had Tom Fletcher (Notts Analogue) dropping in twice a week with a load of turntables. Those were the days.

I miss those lads.

[kininigin]

Back in the day, Glenn used to drop in twice a week with a car load (Porsche) of amps we had sold. Took a couple of years before we had packaging as the amps came in black bin bags, often smelling of cat wee..:eek:

We also had Tom Fletcher (Notts Analogue) dropping in twice a week with a load of turntables. Those were the days.

I miss those lads.

Happy to report no smell of cat wee round these parts :lol:

Sounds like you had a blast. Yes they will sorely be missed.

[Sherwood]

That was the top of Glenns Micro range back then and is extremely good. probably not even bettered by his later stuff in my opinion.

I think there was 3 in the range

Micro
Super Micro
Mega Micro.

I had the first 2 and they were very good but did hear the Mega Micro on a number of occasions. Fantastic amp and great you have acquired one as they are quite rare and as you have heard extremely good.

I had the micro and then the super micro. Had the latter sprayed matt black by a local car body shop. Improved looks by 200%

[hifi_dave]

Yes, we did have a blast back in the day. The shop always had a manufacturer/designer plus a rep or two in residence practically all the time plus a customer or five. It was like a Cafe with Tea, Coffee, biscuits and cake constantly on the go and in between we had to do demonstrations and comparisons, all day, 6 days/week.

[Jimbo]

I had the micro and then the super micro. Had the latter sprayed matt black by a local car body shop. Improved looks by 200%

Great to hear other folk who owned some of these early models back in the 80s. I knew Glenn from his very first foray into amplifier design as he frequented Warstones Hifi as a venue for trialling and gauging opinion on his first endeavours. I remember his all valve OTL mono blocks roasting the room but what a sound!
One day I might piece together some insights around his evolution of his stripped back designs and some of the more exotic OTT stuff he built.

Still finding his early departure upsetting.

[Stranraer]

Still finding his early departure upsetting. I'm the same, Jimbo. I'd drop him an email some nights if I was deep into a bottle of red and having a listening session, usually through the Christmas week. I'd feel a bit embarrassed in the morning but it prompted a few entertaining exchanges, and under the circumstances I'm so glad I did.

[Jimbo]

I'm the same, Jimbo. I'd drop him an email some nights if I was deep into a bottle of red and having a listening session, usually through the Christmas week. I'd feel a bit embarrassed in the morning but it prompted a few entertaining exchanges, and under the circumstances I'm so glad I did.

Yes Glenn always gave an interesting response to whatever you asked and although very direct and sometimes short he somehow always got to the heart of the matter in few words usually in an amusing way.

[kininigin]

Yes, we did have a blast back in the day. The shop always had a manufacturer/designer plus a rep or two in residence practically all the time plus a customer or five. It was like a Cafe with Tea, Coffee, biscuits and cake constantly on the go and in between we had to do demonstrations and comparisons, all day, 6 days/week.

Now that sounds like the type of dealership i could spend some time at! I'm quite partial to a piece of cake. The last dealership i went to, i had the guy running it looking down at me for mearly wanting a TT support for my Technics. Proper knob he was lol.


Great to hear other folk who owned some of these early models back in the 80s. I knew Glenn from his very first foray into amplifier design as he frequented Warstones Hifi as a venue for trialling and gauging opinion on his first endeavours. I remember his all valve OTL mono blocks roasting the room but what a sound!
One day I might piece together some insights around his evolution of his stripped back designs and some of the more exotic OTT stuff he built.

Still finding his early departure upsetting.

I for one would certainly be interested in your insights into Glenn's different designs.

[Jimbo]

I will put together my own article on Glenns amplifiers but it will take a fair while and I will need to consult a few others. I have intended to do this for a long while and it may end up being a collaboration as there are a few friends of mine who have a much greater knowledge of his designs than myself.

[Lawrence001]

Yes please, there was a lot of info on here that I looked up before purchasing a Super Micro A MK4 Octal based pre, which I really liked.

http://soundmovements.co.uk/diyaudio/Croft_preamps.html

[Wakefield Turntables]

I will put together my own article on Glenns amplifiers but it will take a fair while and I will need to consult a few others. I have intended to do this for a long while and it may end up being a collaboration as there are a few friends of mine who have a much greater knowledge of his designs than myself.

Yes please, you've been talking about doing this for some time. We need nuggets of history like this preserving. Why not write a bit at a time?

[Barry]

Agreed - and if you are willing we could put it in the Knowledge, subject to certain conditions. Your authorship would of course be acknowledged.

[Jimbo]

I am will make a start on it soon but as you can imagine it will be a lengthy exercise but I have made some enquiries today which will add a great amount of detail and authoritative knowledge of Glenns products.

[dowser]

Great pre amp - I picked up one cheap in Greece a few years back, I’ll never sell it.

[Lawrence001]

Great pre amp - I picked up one cheap in Greece a few years back, I’ll never sell it.Images of you spotting it in a Hellenic street market and trying to bring it back safely through airport security and customs in the cabin baggage.

[dowser]

Haha - just lucky eBay browsing - low BIN price because one of the 4 HT transformers had gone OC. I rewired it so the phono stage is sharing one HT rail (as I barely listen to vinyl anymore). Really should have sourced a replacement from Glenn before he passed…

[kininigin]

I am will make a start on it soon but as you can imagine it will be a lengthy exercise but I have made some enquiries today which will add a great amount of detail and authoritative knowledge of Glenns products.

Just a thought, maybe AoS members that have Croft equipment could provide photos to go along with your article?

[Jimbo]

Just a thought, maybe AoS members that have Croft equipment could provide photos to go along with your article?

Yes that would be great if anyone has photos of Glenns early amps from the era before he launched the 25 range I would appreciate if you could send them onto me.

Some of his gear is so rare only one model was built. His 25 range was probably his most productive period and accounts for a huge amount of the Croft amps out there. Try and find a Dakshini or pair of all valve OTL mono blocks or a pair of Cypher mono blocks and they are rather rare. Most folk have heard of his Series 2,3,4,5, ( and variations) amps and I believe there was a 6 power amp before the 7 series in the 25 range.

I think some of his other amps, Epoch , Vitale, Charisma,Charisma X,Charisma Elite,Absolut 1, Syntegra, Transvalve, micro, super micro, mega micro etc are a little rarer to come across nowadays and indeed there are others but I shall eventually detail them all as much as I can and put a timeline together.

There were also many reasons a lot of the amps were developed and came about. Some evolutionary and some spurred on by personal requests and also some simply to see what could be achieved as well as special applications.

Its going to take some time and I may have to put out my findings in parts. It could be like a wikapedia style page where folk can add stuff in if they have particular knowledge or one off specials? We will see.

[kininigin]

Yes that would be great if anyone has photos of Glenns early amps from the era before he launched the 25 range I would appreciate if you could send them onto me.

Some of his gear is so rare only one model was built. His 25 range was probably his most productive period and accounts for a huge amount of the Croft amps out there. Try and find a Dakshini or pair of all valve OTL mono blocks or a pair of Cypher mono blocks and they are rather rare. Most folk have heard of his Series 2,3,4,5, ( and variations) amps and I believe there was a 6 power amp before the 7 series in the 25 range.

I think some of his other amps, Epoch , Vitale, Charisma,Charisma X,Charisma Elite,Absolut 1, Syntegra, Transvalve, micro, super micro, mega micro etc are a little rarer to come across nowadays and indeed there are others but I shall eventually detail them all as much as I can and put a timeline together.

There were also many reasons a lot of the amps were developed and came about. Some evolutionary and some spurred on by personal requests and also some simply to see what could be achieved as well as special applications.

Its going to take some time and I may have to put out my findings in parts. It could be like a wikapedia style page where folk can add stuff in if they have particular knowledge or one off specials? We will see.

There are some amps in your list i have never heard of, so will be fascinating to me to hear the details about them.

Regarding the psu in the Mega Micro, it gets very toasty and i was wondering what the valve life would typically be with say a few hours use a day? Would it be obvious if a valve is on it's way out? Can different valves in the psu affect the sound?

Valves in a psu are a new thing for me.

[Jimbo]

I would say valves in the PSU do get a bit more wear compared to the phono stage but they should be good for 5000 hours but there are always exceptions.

One of the reasons some of the best valves ever made and sound great was because they were made very rugged either for military application or long term use.

Also to answer your question - yes valves in the PSU can effect the sound as can the voltage regulation valve. But as Glenn used to say it was "all in the ear of the beholder!"

[kininigin]

I would say valves in the PSU do get a bit more wear compared to the phono stage but they should be good for 5000 hours but there are always exceptions.

One of the reasons some of the best valves ever made and sound great was because they were made very rugged either for military application or long term use.

Also to answer your question - yes valves in the PSU can effect the sound as can the voltage regulation valve. But as Glenn used to say it was "all in the ear of the beholder!"

Well that's good to know, i had a fear i would be changing them every year or so. I guess being in the psu, they would be obvious if something is failing.

I do have have some military Brimers in the phono stage, not sure if there are any military type in the psu however.

If Glenn said that then i don't think i'll fuss over that and just buy suitable valves for when the time comes.

Having lived with this amp now for about six weeks, i just love it more and more. The combination with the Paradigms is fantastic imo. It brings power and finesse, great dynamics, huge soundstage and amazing detail without being too in your face. This is the best my system has sounded....the Croft plays a huge part of that!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Valves in the PSU will probably go on forever. My advice would be to get a few now whilst prices are still cheap. You can have a little fun valve rolling with the PSU, some claim that PSU valve rolling has a sonic benefit. I'm undecided.

[kininigin]

Valves in the PSU will probably go on forever. My advice would be to get a few now whilst prices are still cheap. You can have a little fun valve rolling with the PSU, some claim that PSU valve rolling has a sonic benefit. I'm undecided.

Yes always prudent to have back up valves anyway....i just need a good few more now. I guess there is only one way to find out if they make a difference to the sound but i won't fuss too much over it as it sounds great as is.

[bumpy]

My overall impression of valve rolling is that the new valves will sound a bit better simply because they are new and not gently softened with age.

[Jimbo]

Well that's good to know, i had a fear i would be changing them every year or so. I guess being in the psu, they would be obvious if something is failing.

I do have have some military Brimers in the phono stage, not sure if there are any military type in the psu however.

If Glenn said that then i don't think i'll fuss over that and just buy suitable valves for when the time comes.

Having lived with this amp now for about six weeks, i just love it more and more. The combination with the Paradigms is fantastic imo. It brings power and finesse, great dynamics, huge soundstage and amazing detail without being too in your face. This is the best my system has sounded....the Croft plays a huge part of that!

If you are enjoying what it is doing in your system then I would not fuss too much about the valves. Valve rolling can be a bit overrated but there are some exceptions.

The power, finesse dynamics and huge sound stage and detail confirm this Croft is doing the right thing in your system as this is what I am hearing in mine so all good.

Enjoy.

[kininigin]

Having lived with the Mega Micro now for awhile now and being extremely happy with it, i'm curious to know what would have been the original valves in this pre amp back in the 80's. Does anyone have any idea? Also what do the ECC99 valves do and does changing them for something "better" change the sound?

Just fancy doing some rolling to see if i can get any improvement.

[2kings]

Yes that would be great if anyone has photos of Glenns early amps from the era before he launched the 25 range I would appreciate if you could send them onto me.

Some of his gear is so rare only one model was built. His 25 range was probably his most productive period and accounts for a huge amount of the Croft amps out there. Try and find a Dakshini or pair of all valve OTL mono blocks or a pair of Cypher mono blocks and they are rather rare. Most folk have heard of his Series 2,3,4,5, ( and variations) amps and I believe there was a 6 power amp before the 7 series in the 25 range.

I think some of his other amps, Epoch , Vitale, Charisma,Charisma X,Charisma Elite,Absolut 1, Syntegra, Transvalve, micro, super micro, mega micro etc are a little rarer to come across nowadays and indeed there are others but I shall eventually detail them all as much as I can and put a timeline together.

There were also many reasons a lot of the amps were developed and came about. Some evolutionary and some spurred on by personal requests and also some simply to see what could be achieved as well as special applications.

Its going to take some time and I may have to put out my findings in parts. It could be like a wikapedia style page where folk can add stuff in if they have particular knowledge or one off specials? We will see.

I have 3 of Glenn's preamplifiers.
Super Micro A IV PP
Integrated Valve Stereo Pre
and one that is supposedly a "rare" 2 box - I was told only 4 was built by Glenn.
Will post photos later.

[2kings]

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[2kings]

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