Replacement for Creek CAS 4040 amplifier?

semidt

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So, I’ve had my little Creek amp for nearly 40 years, but the volume dial is going a bit wonky. It’s powering a pair of Monitor Audio RX8 silver speakers (my wife said the original MA speakers I got with the amp were too ugly for her new living area!). They are not doing anything too demanding, just boosting the sound of the TV for films, games etc.

I may write to Creek Audio to see if it can be fixed, but I’m posting in the hope you may suggest some recommendations regarding a decent alternative amp. I’m not sure if I may get back into listening to music this way rather than Spotify/earphones, but I retired at Christmas so you never know my luck when the job list reduces and time allows.

Thank you.
 
Do you have a budget in mind? Are you likely to need a phono input for vinyl in the future? Would you consider buying second hand?


Creek's modern equivalent is the evolution 50A, which gets good reviews.

A safe choice is the Rotel A11 tribute, which comes with an onboard DAC, Bluetooth, phono input and a headphone amplifier for about £430.
 
volume dial is going a bit wonky
Could be just a volume control (potentiometer) problem in which case it should be cheap and easy to have fixed. I replaced a crackling volume pot. on a Sugden A48 Mk2, which Sugden kindly supplied. Needed soldering skills, that's all.

The little Creek CAS 4040 has lasted well. I never heard this amp back in it's 1980's heyday but it had a decent reputation for audio quality. However, it really is low powered by today's standards (28W RMS/channel into 8 Ohms) and appears to have an exaggerated, soft bass, from reviews I've seen. The Monitor Audio speakers seem to have a slightly bloated bass too so possibly not an ideal match with the amp - though you would have grown accustomed to the sound of the amp/speaker combination over the years. I've read that the MA speakers were supplied with foam bungs to block the speaker's ports if bass was excessive - could be worth a try if you haven't already tried this (any rolled up cloth/socks could be employed to block the ports).

MA recommend amps from 50W RMS/channel upwards to drive their 4 Ohm RX8 silver floorstanders. Assuming the Creek isn't economic to repair, I'd suggest integrated amps like the Marantz PM6006 or PM6007, NAD D 3020 V2 and Rotel A11 Tribute. If budget doesn't stretch to these then the Onkyo A-9010 and Yamaha A-S301 would be a sensible minimum.

When it comes to an amp's inputs, think ahead. If you get back into music, will that be vinyl? In which case you'll want the amp to have a MM phono input (some amps don't have them these days). Also, a favoured connection between TV and stereo amp is now digital optical as most modern TV's have digital optical outputs, in which case an amp with such an input could be useful.
 
The Creek 50A @Nico72 mentions is a great looking amp. It’s discontinued and you don’t see many for sale. I spotted one on a certain auction site a few months back at £350, there’s one on now at £599. I think they last sold new at £899.

You will find a Creek 4040 around £180-200.
 

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