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Name a 'beautiful' amplifier.

Orbe Chaser said:
I have never knowingly heard any Croft gear, it may well sound fantastic & be right up my street flavour wise, but I wouldn't buy anything that looks like the picture above.
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I think I'd agree. I recall seeing a Croft amp with the bonnet up years ago at a show..Internally..it was a mess. I seem to recall reading something years ago to the effect that Glenn Croft would not answer his phone during the day.. because he spent all night building amps in the quiet hours..and slept all day. Maybe it's what happens when you build amps in the dark..

But I'd also agree.. Croft amps have a strong following.. so whatever I think.. he must be doing something right.
 
Love the teak cased A60 with painted fascia; also the Creek CAS 4040 that has a similar design brief. The Onix OA-21 is a timeless masterpiece in minimalism.
 
I think the Naim NAC42/NAP110 (page 3) ... are in the lead so far.

This is closely followed by Tony's Quad pre/powers (2off) and Leak contribution on page one. As there are 3 products sharing the lime light (and votes) this is cheating I guess and he is duly disqualified.

I can't be bothered to go through it again as my eyes are truly hurting from looking at some of the monstrosities but someone may have a stronger stomach and establish a winner bronze and silver plus a fourth place which no one will ever remember?
 
Must be British nostalgia? Not being from there I don’t feel an attraction to (any) Naim. Well maybe olive a little.

BTW what ‘votes’?
 
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I find vintage Naim equipment particularly bland. I wouldn’t put those boxes in my lounge.
But I admit to being a B&O fan.

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Actually mine showing here on Catawiki.
 
booja30 said:
Must be British nostalgia? Not being from there I don’t feel an attraction to (any) Naim. Well maybe olive a little.

BTW what ‘votes’?
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I stand corrected. 'Likes'

I find new Naim, the ones with the 'turntable' top dial nicer. Mostly because of the top dial but the lit plexi base is also unique.
 
chartz said:
No I haven’t. No need. I’m sure they are excellent products! As I said, I’ve built many valve preamps myself and still use one today.

Just by the look of the boxes and what’s inside I’d say they must be very profitable products, admittedly from a small manufacturer, but still.
I’ve read many very favourable reviews over what ? 30 years ?

But seriously?

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let’s be fair - that’s the line stage only version - you get one more valve if you take the phono version :) It also doesn’t show the PSU on the other side of the big box. If you compare this to his earlier stuff it’s very similar, just more compact. Do you know if the above is as per it left Glenn? Didn’t think he was really a fan of boutiquey output caps and fancy cloth wrapped wire.

Oh, and anyone who thinks point to point looks messy is I think missing the point. It generally allows a shorter signal path which sounds better. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)
 
Whaleblue said:
Definitely all in the eye of the beholder.

I love the Pass look, as long as it has the current meter.

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I've got a Pass Labs XP20 pre-amp and XA100.5 monoblocks. They sound beautiful (which is all I care about) and are beautifully built, but they are utilitarian things that are impractical in may ways (sheer size, weight, heat dissipation) so I would hesitate to describe them as beautiful, even if I do appreciate what they do and how well they do it.
 
All my first valve attempts were point to point, because I started off repairing old valve radio and black and white TV sets.
That sort of wiring is very easy and I will use it now for prototypes only.
I finally chose to use tinned thick copper (70 u) epoxy boards.
Much nicer but more work involved too!
I don’t doubt at all that Mr Croft is an extremely competent designer.
What he charges for so little hardware is just too much, and definitely looks like kitchen table work.
 
chartz said:
I don’t doubt at all that Mr Croft is an extremely competent designer.
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Technical performance is poor. The design, packaging and layout is basic DIY. What suggests extreme competence? BTW I am asking not disputing given some people buy the products which is of course the acid test.

chartz said:
What he charges for so little hardware is just too much, and definitely looks like kitchen table work.
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The amplifiers are designed and built by hand in the manner of a DIY hobbyist. This is slow and expensive and the price charged looks to be in line with this.

Given the rapidly disappearing demand for stacks of hi-fi boxes, mass production prices will also rapidly disappear leaving cottage industry prices like this as the new normal. We are not there yet but it is likely coming. Of course there might be a retro revival like with records and young trendy hipsters with beards may want to display hi-fi shrines in the living room. Who knows?
 
I’m assuming you haven’t heard a Croft pre? ‘Technical performance’ may be poor in your eyes but they certainly sound excellent when matched appropriately, and certainly price is fair when you compare the sound to other pre amps at the same price or greater.
 
The Bish said:
I’m assuming you haven’t heard a Croft pre?
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Not consciously but one may have been in use at an audio show.

The Bish said:
‘Technical performance’ may be poor in your eyes
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Technical performance has got nothing to do with my eyes. It is identical for everybody's eyes which is the point. It is a fact not an opinion. Of course how it is interpreted will vary with people's knowledge and understanding but that won't stop it being factual.

The Bish said:
but they certainly sound excellent when matched appropriately,
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If it has a sound then that is poor by conventional standards. You may opt to hold unconventional views on amplifier performance which is fair enough but the conventional view that amplifiers should amplify without audible distortion is very widely held.

The Bish said:
and certainly price is fair when you compare the sound to other pre amps at the same price or greater.
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I would agree the price fair given the way it was designed and manufactured. It is poor value for money though if you want high technical performance and an amplifier to add no sound of it's own to the signal.
 
RoA said:
I stand corrected. 'Likes'

I find new Naim, the ones with the 'turntable' top dial nicer. Mostly because of the top dial but the lit plexi base is also unique.
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Well technically @Tony L's post with 20 likes but it has 3 systems in it... My B&O photo lower down on the first page has 17 and is only one system. :)

If I combined my B&O photo with my Sansui photo I'd potentially have the winner! Whatever the union of the two sets of likers would come out to. Oh, and I suppose I could add my NAD stack photo to bump it a bit more. :D
 
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