Croft Integrated

Hi and welcome . Personaly i havnt but CJSF is a Croft boy. Stick around or keep checking in and with any luck Cj can help a bit. He is a tad busy demolishing his hoose at the minute. Check out the turntable section 

Hi Aishy

Welcome to the forum. It just so happens that i have got one on home demo at the moment and i absolutely love it. I have just ordered the Micro 25 pre 7 series power amp. I'm not the best at describing what i hear but its a fantastic sounding amp with a great phono stage on board. 

I wish i had bought one ages ago and is a superb match with my Harbeths. I would desribe the sound as warm side of neutral with plenty of detail, great bass and very sweet top end. The amp that they are replacing couldnt be anymore different. I think the biggest thing for me is how well they go with my speakers. 

CJSF who regularly posts on here has had the integrated for a while and he loves it! CJ will be able to describe the sound much better than myself

I hope this has been of some help, try and get a home demo, its well worth it. 

Cheers, Ed

That's great thanks for your help so far

Ed

Is it the latest integrated you have on demo at mo?  not the 'R' version though?

Can I ask what the price was for the Micro 25 & 7?

Thanks so much

Yes it is the latest one and not the R version. The Micro 25 and the 7 are £700 each although i have ordered the pre without the phono stage as i already have the Croft RIAA which should make it a bit less.

Cheers, Ed

Have heard nothing but good things about Croft.

The Luxman not for you Ed?

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the home demo from with the Crofts?

Cheers

Mac

Hi Mac

As good as the Luxman is,  all the stuff it has on it is a bit wasted on me to be honest. The Croft seems to match the Harbeths so much better, Like yourself I've read and heard nothing but good things about Croft especially with Harbeth's and couldn't resist the demo any longer. 

Such great simple amps which sound so effortless, also i have the Croft RIAA phono stage already and the synergy between the two Crofts compared to the Luxman is so much better. 

I got the demo from Deco audio in Aylesbury, Bucks. Very helpfull friendly chaps they are too!

Cheers, Ed

I use a Micro 25 pre in to a SS power amp, love it! Never heard a pre (realise you're talking intergated) that comes close at the price, Croft does have a 'house souch' for me, thunderous bass, quite a thick, almost anolouge sound overall, not to be confused with muddy, the detail is there as is the timbre but special thing start happening with deep male vocal such as Cohen or the bass line in some house music.

I've heard varioua Croft gear but not the intergrated but I can imagine just how it sounds, buy with confidence. I only wish there were more companies like Croft about.

I also love the fact you can send your units back to the man your self for upgrades, how many companies can you have the designer tweak your pride and joy?

Seems the previous posts have said it all . . . superb sound, a bargin at £1000, inc phono.  I have done a lot of system tweaking in the past 12 months, tiny changes, the Croft simple sails on unphased, it presenting the changes with no obvious input or colouration of its own.

I come from, in a past life, some very rarified valve equipment, my comparisons are years old and memory only, but I am very very happy with my Cortf intigrated.  It has formed the bassis of a very satisfying, musical system, giving me no reason to get on the 'upgrade merry-go-round'.

You ask about the 'sound', the Croft is voiced IMHO as a natural, though this is only as far as associated components allow. What the croft does, is give its owner the oportunity to shape a sound to their own liking, 'it bends'.  One is unaware of any strengths or weaknes, however it is not bland, if it has a strength, it is the presentation of music, giving confidence that what you are hearing is what was intended, the way you want to hear it.

It is a valve amplifyer that does not leap out at you 'shouting valves!!!' or 'solid state' from the fets, the perfect marrige of both perhaps, the best of both worlds?

Thats my two peneth, now I'm of to change a £1000 catridge without a stylus guard!!!!!!!!! . . .   

CJSF

CJ Yes me too really   

I seem to have come full circle and my current system is certainly the least expensive I have had, but probably the most musical

I am not sure how fussy the Croft will be about other equipment but I can give it a bit of choice of cd players and speakers, though I prefer my Royds at the moment

Thanks to all for your input on the subject 

Yep, full circle, with a 20 year gap that I dont remember much about . . .    I have not tried much, nothing at home, the PMc's were what I had so the croft had to get on with it.  However as I have observen, regardless of the adjustments I have made, the Croft just got on with the job.  The few reviews/coments I have read, seem to also indicate this 'get on with what ever is presented nature' of the Croft.

CJSF

The Croft integrated is incredible.  I got one recently and I think it sounds fantastic.  I thought my previous Linn gear was pretty good, but this is an order of magnitude better.  Very articulate and easy to listen to for extended periods of time.  Now I'm wondering what I'm missing (if anything) by not having the separate amp/pre-amp.  I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Mmm I thought the same, Croft Basic intigrated is so easy on the ear, upgrade get even better . . . Oh boy, I supose it depends what you want, but my experiance was up through the pre amps using the series seven power amp.  The sound be came more dynamic to the point of over bearing, I could not listen for more than half an hour befor I needed a break . . .

Thinking back, it may have been that I have a small (12ft x12ft) hifi study, the sound could not breath freely?  The simple Basic Intigrated was great.  I had two options, stay as I was with the basic, or, look for a full valve sound, this was the way I went.  Fourty watts of KT88's and a seperate full valve Phono stage.  Suited my requirement perfectly . . . I'm not putting the Croft down, far from it, but I simply could not cope with the 'in your face dynamics'.

If I could go back 15 years to my old bungalow, my listening room would have been 17ft x 21ft, probably use larger speakers, that would have been much more conducive to the sophisticated and powerfull quality Crofts.

CJSF