Creek 4330R
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6763 Registered: Feb-05 | Tomorrow I pick up a Creek 4330R...any thoughts or experience with this amp. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6766 Registered: Feb-05 | OK...I'll stir the pot...lol!!! I read one opinion where this amp was preferred to the Bryston B60, Musical Fidelity A2 and the Audiolab 1000's. http://www.soundscapeav.com/creek/4330.html |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1431 Registered: Jun-07 | lol ohhhhhhhhhh *stir*. lol The Creek amps I have never heard but I have read many many good things about them. I would say the Creek name lives up in the mix with the likes of Bryston, MF and Audiolab. They are a class amp. Congrats on the purchase. Wait...didn't u just get a Linn? Im guessing another trade in Art? |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1432 Registered: Jun-07 | I would think with the likes of your listening habits, that the Creek with suit you much better than a Linn. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6767 Registered: Feb-05 | Yeah Nick the Linn is horrible. The Intek is considered one of their misses and not a hit. Better than 90% of what I can find online is negative for the Linn. The Creek was budget product of the year in 1998 for Stereophile and in every review and opinion I can find has bested all of the comparable amps by the likes of the brands listed above and Naim just to name a few. Ofcourse we know that opinions are like a/holes...everyone has one and most (if not all) stink...lol!! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2686 Registered: May-05 | I haven't heard that particular Creek, but I've heard the newer ones, mainly the 5550 (?) and the Destiny. I'd put them amlost half way between Naim and Bryston, from a sound-characteristic stand point. If my memory serves me correctly, they were a little edgier than a B60, but not as edgy as the Nait 5i (non-italic). Just as pacey and punchy as the Nait and B60. I perfer the B60 and Nait to the Creeks I heard, but that doesn't mean the Creeks weren't just as good. It was a very narrow margin IMO. Unless it one of Creeks misses (Do they even have any?) like the Intek was, I don't think you can go wrong. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2687 Registered: May-05 | It should also have a very good phono stage built in. If no phono stage, you could probably get a board to add in. Creek takes phono very seriously, just like our other favorites do. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6768 Registered: Feb-05 | It has the MM phono stage and upgraded speaker binding posts. I have not read a bad thing about this amp. Ideal matchup is with Epos speakers but have read of a number of very happy B&W and Creek marriages. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1433 Registered: Jun-07 | Art- What happens if you enjoy it more than the Mira3? lol I like the stinky (a)hole comments.lol If my memory serves me correctly, doesn't the Stereophile Mira3 review have a comparison in there somewhere with it against a Creek? |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1434 Registered: Jun-07 | http://www.soundscapeav.com/creek/4330.html |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6771 Registered: Feb-05 | Yeah the Mira was compared to the 5350SE and the 5350 won barely...some prefer the sound of the 4330 to that of the 5350...oh oh! |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1437 Registered: Jun-07 | Yeah should be a great battle.lol I would think as long as the Mira3 is matched up with the Apollo and Rega speakers the Mira3 would come on top. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6774 Registered: Feb-05 | Wow what a trip....back from from Portland and what an adventure. Well...he didn't have the original remote...guy who traded it in said that it only worked from a couple of feet away and bought a Simaudio that works and that's what I have...will be contacting Music Hall about that. Also didn't have the original feet...guy had it resting on Sorbothane feet and lost the originals....I asked him to scare up something and put it on...he did. It didn't have a phono stage...oh oh...deal breaker. I borrowed $30 for gas from my wife and I specifically asked if it had a phono board...I'm unhappy. Kurt apologizes emphatically and asks what kind of phono stage I want...? I said well I think that the Cambridge 540 is getting great reviews...so be it he says...gets on the phone and buys me one..WTF. All I have to do is go and pick it up. Long story long...I'm listening to sweet music as we speak...yippie!!! Once again Kurt goes out of his way to make things right...if you live in the Portland area and aren't already doing business with Echo Audio...don't buy new, give Echo a call or email and they will find what you want and back it up all the way. GREAT FOLKS!!!! |
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Silver Member Username: John_ashmanAlbuquerque, NM United States Post Number: 121 Registered: Apr-08 | I've always liked Creeks. Nice and smooth. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1442 Registered: Jun-07 | Hows it sound Art? What speakers and source you using with it? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6775 Registered: Feb-05 | Speakers are B&W 610i's, 4 ohm aocustic suspension design. Sources are a Rotel RCD971 cd playe modifed by Jim Ott at Northwest Audio Labs, decent but not the Apollo and my Music Hall 2.2LE into a Cambridge 540P phono stage. The phono has a long way to go to break in. When I first turned it on I thought, oh my this is a bit soft. Only a bit less so than the Linn, however instruments were in much better balance. Now that it's been on for an hour it has warmed up and improved markedly...I'm loving it. Wonderfully warm yet detailed. Very good tonality...could have just a bit better control over the bass drivers...it's 40 watts a side for gods sake. Very, very pleased...better than the Aura who's sound I very much liked. Know what's funny...I just found out that my Mira's remote works for it...hahahahahah!! |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1443 Registered: Jun-07 | lol nice. Congrats on the purchase Art. I brought Home Monitor Audio RS6's this weekend. Love them. Absolutely love them. Got them for a insane deal(New for 1000 taxes in from my dealer) and the wife loves them. *Bonus* |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6777 Registered: Feb-05 | Outstanding Nick...I really like MA speakers... I must start saving for Epos speakers for the Creek....not for a while...see if I can find some at a jumble sale...lol! Have you started a thread...with pics? |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1445 Registered: Jun-07 | not yet. The ladies are here tonight(wedding party) so no pics tonight. I got them hooked up and I had Jack Johnson's new album ripping when the ladies got home and my future wife claimed they sounded much better to her. (Thank goodness) Monday I get my Bryston pre amp and when I get it all hooked up I will take some pics for sure. Plus the whole house is in boxes since we are packing early for the MAY move to our new house.(We also get married two weeks after we move) Im swamped.lol Pics will come for sure. I have a separate two channel system now consisting of the Bryston pre, Bryston Power amp, Rega Apollo and the MA RS6's. Should do me for quit a while. I really love the sound im getting right now. Art, it seems that every Creek review I read it is with Epos speakers. Im guessing these two companies are a super good match for each other, or in bed with each other kind of like Bryston and PMC??? or Rotel and B&W? Is it Creek and Epos? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2689 Registered: May-05 | "Is it Creek and Epos?" If my memory serves me correctly, Creek bought Epos a little while back. I remember reading "The World According to... Mike Creek" in Hifi Choice a year or so ago, where he was talking about how they've used each other to voice their gear for years, and it just made sense to purchase Epos when they were having trouble. No pics of the ladies???!!! |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6778 Registered: Feb-05 | Creek and Epos are fabulous...however I'd want something of about the vintage of this amp...perhaps sometime the opportunity will present itself...meanwhile this (with the B&W's) sounds fabulous. What a great system you have Nick...wow lots of fun and great sounds. Your future sounds like she has good taste as well. Check us out Stu and Nick we have some jammin' gear! Oh and just to make a friggin' hypocrite of me....guess what's written write on the box of the CA 540P IN BIG LETTERS....MADE IN CHINA...oh well... |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1446 Registered: Jun-07 | LOL I will make sure I will post some pics of the ladies. Perhaps our wedding pic? That would make sense then. Every ad, every review it seemed to have Creek and Epos together. Never heard either brand, but hear both make beautiful music. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1447 Registered: Jun-07 | "What a great system you have Nick...wow lots of fun and great sounds. Your future sounds like she has good taste as well. Check us out Stu and Nick we have some jammin' gear! " Thanks Art, it is making music love right now.lol Its great to be able to talk to other people with the same passion for music and gear that I have. "Oh and just to make a friggin' hypocrite of me....guess what's written write on the box of the CA 540P IN BIG LETTERS....MADE IN CHINA...oh well..." LOL Isn't everything these days? If it sounds good, then I say enjoy. Some 11 year old did a damn good job making that Phono amp.lol *am I aloud to say that*?lol |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6780 Registered: Feb-05 | Thanks Nick...I feel better now that I know that my grandchildren built my phono stage...lol! |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6783 Registered: Feb-05 | Voila!   |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1448 Registered: Jun-07 | Awesome Art. The Creek in one sexy amp. I love the green. Your second system is better than most peoples first system.lol. Well done, well done. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6787 Registered: Feb-05 | OK...here we go... I'm about to admit in front of the world something VERY embarrasing, and I find it a hoot! So everything on the back of the Creek is situated the opposite of my last 2 amps...and I was absolutely sure...checked twice that that included the order with regard to the binding posts, keep in mind that these are upgraded gold binding posts not colored plastic ones. So I had a few whiskey's last night and enjoyed my new amp...although something wasn't quite right. When I played vinyl I really noticed it. I told my wife, you know it sounds out of phase...I took another look...hmmm all is ok I guess. Well I'll listen again tomorrow. Today comes and it still doesn't sound quite right...don't get me wrong there is nothing you can do to this amp to appraoch the horrors of the Linn Intek...however it wasn't quite right. Took another look in back and started laughing...I have no friggin' idea what made me think I had it hooked up right...geez!!! 34 years I've been doing this, lawd have mercy... Well I hooked it up right and OMG what an unbelieveable little amp...I'm thrilled with the performance! Thought I'd give ya'll a Sunday afternoon laugh....  |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1454 Registered: Jun-07 | LOL, my friend did the same thing a couple weeks ago. Even took his receiver back to my dealer and my dealer told him he was crazy.lol It happens. Makes us feel human again.lol Glad the amp sounds amazing Art. Have you thrown it in the big rig yet? In place of the Mira3 to see how the Creek fairs with the Rega gear? Just curious. Sounds like that would be fun. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6788 Registered: Feb-05 | No, I won't be puttin' it in the big rig. Too big a pain in the asp. The second system sounds amazing now...low level resolution is better than in the main system...to be expected as that has never been a Rega strength. Much better resolution as you go up the Rega ladder...Saturn, Cursa and Exons come to mind. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1455 Registered: Jun-07 | Right on. Sounds like a great setup. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6789 Registered: Feb-05 | Emailed Music Hall about the original remote today...$85 + $12 SH....ouch! BTW Roy Hall himself returned the emails. He's been listening...I feel a presence... |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1456 Registered: Jun-07 | LOL 85 dollar remote? It must be marketed by Monster.lol |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6791 Registered: Feb-05 | Close....lol!!! I'll put that $85 toward my platter upgrade and speed box... |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1457 Registered: Jun-07 | Yeah definitely. Money well spent right there. |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1263 Registered: May-06 | Nick K. / Art, When I had the Creek 5350 SE integrated in my kit it was wonderful with the MA silver 8is and a Rotel CD player. When I upgraded to the Apollo it soon left my kit. It was just to much in terms of detail and forward with the Apollo. It seemed like it was out of control to some extent. Keep in mind that was before I was keen to room treatments and how to properly isolate or dampen gear. Not that I am an expert at it now, but at least I know how to tune the room better than I did back then. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6796 Registered: Feb-05 | That sounds like a fun system Mike. But I can see how with the Apollo it could become too much of a good thing. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1475 Registered: Jun-07 | Creek still kicking A S S Art? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6803 Registered: Feb-05 | Lovin' it Nick. It sounds great. I had tried everthing with the other amps trying to improve the sound. Nothing worked especially with the Linn. The Aura sounded very good with my stock Rega power cord (18 ga) and the lighter gauge speaker wire (16 ga bi wire). Interestingly as I put heavier gauge on both the Linn and the Aura they lost it. They became less coherent and certainly less pacey...it's altogether different with the creek. I put the standard 16 ga power cord and the 14 ga biwirwe speaker cable on and it was like I opened the window and let the sun in...an already fantastic sound became even better...very pleased. Amps so far in the office system...and their ratings (1 to 5 stars) Creek Audio 4330 ***** Aura VA-50 ***1/2 Yamaha CR820 *** Sansui 6060 **1/2 Linn Intek * (you get one star when you fire up...lol!) |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 1476 Registered: Jun-07 | lol nice. The Yammy beat the Sansui? Nice. I do not know the Yamaha model numbers but I am guessing it is from the 70's? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6804 Registered: Feb-05 | Actually it was a wrong model number and it has been corrected. The Yamaha was from the mid 70's and sounded just a bit better with the B&W's even though it didn't have quite as easy a time driving them. |
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Silver Member Username: Jazzman71Phoenix, AZ USA Post Number: 179 Registered: Dec-07 | Art, very cool. What is the stand the gear is on? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6805 Registered: Feb-05 | The stand is a Lovan Sovereign and the speaker stands are Lovan Jazz 1800. Both can be mass loaded...which I have not done yet. |
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