Exclusive pictures of the new amps from Croft!

I have just received the first available pictures of Glenn's new designs from his web consultant Matt O'Donoghue:



http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7070/croftanni.jpg



He advises, I quote:

"The new Croft amps are in production and Glenn is currently fulfilling orders for dealers.

The pre-amps are Micro 25 and 25R (25th Anniversary models)
The power amps are Series 7 and Series 7 R
The phono Stage is named the Riaa.

Prices are £700 for both Micro pre and Series 7 power amps. The "R" versions will look identical externally but will be vastly superior internally and sonically and are priced at £1400 each.

The Riaa phono stage will retail between £550 and £600 (final costings to be decided).

More details will be posted on the website (http://www.croftacoustics.co.uk/) and a list of dealers in due course."

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Great stuff! Matt will I'm sure be along soon to answer any questions and give a full overview of the new product launch!

I hope to be able to hear some examples soon, so stand by folks for a full review :)

Marco.

Nice! I take it the power amps are monoblocks?

Mmmm, I like the look of those. Are they valve or hybrid...?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Filterlab

Nice! I take it the power amps are monoblocks?

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Hi Filterlab,

No, there are no plans to produce monobloc amplifiers at this time.

In the picture is the Micro 25 pre and Series 7 power amp.

Both the Series 7 and Series 7 "R" are stereo amplifiers, just to clarify the "R" looks the same as the basic 7 but has a larger PSU and advanced circuit.

All of the new products feature various Hybrid design innovations with an optimum mixture of valve and SS technologies selectively applied to the circuits.

As a matter of interest some features of the latest Hybrid circuits can be applied to past products for those who wish to go down the upgrade path.

Regards, Matt.

Nice. If I were to get all 'valvey' I would certainly entertain Croft as my first point of call. I like his approach, and the testimony from satisfied punters says it all. No-nonsense VFM, I bet they sound sublime.

Best wishes with this launch. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan

Nice. If I were to get all 'valvey' I would certainly entertain Croft as my first point of call. I like his approach, and the testimony from satisfied punters says it all. No-nonsense VFM, I bet they sound sublime.

Best wishes with this launch. :)

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Hi Alan,

Thanks for the support.

You wouldn't neccessarily have to get "all valvey", the hybrid option tends to satisfy lovers of both valve and SS technologies. The fact that the power amp is SS at the output stage means that you get a lot of SS characteristic in the sound with valves doing what they do best at the input stage.

Try it, you might like it!

Best, Matt

I'm sure I would, and had funds been free (& were I not in love with current rig) Croft is where I would go. It's great to see 'cottage industry' manufacturing taking an upturn, and may that trend continue. It is easier to buy into a manufacturers ethos, or philosophy, when one man designs and tests and listens for himself. It becomes a matter of whether ones listening priorities are the same as the designer rather than blind brand loyalty. A designer who loves music & values the response it gives us is a wonderful asset to the hobby. Sadly not often can these voices be heard from inside corporate monsters or out on the street.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matodono1

Hi Filterlab,

No, there are no plans to produce monobloc amplifiers at this time.

In the picture is the Micro 25 pre and Series 7 power amp.

Both the Series 7 and Series 7 "R" are stereo amplifiers, just to clarify the "R" looks the same as the basic 7 but has a larger PSU and advanced circuit.

All of the new products feature various Hybrid design innovations with an optimum mixture of valve and SS technologies selectively applied to the circuits.

As a matter of interest some features of the latest Hybrid circuits can be applied to past products for those who wish to go down the upgrade path.

Regards, Matt.

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Sounds good stuff Matt. Will the power amp be happy driving low impedance loads?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Filterlab

Sounds good stuff Matt. Will the power amp be happy driving low impedance loads?

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Hi Rob,

The "R" version will cope better than the standard, but overall low impedance is not expected to be a problem.

Both prototype poweramps are currently out being used with Martin Logan (Clarity) loudspeakers. I believe that these offer many amps a challenge with low impedances.

Regards, Matt.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matodono1

Hi Rob,

The "R" version will cope better than the standard, but overall low impedance is not expected to be a problem.

Both prototype poweramps are currently out being used with Martin Logan (Clarity) loudspeakers as we speak. I believe that these speakers offer many amps a challenge with low impedances.

Regards, Matt.

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1.1ohms at 20khz is a good enough challenge in anyone's book! Sounds very interesting indeed. I look forward to hearing them at some point.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Filterlab

1.1ohms at 20khz is a good enough challenge in anyone's book! Sounds very interesting indeed. I look forward to hearing them at some point.

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Thanks,

Will see what can be arranged with Marco once stock levels are higher.

best, Matt.

I'm busting to visit my dealer friend to hear these amps. I asked for pics of his demo ones ages ago, but I don't think sending images by email is quite his bag...

They look good enough and the volume controls are ok I suppose (moan, whinge ;)).

Glenn has offered to have my old preamp back for mods. I just can't afford to do anything right now sadly (bread and water for supper soon if things don't change).

Still, the prices are excellent, bearing in mind he sells through a few dealer friends and he's also very happy to service his old models (although they're usually very reliable I think).

I hope Glenn sells as many as he can make. Brilliant!!!!!

Quote:

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I hope Glenn sells as many as he can make.

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Dito that from me.

Pass on my best wishes to Glenn will you Matt.

Ian.

Looks great. I have only ever heard one Croft preamp (Ian's) and it sounded bloody fantastic!

Croft amps (pre or power) are, and have always been, veritable 'giant-killers' - you're paying for pure out-and-out performance and simplicity of design refined down to a fine art, all hand built by a talented designer with many years of experience, and not badge-snob hi-fi or 'audiophile jewellery' full of extraneous aesthetic fripperies unconnected with sound quality. Ultimate sonic performance is all that matters to Glenn. His are designs for true enthusiasts and music lovers.

The retail price of Croft products therefore does not reflect the level of sonic performance within. Quite simply because of that they will compete with, and in many cases outperform, designs costing many times their price. The heavily modified Charisma-X Ian Walker and I use is undoubtedly one of the finest sounding preamps I've ever heard at any price. It has been in use in my system in one form or another for over four years and I have no intention of ever selling it, which is the best endorsement of a product I can give! :)

I will be having a listen to the new Croft designs soon and comparing them to my own preamp to see how close they get to it at much lower cost, plus the prospect of hooking up with Matt and Glenn again and mixing that with beer and curry is too tempting to resist :cool:

Stay tuned folks for a full review in due course!

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aquapiranha

Looks great. I have only ever heard one Croft preamp (Ian's) and it sounded bloody fantastic!

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Thanks to Steve, Dave, Marco and Ian once again for your support.

I have just uploaded a page of the few dealers that Glenn intends to start with. Here goes http://www.croftacoustics.co.uk/dealers.html all are available for advice on equipment and demos.

Best, Matt.

*looks on in envy from far away*

Hi Matt,

any talks with asian distributors? There's a lot of us here who're always keen to listen to smaller named players who offer terrific VFM and would rather put their resources into eking out performance rather than marketing. (I'm using an astintrew setup myself) :)

You can't 'ave 'em Bong, 'coz we want them all for ourselves :eyebrows: :lol: :ner: :cool: :gig:

*swears in an ancient tongue* :D

Why does Glenn Croft always insist on separate L/R volume controls? I always *hated* that in my SIP preamp (still in the garage).

It's a traditional Croft design quirk. Glenn reckons they're better (giving improved stereo), and trust me knowing the man quite well, you've got more chance of becoming the next Prime Minister than of Glenn changing to single volume controls on his amps!

You're not alone in disliking the arrangement; personally though I don't have a problem with it :)

Marco.

To be honest, I suspect it's because of the rating of the pots Glenn wants to use not being available in a stereo form and the input selector switch is now stereo remember - mine has a collection of flick switches....

As Marco says, having twin volume controls is a "Crofty" thing now and no hardship in their current position on the front panel.

PLEASE give this range a listen fella's. It's not expensive, relatively speaking and my mate who owns the dealership near Saffron Walden loves it to bits...

There's a very nice Croft Charisma-X preamp for sale here - the same one as mine!

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...7642#post37642

Gotta be bargain of the century with all the mods and NOS valves included :cool:

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MartinT

Why does Glenn Croft always insist on separate L/R volume controls? I always *hated* that in my SIP preamp (still in the garage).

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This is simple to sort out - set the balance you prefer & get yourself a neoprene 'O'- ring of the right size to gang the two together. If you want to adjust balance either take it off, or hold one while you turn the other.

I'm a newcomer to The Art of Sound and a latecomer to this thread but I would like to add my endorsement of these new Crofty amps.

I knew they would be good because in all the years I have known Glenn, he has never made a duff product. However, I wasn't expecting great things when I heard they would be £700 a piece and saw how small they are and then felt the tinny lids but the looks are deceiving - these are seriously good amps. I kid you not, if they were in carved-from-solid cases, priced £5K a lump, you really wouldn't query it. Stunning.

Can't wait for the no-holds-barred range at twice the price.

Nice one Glenn.:cool:

Glenn's a gem, Dave, and one of the 'old school'. They're a dying breed.

I will shortly be having a listen to the amps in question and if they're half as good as my Charisma-X, modified by the man himself, then they'll be amazing! :)

The quality of Glenn's phono stages in particular is quite phenomenal.

Marco.

I don't know how Glenn does it or why he does it !!!

He isn't one for BS or for making money. All he seems to want is for as many people as possible to enjoy good sounds without being ripped off. The new Micro pre is a stunning (MM only) phono stage which I have found betters some megabuck stages with ease and then you remember it's a pre as well and costs £700. Or 'beer tokens' as Glenn prefers. :cool:

Or curry vouchers...as long as the rice is up to scratch ;)

I agree, his MM all-valve, point-to-point hard-wired, phono stages are amazing. You can tell that they're designed by someone with a passion for vinyl and the knowledge of how to get the most from it :)

Well I know how much he hates CD and digital! :eyebrows:

Marco.

The only person I know who hates digital more is Tom Fletcher.:steam:

I had a conversation with Tom a while ago when he wanted me to obtain a couple of addresses for him. I asked why he didn't Google them on the computer ? 'The computer ? Oh, is that the grey thing I stick Post-It notes on kid ?'

Good old Tom, he makes me look computer literate.:lol:

Hehehe... Love it! :lolsign:

Marco.

Are the new Croft amplifiers available now?

Will there be an MM phono pre only product? I don't need or want another main preamp.

The new Croft Micro 25 pre and Series 7 power-amp are available now and sounding great. The price is £700 inc VAT per unit.

The pre has an excellent MM phono stage inbuilt and at the price I doubt you will find better. You can view it as a great phono stage with a pre thrown in.

Glenn may also introduce a MM phono stage but is not 100% sure about this as the Micro 25 is so good.:gig:

The Micro 25 is unsuitable as I need a fully balanced preamp. I'm not going down the single-ended path again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hifi_dave

I'm a newcomer to The Art of Sound and a latecomer to this thread but I would like to add my endorsement of these new Crofty amps.

I knew they would be good because in all the years I have known Glenn, he has never made a duff product. However, I wasn't expecting great things when I heard they would be £700 a piece and saw how small they are and then felt the tinny lids but the looks are deceiving - these are seriously good amps. I kid you not, if they were in carved-from-solid cases, priced £5K a lump, you really wouldn't query it. Stunning.

Can't wait for the no-holds-barred range at twice the price.

Nice one Glenn.:cool:

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Hi Dave,

I am currently listening to the prototype "R" versions. And they are a bit special, only slightly more detail than the cheaper amps but in other areas they are vastly different. Imagine your current setup but with a wider, deeper soundstage, more space, separation, better timing. Ultra smooth effortless music that just comes at you without any edginess.

Listen for hours without fatigue. You have a treat coming your way.

I will be updating the website with product pages sometime later today. http://www.croftacoustics.co.uk

Regards, Matt.

Hi Matt,

How's it going? I'll contact you soon to have a listen to the new amps and perhaps once the cricket season is over we can go for a ruby and a few beers with Glenn :cool:

Incidentally, Ian and I have been experimenting with stepped attenuators instead of the carbon volume pots that Glenn normally uses (Alps Blue and Black) and, quite frankly, there is a massive difference in performance, with the stepped attenuators completely outperforming even the revered Alps Black.

The Glasshouse Takman metal film unit here has given the best sound:

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/cata...or-p-4926.html

Review by Neville Roberts (makes interesting reading):

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/pdf/...al_stepped.pdf

At the moment I've got the stereo on 24way gold fitted on my Charisma X, but will be trying one of the Seiden units next week. Anyway the upshot of this is that I can say quite categorically that the carbon pots used in Glenn's designs are severely limiting their performance!

I know from speaking to him that he normally doesn't like stepped attenuators, but trust me, there is no downside whatsoever with the Takman - music is simply revealed, unhindered, in all its glory. In comparison, my Alps Black sounded soft and rounded-off, giving bass in particular a 'tubby', 'padded' quality. There is also no forward overly 'bright' signature to the sound or lack of bass (far from it - the lower regsiters are tight and deep like I have never heard before!), which can sometimes be the case with metal film attenuators.

The overall effect is rather like a tap which had previously only been half-open now being opened fully, thus allowing musical information previously 'held in check' to come flooding through; in effect a significant bottleneck is removed. And the Takman is available in mono, too!

Honestly, this is a no-brainer and something Glenn must listen to for himself. I think these pots should be fitted as standard to all of his preamps. I'll publish a separate review later, and discuss stepped attenuators in general in more depth. This for me is another 'amazing new discovery'! :smoking:

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

Hi Matt,

How's it going? I'll contact you soon to have a listen to the new amps and perhaps once the cricket season is over we can go for a ruby and a few beers with Glenn :cool:

Incidentally, Ian and I have been experimenting with stepped attenuators instead of the carbon volume pots that Glenn normally uses (Alps Blue and Black) and, quite frankly, there is a massive difference in performance, with the stepped attenuators completely outperforming even the revered Alps Black.

The Glasshouse Takman metal film unit here has given the best sound:

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/cata...or-p-4926.html

Review by Neville Roberts (makes interesting reading):

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/pdf/...al_stepped.pdf

At the moment I've got the stereo on 24way gold fitted on my Charisma X, but will be trying one of the Seiden units next week. Anyway the upshot of this is that I can say quite categorically that the carbon pots used in Glenn's designs are severely limiting their performance!

I know from speaking to him that he normally doesn't like stepped attenuators, but trust me, there is no downside whatsoever with the Takman - music is simply revealed, unhindered, in all its glory. In comparison, my Alps Black sounded soft and rounded-off, giving bass in particular a 'tubby', 'padded' quality. There is also no forward overly 'bright' signature to the sound or lack of bass (far from it - the lower regsiters are tight and deep like I have never heard before!), which can sometimes be the case with metal film attenuators.

The overall effect is rather like a tap which had previously only been half-open now being opened fully, thus allowing musical information previously 'held in check' to come flooding through; in effect a significant bottleneck is removed. And the Takman is available in mono, too!

Honestly, this is a no-brainer and something Glenn must listen to for himself. I think these pots should be fitted as standard to all of his preamps. I'll publish a separate review later, and discuss stepped attenuators in general in more depth. This for me is another 'amazing new discovery'! :smoking:

Marco.

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hey Marco,

Glenn usually rips them out when he gets pre-amps in that have been modded with stepped attenuators. I don't know why but he seriously hates em, I will see him over the bank holiday and ask him about them.

I know of one case when an atenuator was causing the pre-amp not to work properly (as well as faults with other mods a tweaker had carried out). Again I don't know the specifics.

It goes back to the basic philosophy of the guy. He doesn't believe in spending any money on hifi. Fortunately he can build his own amps and doesn't have to. He won't buy cables or power leads and in the current Micro and Series 7 range there are no exotic components at all.

In the last days of Eminent Audio Amar was buying in Eichmann accessories and fancy silver foil Jenson caps and whilst Glenn does acknowledge that they do sound better, he can't live with the vast increase in cost of these components over standard ones for only small percentage gains in sound quality. He didn't like using them and certainly didn't approve of the direction it was all going especially as the price tags for the EA stuff equipped and highly tweaked in this manner were approaching the 10K region.

As I say the current "R" versions have no exotica at all and they sound very very good. They are well designed and work well. I know that there are loads of tweaks that could be done to eak out a little more but at what effort and what cost?

The truth is that Glenn has designed the range to be easy to build, a range he is happy to build and probably wants to leave it as it is.

I am sure that the tweaking can be left to you guys who have a penchant for it. I personally don't blame you for experimenting as I do too. In fact I have a set of Eichmann phono plugs that need to be fitted to my CD player at some point over the bank holiday.

Have fun!

Regards, Matt.

Hi Matt,

Hey, no worries. Knowing Glenn's motivation with these things I understand where you're coming from. I just thought that I'd let you know how significant the upgrade is.

When I come down I'll bring my CX with me and you can have a listen perhaps with a view to having a Takman fitted when you have your own preamp upgraded :)

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

Hi Matt,

Hey, no worries. Knowing Glenn's motivation with these things I understand where you're coming from. I just thought that I'd let you know how significant the upgrade is.

When I come down I'll bring my CX with me and you can have a listen perhaps with a view to having a Takman fitted when you have your own preamp upgraded :)

Marco.

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Hi Marco,

My Epoch was given the treatment a few months ago, it had a load of internal mods including the chip regulation mod, a black Alps and now sports a 600VA external PSU. I even talked Glenn into fitting one of my home made woven power cables between the two boxes. The difference was stunning and made the standard Epoch sound very crude indeed.

That said I am actually listening to the Micro 25 "R" at the moment in partnership with the Series 7 "R" and the Micro, although not as good as the modded Epoch is so good that I am very satisfied with what I am hearing. It really is a close thing and would also be very close to your modded Charisma.

I am sure you would agree that at £1400 for a the 25 "R" and at that level of performance we are talking serious giant killing. Try and make it down within the next couple of weeks as I will not have them available to me for much longer.

I would definitely be interested in hearing your CX also.

Best, Matt.

That's a date, as they say, Matt :smoking:

Will 'da man' be finished watching silly men in whites whacking a ball around a field by then and likely be around, too? ;)

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

That's a date, as they say, Matt :smoking:

Will 'da man' be finished watching silly men in whites whacking a ball around a field by then and likely be around, too? ;)

Marco.

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I doubt that he would be interested in a shootout (or bakeoff as some of you guys are calling it these days). As for when he is about I couldn't tell you, I think the season is just about to kickoff. Fire him an email and ask him.

All I know is that I have the prototypes for only another two to three weeks before they go back to Glenn. So that is your window of opportunity to hear them. Contact me offline to arrange a convenient time.

Regards, Matt.

Will do, Matt. I'll probably give you a bell tomorrow :cool:

Marco.

The pre and power units pictured in the first post are very nice looking, but one pet-peeve of mine is seperate L and R volume controls....I can't stand that.

It takes all of five minutes to get used to. You'll find that you don't need to change volume settings as often as you think. Also, there is a fair degree of latitude in the setting of the controls so you don't need to get them both exactly in the same position for exact balance. It really is of little importance other than to improve the sound.

On the subject of exotic components in Croft amps - whilst Glenn appreciates that some expensive goodies can yield good results, he is passionate in his desire to make good value products. So, yes, a fancy volume control can sound a few per cent better it does so at a price and complication of assembly that is unacceptable to Glenn.

Glenn wants as many people as possible to be able to afford his products and to that end, he is currently working on a half price pre-amp. That's correct, a phono equipped pre at the target price of £350 to possibly £400.:smoking:

That's where Glenn's mind is at. Sod expensive parts - how inexpensive can it be and still sound stunning. Remember the original Micro ? I do - we used to sell them by the lorry load. Nice one Glenn.:cool:

I chatted to HiFi Dave above about how pleasantly surprised and stunned I am with the old SMA 4PP now it has some line-stage valves it likes, and this with original volume pots each end of the chassis too. I find I just set a nominal volume and even at low settings, there's plenty of fine tuning to get the balance right. As Dave says, I haven't once felt the need to twiddle with channel balance as once set, it stays there. The AVI "could" have a slightly wider dynamic range, but I don't mind, as it's wonderful to have the Croft singing so sweetly again, without the soggy bloat that other "classic" valves (Mullard Long Plates) gave IMO. The PP is rather different to the other Micro's in its requirements too. A great £250's worth (used cost) as far as I'm concerned...

Hi Dave,

Quote:

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On the subject of exotic components in Croft amps - whilst Glenn appreciates that some expensive goodies can yield good results, he is passionate in his desire to make good value products. So, yes, a fancy volume control can sound a few per cent better it does so at a price and complication of assembly that is unacceptable to Glenn.

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Knowing Glenn, I understand where you're coming from - and that's absolutely fine :)

However, just so no-one is under any illusions, I must state quite categorically that the difference the Takman stepped attenuator made to my Charisma X equates to much more than "a few per cent better". It is a fundamentally MASSIVE improvement (the sonic effect of volume pots is very significant), and for about £60 fully assembled, hardly a king's ransom…

Anyhow, I admire Glenn's style. If only more designers/manufacturers had that mindset, so more power to him! :cool:

Marco.

Quote:

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The Glasshouse Takman metal film unit here has given the best sound

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a-.I have to change the current potentiometer of my preamp for a true attenuator (2x25kohm), and I am considering the Glasshouse Takman metal film unit.
Does anyone have already compared it with the DACT attenuator: I know that the Dact does not exist in 25k version, but I just want to compare their sonic performance.

b-.I also plan to upgrade the input selector with with a SEIDEN (2 pole, 6 way) that I have been told they are probably the best ones: do you have another manufacturer recommandation ?

Thanks

Bonjour Nounours,

Bienvenu à AOS :)

I have not directly compared the DACT with the Takman, although I have heard valve preamps using both sound excellent; the latter in my Croft Charisma-X.

I rate both pots highly, but as always of course, much depends on the implementation and the sonic signature of the equipment and system as a whole.

If choosing the Takman, go for the more expensive Seiden version, as the switch is vastly superior in operation and there is also a small gain in audio performance over the standard Takman.

As an aside, I am selling a mint condition (GENUINE) Alps Black Beauty pot, which are quite difficult to find. If this is of use for any of your projects then PM me or email me at: framed6images@aol.com :)

This also applies to anyone else, too!

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hifi_dave

On the subject of exotic components in Croft amps - whilst Glenn appreciates that some expensive goodies can yield good results, he is passionate in his desire to make good value products. So, yes, a fancy volume control can sound a few per cent better it does so at a price and complication of assembly that is unacceptable to Glenn.

Glenn wants as many people as possible to be able to afford his products and to that end, he is currently working on a half price pre-amp. That's correct, a phono equipped pre at the target price of £350 to possibly £400.:smoking:

That's where Glenn's mind is at. Sod expensive parts - how inexpensive can it be and still sound stunning. Remember the original Micro ? I do - we used to sell them by the lorry load. Nice one Glenn.:cool:

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Hi Dave,

The new pre-amp now exists, I have just taken the first photo's for the site http://www.croftacoustics.co.uk it is callled the "Micro 25 Basic" and is actually a response to some of the comments both here and on Pink Fish that the £700 Micro 25 wasn't quite budget enough for some.

For the money it is knockout. Not as refined as my own pre but at 10x the money for my own kit I don't hear 10x the sound. The effect is anticipated to be very special and Glenn hopes to sell a fair few. Hope you like the new photo's. I have also released details of the new phono stage (the RIAA). I will be updating the site with all the details over the next couple of days.

Best regards, Matt.