Creek Audio Evolution 100A Integrated Amplifier

Editors' Choice Award 2019 – The Absolute Sound Magazine

"Straightforward, Exciting, Satisfying"

The Evolution 100A is the most sophisticated and reasonably priced amplifier Creek has ever made. It provides stunning audio performance and is capable of outperforming other makes of amplifiers costing many times the price.

Although it is housed in a similar slim case with engraved front panel and solid metal control knobs as the less powerful Evolution 50A. The Evolution 100A is available with either a black or silver brushed aluminum front panel and uses the same ingenious soft push button design as the Evolution 50 series, offering excellent tactile feel and backlit optical indication of functions for optimum user-friendliness.

"The Quintessential Stealth Amp"

The Evolution 100A won an Editors' Choice Award 2019 from The Absolute Sound magazine, which noted, "The quintessential stealth amp, the 100A packs more surprises and configuration options than should be possible in a minimalist chassis… Sonics are smooth, vibrant, and unhyped."

"It consistently reproduced the recordings I love in a straightforward, exciting, satisfying way that made their invention and humanity easily accessible," reports Herb Reichert in the July 2015 issue of Stereophile. "Like my venerable Creek 4330, the new Evolution 100A should enable any unpretentious audiophile to dance and sing and insightfully enjoy the music arts for years and decades ¬ to come."

High Performance, High Efficiency Design

After testing several methods of building a high performance and high efficiency power amplifier, suitable for this new model, David Gamble, Creek Audio’s Senior Engineer, created a unique Class G circuit especially for the Evolution 100A. David chose to use four Sanken STD03 complimentary power Darlington transistors per channel, as used in the Evolution 50A, which feature built-in thermal compensation.

Compared to the Evolution 50A, David improved the performance of the voltage gain circuitry, which, in combination with the output stage, now achieves extremely high open-loop gain and exceptionally low distortion without sacrificing stability. The result is an exceptional power amplifier circuit with very low output impedance and high output current capability. This combination provides exceptional speed and control suitable for driving most loudspeakers.

Statistically, average audio signals mostly remain below half the maximum voltage swing available, which incidentally is only one quarter of the power. Since the dissipation of lossy ‘idle current’ in a Class A/B amp (in the form of heat) is much lower for a 25 Watt amp than the potential 100 Watts in the Evolution 100A, the Class G approach dramatically improves the amplifier’s thermal efficiency and helps to keep it slim and attractive.

Front Panel OLED Display

The front panel features a large OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The white on black display provides higher clarity and resolution than a normal display and has a wide range of customized graphic symbols. Display brightness levels can be changed or turned-off, if not required, via the menu system.

Expandable Modular Design

In addition to its greatly increased performance, thanks to an ingenious new circuit design, the Evolution 100A has been equipped with two sets of high quality loudspeaker binding posts, with local and remote switching for A & B outputs. Optional extras include the ability to plug the Sequel mk2 Phono preamp inside and add the AMBIT FM/AM radio or RUBY DAC/Bluetooth/FM radio module to the expansion slot on the rear panel.

Massive 360-Watt Toroidal Transformer

At the heart of any high-end amplifier must be a good power supply. The Evolution 100A uses a massive 360-watt, low profile, toroidal power transformer with multiple windings for high and low voltages and current to separate the power amp, pre-amp and digital circuitry. Creek’s longstanding design policy of paralleling several small capacitors in the power supply creates an ultra-high specification capacitor with low inductance and ultra low impedance. This significantly improves filtering and helps produce a very powerful and accurate sound from such a relatively small amplifier.

Highly Flexible Preamp Section

The 100A's preamp section provides high levels of flexibility and control, accepting unbalanced or balanced inputs. It has multiple input options, switched either electronically or by gold contact relays. It also has state-of-the-art electronic volume, balance, and tone controls. Volume control and op-amp circuit outputs are all buffered with constant current sources to provide improved load tolerance and stable distortion characteristics.

Correct grounding is difficult, if not impossible, in an un-balanced amplifier, so Creek has provided the consumer with a balanced line input for both the preamp and power amp input. The optional RUBY DAC module also benefits from having a dedicated balanced audio connection to the Evolution 100A’s pre-amp via its flat foil cable, which avoids potential ground loops inside the amplifier.

Audiophile Headphone Stage

It is a modern listening trend for headphones to now be fed from low voltage sources, such as smart phones and portable music storage devices. This required the development of low impedance headphones, which draw the required current to make them loud enough to satisfy the consumer. This trend has also necessitated a rethinking of circuitry used in modern hi-fi amplifiers, in order to drive such low impedance headphones, together with the traditional medium to high impedance versions also.

Creek Audio has taken the unusual step of driving the headphone output of their Evolution amplifiers from a dedicated low impedance source. Instead of the headphone output being sourced from the power amplifier, the headphone output is derived from a dedicated amplifier, with only a few ohms in series for protection against short circuits. This dedicated HP amp is now located on the pre-amplifier circuit board.

Stylish Creek System Remote

A stylish system remote included with the Evolution 100A controls all the functions of the Evolution 50 and 100 series components.

Overview

• Slim case with engraved front panel and solid metal control knobs
• Unique Class G amplifier circuit
• Four Sanken STD03 complimentary power Darlington transistors per channel with built-in thermal compensation
• High performance voltage gain circuitry
• High open-loop gain and exceptionally low distortion
• Large OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display
• A & B speaker outputs
• Massive 360-watt, low profile, toroidal power transformer with multiple windings for high and low voltages
• Ultra-high specification capacitor design with low inductance and ultra low impedance
• Preamp section has multiple input options, switched either electronically or by gold contact relays
• State-of-the-art electronic volume, balance, and tone controls
• Balanced line input for both the preamp and power amp input
• Stylish system remote
• Optional Tuner: AMBIT FM/AM plug-in module (sold separately)
• Optional DAC: RUBY DAC – USB, SPDIF, Toslink, Bluetooth (sold separately)
• Optional internal phono stage (sold separately)

• Pre-amp Inputs: 5 x RCA unbalanced – 1 x Balanced XLR
• Power-amp Inputs: Input 3 & 4via RCA or XLR
• Outputs: 2 Pairs
• Headphone output: Dedicated low impedance amp (<50 Ohms)
• Two sets of high quality loudspeaker binding posts

• Power Output: >110 Watts into 8 Ohms
• Power Output: >170 Watts into 4 Ohms
• Continuous Current: >8.5 Amps (sine wave)
• Max Current: +/- 26 Amps, current burst into 0.5 Ohms
• Output Impedance: <0.05 Ohms – 20Hz to 20KHz
• THD: < 0.002%
• SNR: >102dB – Line Input
• Frequency Response: 10Hz – 100KHz +/- 2dB Line
• Gain: 33.3dB (x46) via power amp input
• Input Sensitivity: 410mV
• Crosstalk: -80dB at 1Khz
• DC Offest: < +/-10mV
• IR Bus: Powered output for IR repeater
• Operating Voltages: 110V/230V Switchable
• Consumption (at idle): <20 Watts (no standby)
• Consumption (at full power): 500 Watts
• Dimensions: 16.9" wide, 2.3" high, 11" deep
• Weight: 19.8 lbs.

Editors' Choice Award 2019 – The Absolute Sound Magazine

"The quintessential stealth amp, the 100A packs more surprises and configuration options than should be possible in a minimalist chassis… Sonics are smooth, vibrant, and unhyped."

- The Absolute Sound magazine, March 2019

"It consistently reproduced the recordings I love in a straightforward, exciting, satisfying way that made their invention and humanity easily accessible. Like my venerable Creek 4330, the new Evolution 100A should enable any unpretentious audiophile to dance and sing and insightfully enjoy the music arts for years and decades ¬ to come."

- Herb Reichert, Stereophile, July 2015