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Opinions of Creek Integrated 5350se

Please tell me what you know and think of the Creek 5350se.

I listen to a very wide variety of music - anything from Black Sabbath to Loreena McKennitt to Beethoven to Rap and over to techno. All over the map, as you can see. I like having an open, airy sound with a sense of presence. I like my sound to be tight and have good pace. I also like to have a good amount of bass (not boomy, however). I auditioned the Creek with its matching cd player and a pair of Epos speakers (M12, i think). I liked the sound and the bass was quite good, but not quite enough for my liking. That combo was very revealing and quite to my liking, but again, i restate that the bass wasn't quite enough. I also listened to a Naim system with Neat speakers and THAT system was a few notches punchier with lower range bass. It had a very lively sound that had me tapping my foot in no time, but again, there was something about it which made me have to question whether or not I would want something like that at home. And again with the Naim system, the bass was not as low as i would have liked (although it was very, VERY controlled).

Is it possible that I'm not ready for that level of performance?

I'm planning on using the Creek with a pair of NHT 2.5i's and a Rotel RCD 971 cd player.

These speakers and cd player might be replaced eventually.
Currently, I'm using a Nakamichi AV10 receiver, but I feel it is without a doubt the bottleneck of my system (and i do realize that the systems i mentioned above are MUCH higher resolution than what i have.

In a nutshell, I'm wondering if the creek would be good with the 2.5i's and the rotel. Would a naim nait 5 drive the 2.5i's?

Ok, i'm done with my ramblings...

thanks in advance.

Stephen
loose
jfacker
85 posts
 
Hey Stephen,

If you're going to keep the NHTs, get something with a LOT more juice than the Creek. I used to have a pair, and after trying many amps concluded that they don't really open up until you feed 'em some serious high-current power. Somebody mentioned on another forum that he loved the Creek with Meadowlark Kestrels; I have heard this combo too and I totally agree. I think the Creek will be better suited to speakers more efficient and darker (like the Meadowlarks, maybe Soliloquys) than the NHTs.

The NHTs rock but matching the rest of your gear to them (including wire) is VERY important in my opinion. You might try the new line of Audio Refinement seperates. Or B & K amps, or Plinius if you can afford 'em. The more power, the merrier.

Have fun!

Jeff
mattybumpkin
590 posts
 
I have the Creek amp with the M12's (and a Music Hall CD25) and am happy with it. Yes, the bass is lacking some. To get the base, I at some point will add a Sub, I think I was directed to REL, like the Storm. I am content for the moment though. The NHT's and the Rotel, can't comment. I have read the Rotel is a great CDP, top of the line Burr Brown chipset. Hope this helps.

Matty

PS- Don't settle for what you kinda like, if not sure, keep searching. There is alot out there!
crega
33 posts
 
I have the Creek with Vienna Acoustics Mozarts and a Rega Planet 2000 CDP, and couldn't be happier, but it took some time getting the cables right.
benthar
42 posts
 
I had a Creek 4140s2 (circa 91') that had very open and agressive bass, however my impression of the newer Creeks (heard one around 99') is that they sound VERY GOOD but the presentation is a little smooth and polite, especialy in the bass. A friend of mine also had the same impression of a newer Creek in a completely different store.

So, based on the fact that the three of us seem to agree, I dont think the newer Creeks (although they ARE quite nice) are for your tastes. Just my opinion.

Great CDP, dont change it. That's one of the best of all the Rotels IMHO.

You might want to try the Nait 5 (?) however I agree with Jeff regarding cable & system matching. The speaker wire that works best in one combo can sound dreadfull in another, although I'm not an engineer and I have no idea why this cable interaction occurs.

The Musical Fidelity A3 integrated might have more teeth and give you what you're looking for but thats based more on my experience w/recent MF stuff; I havent heard the A3 in particular.

Does Mission still make amps? They were rumored to have good timing and a fairly energetic presentation.
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