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
Stephan,

Please post how your search goes. I have a similiar setup, basically the step down setup from yours... I listen to an equally diverse range of music and am also looking to upgrade... Was also considering the Creek!!!

My setup:
Nakamichi AV-8 receiver
Marantz (Ah Tjoebs '99) CD player
Marantz 4200 DVD
NHT 1.5 speakers
NHT 10' subwoofer with external NHT 125W sub amp. This sub really works well with diverse music, the volume control on the sub amp is very useful for matching the amount of bass needed for the various types of music I listen to.
Kimber Kable 8tc speaker wire
Nordost Blue Heaven from CD to receiver

I really want to know how your auditioning goes and what you decide on going with?!?

Steve
NHTs are not the most efficient speakers on the planet...but they do have good bass...largely due to their sealed enslosure designs...as far as an amp...I would agree with some posts...the Creek is not a "rocker/rap" type of amp...for a less "refined" but more dynamic amp...the NAD c370 might be your ticket...about the same price too..
nooo, I will not go the NAD route...It is only about as good sounding as the Nak AV10 i'm currently using...the last thing i want to do is move laterally. Sure the NAD will sound different than the Nakamichi, but it certainly won't elevate the overall system performance.

As far as the same price as the Creek 5350se, I don't think so. The Creek is more expensive,without a doubt.

Perhaps the Creek is not the best match either, but my search continues...

Looking at the Primare a20. Not sure how this will perform with the speakers, but it can't hurt to try.

By the way, i've put off buying an integrated for a while - instead, i have upgraded my source with the addition of an MSB Link DACIII. I figure that I might as well start at the source in order to realize the full potential of any amp i choose...

(and let me tell you, the addition of that DAC makes a HUGE difference)

Stephen
I would have to disagree with you there...the NAD intergrated...or for that matter any entry level intergrated from Rotel,Rega,Creek,and even Cambridge AUdio...will sound better than all but the best AV receivers...AV receivers are about "bells and whistles"...and the addition of a tuner introduces "crosstalk" interference...the C370 is by no means world class...but it is a very good solid state amp...and amp of the year in Britain...I listened to it on a pair of Maggie 1.6s...you would be surprised...not the build quality of Bryston...but for 1/3 the price...a very good performer...NHTs can be a bit bright...so what ever route you go...a warmer sounding piece IMHO would be ideal...good luck
Stephen...your right...I was thinking of the Creek 4330 mkII amp..which goes for $600...roughly the same as the NAD c370..sorry for the confusion...