Creek Evolution 50A - Top Of The Tree

The Creek gives away one or two features to the competition, but sonically it is top of the tree

Creek has been a strong contender in this price segment for years now and the Evolution 50A is its latest offering to contest the category. In terms of specifications, nothing leaps off the page as being especially radical, but the 50A has been through extensive and thorough development that has involved switching the design over to a software-controlled and menu-driven system while ensuring that the power amp is able to deal with real-world loads effectively.

Creek Evolution 50A

To this end, the 50A makes use of a claimed 200W transformer and Creek’s trademark series of low impedance output capacitors to work as a single unit. The feature list is fairly conservative, but there are some interesting options including a complete tuner module that can be fitted to turn the Evo 50A into a stereo receiver. If fitted, the software automatically recognizes the module and adds it as an input. The Creek is also the only amp here with an XLR input and another one of the standard inputs is an MM phonon stage that – given the company’s heritage in standalone designs – ought to be pretty good. A digital model is apparently also in the works.

Aesthetics are a personal thing, but for me the Creek is the best-looking amp here by some margin. The styling is clean and modern and the OLED display makes the others in the test look cheap. Build is excellent too, with the engraved lettering on the front panel looking especially elegant. All the controls feel solid and slick and the menu-driven system is intuitive to use. The only real criticism is that the remote doesn’t feel as special as the rest of the amp, but once again it is clear and logically laid out.

Sound quality

The Creek doesn’t take very long to show that it is more than a pretty face. The Evolution 50A is better than any other amp here at balancing control and smoothness with the drive and attack needed to make music convincing and enjoyable. This means that through the impeccable high-resolution quality of the Muse and Neil Cowley Trio pieces, the Creek is rich, detailed and extremely spacious with voices in particular having a very tangible realism to them. The treatment of the piano is also extremely enjoyable and the weight and impact to the struck keys is right up with the best in the group.

All the controls feel solid and slick and the menu-driven system is intuitive to use

When you ask the Creek to handle the more aggressive and upbeat Scratch Massive and Aloe Blacc tracks with their slightly more aggressive style, it rises to the occasion superbly. There is a liveliness and accuracy to the way that it handles these faster songs that draws you in and leaves you enjoying the music at an emotional level rather than examining it at a critical one.

Against this raw ability, only a slight lack of absolute bass depth counts against the Creek and the detail and definition that the bass it does produce is sufficiently compelling to ensure that you never really feel that it is lacking in this area, suggesting that the 50A has been set up for supreme control rather than out and out bass depth.

The Evolution 50A is a class act. The design and build make it feel special before you even turn it on and the performance once you stop admiring it is also genuinely impressive. The feature count might be slightly down on some of the amps here (although it is far from minimalist), and it isn’t the most subterranean performer, but in the areas that matter this is a very convincing amplifier indeed.

The Evolution 50A is better than any other amp here at balancing control and smoothness with the drive and attack needed to make music convincing and enjoyable

One test

Although Creek rates its Evolution 50A more conservatively than the older Evolution 2 at 55W/8ohm, it still delivers 2x64W/8ohm and 2x100W/4ohm with momentary increases to 85W, 155W, 245W and 295W into 8, 4, 2 and 1ohm loads under dynamic conditions. The output impedance is ~0.04ohm from 20Hz-20 kHz so the amp/speaker system response, with its gentle treble roll-off of just –0.2dB/20kHz to –3.8dB/100kHz, will not vary significantly with speaker impedance.

In a fully balanced system the A-wtd S/N ratio amounts to 89dB (Re. 0dBW), with hum and noise just –80dBV (0.1mV). Up until clipping, the 50A’s distortion is very consistent from 0.003% at 1W to 0.002% at 50W through bass and midrange, with an increase at high frequencies to 0.035% at 20 kHz/10W. The digitally governed volume yields a tight ±0.01dB channel balance while stereo separation is >60dB 20Hz-20kHz.

Our verdict

·         Sound quality: 5/5

·         Value for money: 5/5

·         Build quality: 5/5

·         Features: 4/5

·         Like: Lively, detailed and involving performance; excellent build and aesthetics

·         Dislike: Slight lack of bass depth; ugly remote control

·         We say: An extremely capable and well thought-out amp that delivers superb sonic

·         Overall: 5/5