Actually, I read somewhere that Croft communicates like a poor man’s Shindo. Either way those are high compliments indeed. Gene bought a lot of the Phono Integrated’s and that is why the sale. I hear tell that when the next shipments comes in the price goes up to $1995 and worth every penny.
My Croft Micro 25 preamp was modified prior to purchase, in part by Glenn Croft and in part by my dealer, Deco Audio. It was given a single motorised volume control plus remote, a balance control, an extra input and a mono switch. I’d already requested that it have the phono stage. And that’s the wonder of Croft. The basic offering is just the starting point. I also bought a Series 7 power amp to go with it. Since then, Glenn has doubled the power of the Series 7 using a bigger power supply and a bigger heat sink and, more recently, he’s upgraded a number of components in both units to further improve sound quality. None of these upgrades cost a lot, either. So please don’t worry about dual volume controls or the lack of a remote-controlled volume. Order the Croft kit that you want and then sit back and enjoy.
When it was time to upgrade from my old NAD / Rotel pre-power combo, I really wanted to retain a mono switch and lots of inputs as per my NAD 1000 pre. I also wanted more than, say, a 5W/channel valve amp, since I was more accustomed to a minimum of 50W/channel. My worry was that nothing in my budget met all of these requirements. It seemed that I could have endless solid state amps without a mono switch or I could have a valve amp with two or three inputs and 5W/channel output. When I raised this with Deco Audio, they said “Firstly, get the sound right and then we can look at any other requirements. Try the Croft.” It sounded wonderful, but it only had 4 inputs, it had no mono switch and it had dual Volume controls. Then they said that the extra input, a facility for a tape loop, a mono switch, a single volume control, a balance control and a remote volume control could all be added for just a few hundred pounds. Wow! (This was possible because of the way that the kit was built.) 5 or 6 years later and here I am, still enjoying my music instead of listening to my equipment. The combination of a valve preamp with a hybrid power amp is just so good. Consequently, I’m a big Croft fan.
Have to say I am kind of lusting after the Croft RIAA R Phono Stage - it looks superb. I plan to upgrade my phono stage, maybe later this year, and it might come down to this and the EAR Phonobox. I love the simple point-to-point wiring that they employ in their various components. Not a big fan of the looks, but I think this is a case of money being spent where it matters most.
Stereophile measurements here in case anyone reading this thread is curious about them: Croft Acoustics Phono Integrated integrated amplifier Measurements
Indeed, infamous at this point. But I suppsoe nobody buys anything much with valves with measurements in mind. Or listens to records etc with similar in mind. DAC's with -120db noise-floors are relative trifling expenses these days...
Exhibit A in my case that measurements can be useless in telling you how a component actually plays music.
It would depend on the person. I listen to records and this product would not meet my requirements. As for the tube guys, it would depend on who you ask. Some may find it suitable, others may not.
I completely agree. The phono stage is the best I have ever heard on an integrated. Engaging with a rich tonal quality. Also the measuring devices on either side of Art Dudley (who’s writing and ears I respected greatly), Sam Tellig and Stephen Mejias heads were in agreement. The amp sounds great. JA so wanted one of them to hate it.
I also should have italicized the "can" -- I do appreciate John Atkinson's measurements (and opinions, when he does full-blown reviews.) I'm a fan, in fact.
I have gone back and forth on measurements. I appreciate when we get them because they can be insightful. But the two most important things to me are: a) do my components work well together, i.e. there are no incompatibilities (measurements can help with this), and b) does the system sound good? (b) will reveal (a), in that if there is some sort of incompatibility, the sound will probably suffer. So kind of the only thing that matters is how a system sounds. But of course, paying attention to (a) will help avoid problems, in that it can point out what is likely to not work well. Even then, some things that seem bad on paper do work surprisingly well (and vice versa).
I tend to like gear that measures either very bad or very good. It's the stuff in-between that often sounds mediocre.
Yes. I also like the fact that they have an opinion regarding most of what they sell rather than simply reproducing the manufacturers' blurbs or just publishing customer reviews. Additionally, they keep it simple and tell you whether gear is musical or whether it times well or whether it gets your toe tapping etc. For me these are the vital considerations, i.e. will I enjoy listening to my music through this gear? They even comment upon the difference between paper and hemp cone material for Audio Note speakers. Useful stuff!
Phono stage in the 25R is delightful. Personally really like the looks - a simple elegance that most other things look overdone in comparison, especially side by side.
I was looking hard at the phono integrated for a secondary setup. Got the Sony TA-A1ES as nostalgia not being able to afford ES stuff in college. Ended up getting a croft phonostage to use with it and i like it a lot. I know the integrated had pretty divisive measurements, but the phonostage sounds great to me. Not sure the measurements for the phonostage but like other tube gear that I enjoy it seems smoother. Only real niggle is the casework isn't very impressive but certainly not a deal breaker. Still want to get the phono integrated after how much I enjoy the phonostage, but I don't really use the second system as much as I expected sadly.
haha, I want _anything_ Sony ES for the same reason. I say who cares how the Croft phono measures. Measurements aren’t going to improve your life. Musical enjoyment, however...
Well, the Croft showed the LFD Mistral 2018 to the door. Bye bye. The Croft is just better to my ears. I traded the LFD in on a lovely set of cherry Spendor Classic 3/1’s. A match made in heaven. The rest of the speaker collection will likely be given their pink slips.
