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HiFi Choice
Magazine I first recall coming across Glenn Croft's amplifiers when I was editing this magazine some 15 years ago. Although a reclusive individual, he was one of the pioneers who helped reintroduce valve amps to the UK - yet the amplifiers themselves looked very 1950s, and were a lot more reasonably priced than most of the thermionic competition. Very little seems to have changed. The amps are still reasonably priced, still look like 1950s throwbacks, and Glenn still hides behind his answering machine, though now he's got someone a little more extrovert to help out on the UK distribution. Why 1950s? Because their brown and gold hues remind me of those venerable Leaks and Rogers, before everything went silver and/or black from the late 1960s. Actually, I think they look quite fetching - the nice wooden fascias, and brown hammerite finish chassis and cover fit in rather better with typical soft furnishings than regulation black 'n' silver. The Vitali SC preamp costs £750 and the Series 5C power amp is £1,250, or £2,000 in toto . The manual is full of a hi-fi philosophy that's both entertaining and contentious. The preamp includes a vinyl disc input, of the moving magnet variety, but just three line level inputs, which is a bit limited for the modern world. There's no remote control, and just three knobs, one to select the inputs or 'mute', the other two separately adjusting the volume of each channel - tricky at first, though I guess you get used to them. The power amp is rated at 30 Watts/channel, and uses classy components like C-core output transformers and paper-in-oil capacitors. SOUND QUALITY HiFi
World Review When hi-fi became largely transistorized during the 1960s, in many instances the trusty pre-amp, hitherto the focus of the whole set-up, went out into the cold. A further blow to the breed's self-esteem occurred when the reaction against tone controls, variable slopes and all that, set in. Given that most popular amplifiers were integrated types, indeed they not infrequently included tuner as well, the pre-amplifier became to a large degree banished to the margins of higher end - with a commensurate increase in price. When we had a look at Croft's Epoch Elite valve pre-amp a few months ago, we were pleased to give top marks for sound quality but noted that , at £950, this was an item which would need saving up for. Now Croft have met the piggy-bank brigade halfway and introduced the Vitale (rhymes with 'Charlie') with the intention of giving similar service to its illustrious cousin, but at a much reduced price. As is usual with Croft gear, advantage is taken of the comparatively low production numbers to employ the hard-wiring techniques which mass production usually precludes. This allows very short signal paths - in some instances the components are soldered directly to the valve sockets - which has at least one distinct advantage: the eradication of all-but-unavoidable paralleling of tracks in PCBs which can introduce capacitative spuriae. Being a budget version, the Vitale pre-amp does not have the benefit of valve regulation of the power supply which distinguishes the more expensive Epoch. Despite this, stabilizing looks to be in good hands if the hefty reservoir capacitors are anything to go by. Also, bearing in mind its price, it would be idle to deny that the Vitale is presented in anything but penny-plain finish: collet knobs are not usually considered the hallmark of expensive gear! I understand that those who prefer a somewhat more up-market look may specify the brass knobs and wooden fascia from the manufacturer at pro-rata prices. Having given high marks to the Epoch Elite, I was curious to see how the economy model measured up , particularly the moving-magnet phono stage. Straight on to the platter with my Zuckerman Elgar Violin Concerto to see if all was lovely in the late-Romantic garden. So it proved, with the full majesty of the orchestra swelling, almost bursting out of the loudspeakers while the delicate nuances of the solo violin wove their way through the ensemble. All right for dynamics so far; clarity was checked with the Archiv pressing of Vespers by the members of a Spanish monastery. With the wonderful acoustic reproduced on this disc, the entirely unselfconscious performance of the singers adds, rather than subtracts, from the whole. The natural throatiness and huskiness of the brothers was amplified with a crystalline clarity which could all but transform a South London sitting room into a medieval chapel. Luckily, before I could pop up to Shrewsbury to solve a mystery or two, the side came to an end and Brother Cadfael turned back to reviewing hi-fi happenings in between. A quick trip round the air-waves proved that the Vitale was prepared to pass on music without comment. Even the most compressed rock and rap got a fair hearing and the Archers showed their stereophonic worth in trumps before I managed to switch 'em off. In common with its more expensive stablemate, Croft's Vitale has an uncanny ability to disappear completely and let the sound itself get on with it. This unassuming valve job seems to be able to pass styles with nothing added and, more importantly, nothing taken away. If you can put up with the somewhat homely finish, it would be difficult to recommend anything else, either at this price or indeed considerably more. Richard White
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"THE POWER OF SEDUCTION OF THIS COMBINATION IS TREMENDOUS" Those who expect a relaxed behaviour from this pair will surely be disappointed. Both act with great impact and firmness. The music is treated delicately, with rhythm, punch and amazing transparency. Many systems costing twice as much, will have problems keeping up with the impetuosity, the warmth or the refinement of the Crofts. I really made them work hard, I listened to everything, even - hold your breath! - Megadeth!! And they did not throw in the towel!! They may have weakened at the knees, they may have been thrown against the ropes, but they did not fall. They will play classical music masterfully. Although I listened to at least half of my favourite lyrical songs, I received a beautiful surprise at every listening. The sound is clear, natural and very harmonious. You feel enraptured with their refinement and detail of the atmosphere, stages, texture and the physical presence in good recordings. The best result was achieved when I mated the Rega Jupiter with Siltech interconnects between the CD player and the pre-amp, and Metal Screen between the pre-amp and the power amp, and Ocos interconnects between the power amp and the Elac loudspeakers. Oh, readers, that was not impressive... it was enchanting!! The music flowed in such a liquid, immediate way that, in certain sessions, I was truly moved. I must tell you that this complete configuration gave one of the best synergies I“ve found in the last three years. In a room of up to 25sqm it could be the dream system of all of us who love music. The power of seduction of this system was so great that I had no desire to try out any other combinations. I call it Sound Paradise. The way it redefined the acoustics of my listening room revealed the star performance capabilities of this amplifier combination. It is interesting how nothing is permanent in the audiophile market. When everything points to the explosive prolifertation of integrated amplifiers, allowing us to eliminate the cost of extra wiring and resolve the problem of limited space, a "beautiful" solution appears on the market, pre-amp and power amp in separate cabinets. Happily, this pair is within a much more accessible price range than its peers and predecessors, which places them in a privileged position in the market place. If you asked me if the Crofts attend to the needs of any audiophile, the answer is ...NO. Within this diverse consumer universe, there is a parcel that doesn“t open its door to the convenience of a remote control and much less to enough wattage to force you to leave the house. Paradoxically, within this same universe, there is a parcel that saves the customary pilgrimage in search of the Holy Grail of 'perfect sound' simply allowing you to listen to your records with warmth, life and emotion. For such pilgrims, not only do I
recommend a careful listening of these pieces at the Hi-Fi Show, (or better
still, at a distributor“s showroom), but I also suggest that they should be
placed at the head of the list of highly recommended products. If you haven“t yet come to believe that
paradise truly exists, substitute it for a Sound Oasis. The Crofts can really
quench the thirst of those who truly love music. It has been over a year and a half since Glenn Croft has re-entered the market with his legendary valve preamplifiers and he has already introduced the renewed Vitale. It's necessary to remind those who have ignored the return of the elderly English pioneer of vacuum tubes, that this is a hard-wired preamplifier (without any PCBs) with fine solid core copper wire. The fully equipped circuit uses one double-triode ECC81 [tube] in the line stage and two ECC83's in the phono stage, the latter being the highlight of the Vitale that copes with a substantially lower cartridge input than 1mV. The two volume pots define the separate left and right balance of the stereo image, when you are patient enough to adjust them with precision. The caps, the pots, the wiring and the aluminum chassis all have been improved significantly since the last version, while to note, the above version with an aluminum face plate/plastic knobs is GrD30.000 cheaper than the one with a wood face with plate/ metallic knobs, and it still doesn't affect the sound. While listening to the original version last year, I was impressed by the directness, harmonics and timbre, though I noticed that the sound was a little bit fat compared to my own passive preamplifier. However, the new Vitale does overcome this 'problem' through a clearer, cleaner, undistorted and airly-uncoloured timbre, indulging us to the magic sound of vacuum tubes, even by using systems with a much higher output! This is quite an achievement by a preamplifier device that cost GrD220.000 only. Without any hesitation, the new Vitale has become a permanent match for my own single-ended power amplifier (an Audio Note mod.), constituting my "big" valve reference system.
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