Creek EVOLUTION 50A Integrated Amplifier

Description

This new amplifier forms part of the next generation EVOLUTION 50 range of products. Housed in a slim case with engraved front panel and solid control knobs, it’s finished in either black or silver brushed aluminium. An ingenious new push button design has been developed for it, offering excellent tactile feel and backlit optical indication of usable functions for optimum user-friendliness.

This is Creek’s first product to feature an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. This white on black display provides higher clarity and resolution than a normal display. Brightness levels can be changed or the display made to turn off when not required, via the menu system.

At the heart of any good amplifier lies a good power supply; The EVOLUTION 50A uses a 200 Watt toroidal mains transformer with separate windings for high and low current analogue and digital circuitry. This solution produces a good power to weight ratio and low magnetic interference. Creek’s policy of paralleling several low impedance capacitors to create an ultra-high specification capacitor to smooth the DC also helps to produce a very powerful and accurate sound from such a relatively small amplifier.

David also developed a completely new analogue Pre-amp circuit, providing high levels of flexibility and control, via unbalanced or balanced inputs. It has multiple input options, switched electronically or via gold contact relays, plus electronic Volume, Balance and Tone controls. For Vinyl fans, a Sequel Phono pre-amp can be plugged-in, substituting Line Input 1 for Phono. In addition, there is another input available, should the user want to fit a Tuner module. The computer control will sense this and respond accordingly.

Excellent measured and sonic performance has been achieved with this analogue integrated amp, but when using digital input signals via the matching EVOLUTION 50CD, the analogue pre-amp can be bypassed completely. The EVOLUTION 50CD has a very high-end volume control in the digital domain and ‘Class-A’ balanced audio outputs. Connecting the output directly to the “Power amp direct” inputs elevates the performance to an even higher level.

Creek Audio no longer makes a separate EVOLUTION Tuner. So, for die-hard analogue tuner fans, Creek has employed the services of ‘John Westlake and Dominik Peklo of Lakewest Audio’ to develop theAMBIT AM/FM Tuner Module. The AMBIT module can be fitted inside the amplifier, with its antenna sockets mounted on the rear panel. When fitted, it automatically turns the amp into a Receiver, suitable for every region of the world.

A stylish new system remote handset has been developed to control all the functions of the EVOLUTION 50 range. The EVOLUTION 50 range also features an optional IR extender to enable the products to be hidden away, but still operable via remote control