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REVIEW: Creek CD43 mk2 CD Player/Recorder Review by Luminator at Audio Asylum

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If you have heard SACD in a properly setup demo in a quiet room, it is hard not to be impressed. But how many titles are currently available on SACD? Out of those, how many do you actually care for? Which ones are just rehashed versions of the regular CD? At around $24 each, how many can you afford? Even if you do get an SACD player, just how well does it perform with the rest of your redbook CD collection?

You hear several people say, "SACD, DVD-A, CD, MP3, and minidisc all suck! Vinyl rules!" But what if you do not own very many records, be they 78, 45, or 33 rpm?

Listen up. Regular CD is not dead, and it will be with us for the time being. Even if it goes away, you have amassed all those discs, many of which you will want to enjoy for years to come. Isn't there a decent CD player, which is better than the mass-market stuff, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I mean, we all agree that the $3500 Linn Ikemi and Krell KAV-280CD musically kick ass, but who has that kind of money to spend on a CD player?

I have stumbled upon three viable candidates for your CD pleasure, but the focus of this review is the Creek CD43MK2, which I own and am most familiar with.

I owned a Linn Genki for a number of months, and kept it as the main source in my secondary system. Its sound is fine, easily eclipsing the Sony SCD-C333ES's performance with regular CDs and even some SACDs. But over time, I grew tired of the Genki's lousy ergonomics. At the same time, I was growing tired of the sound of the digital front end in my main system, the Theta Jade and DS Pro Basic IIIa. So I eyed the Genki, and knew I was going to use it as trade bait towards a new DAC. But doing so would leave me without a CD player in my secondary system. Thus, I was in the market for a small, good-sounding, and relatively affordable CD player.

I asked a local dealer to secure the CES sample of Creek's CD43MK2. I had thought that this unit would be a suitable sample to audition, since it had some playing time on it. But when I took it home, I noticed a small dimpled indentation on the top cover above the drawer. And this sample did not sound all that coherent. So I returned it, and asked for another sample. Sample #2 (sorry, I forgot to write down its serial number) seemed to be in better shape than the CES demo. Sample #2's drawer opened and closed more smoothly and quietly. And when playing discs, Sample #2 did not make the CES demo's scraping noise. Still, Sample #2's sound kept changing over two weeks, indicating that burn-in was going to take a while.

For various reasons, I had to return Sample #2 to the dealer. So I requested yet another unit, Sample #3 (serial number 0369), which I eventually purchased outright.

Before you do any serious listening, let me warn you that the Creek CD43MK2 takes FOREVER to burn-in. It sounds fine right out of the box, but its sonic character inexplicably changes during the first two months of use. Between the second and third months, the sound pretty much keeps the same basic signature, but undergoes more refinement. However, during the first two months, it sounds different from week to week. Sometimes, there is no treble, other times there is no bass, and yet other times, the sound is muffled, as if I were covering my mouth while yawning. I tried all sorts of tweaks: changing power cords, using different interconnects, placing the unit on various anti-resonant devices, and even bringing the unit over to other people's homes. After a few weeks, I gave up, left the unit alone, and let it burn-in by putting CDs on infinite repeat.

The Creek CD43MK2 is a sensitive component, so take care with setup and tweaking. It does not like heavy weights on top of the chassis. Use smaller, lighter objects, such as the Shakti Stone, PolyCrystal Dissiblock, VPI Magic Brick, or Tara Labs Isolated Shield Plate. In fact, the latter fits nicely on top of the CD43MK2.

It does respond to what you place it on, but I just plunk it directly on a Roomtunes Deluxe JustaRack. I tried Vibrapods, Bright Star Audio Big Rocks, Shun Mook Iso-Qubes, Black Diamond Racing's The Shelf, Symposium Acoustics' Svelte Shelf, and numerous cones, pucks, and planks. Each changed the sound slightly, but not enough to cause me any worries. Placed on a good rack, the CD43MK2 sounds just fine.

The Creek CD43MK2 is perhaps most sensitive to the quality of your AC. Power cords effect larger changes than interconnects, and powerline conditioners have a large say in the CD43MK2's ultimate performance. You can get a clean, leave-it-alone sound by installing a Watt-A-Gate 381 duplex outlet, and plugging the CD43MK2 and an AudioPrism Quietline filter directly into the 381. When I brought Sample #2 over to another audiophile's house, the PS Audio P300 Power Plant yielded a more robust and developed midrange. The API Power Pack II yields a punchier, but not overbearing, sound. The MIT Z-Center and Z-Iso-Duo coax the most refined and smooth overall sound out of the Creek. And the VansEvers Model 85 can produce an addictively snappy sound out of the CD43MK2.

As for powercords themselves, the discontinued Tara Labs Decade AC provides the cleanest, yet most exquisite sound from the CD43MK2. The MIT Z-Cord II nicely compliments the CD43MK2, resulting in less edge and incisiveness in the upper mids, but without dulling the entire event. I use the open-sounding Kimber PowerKord, but other users will find it a touch too hollow through the midrange. The CD43MK2 does not like the Wireworld Aurora - too much emphasis on the mid and upper bass. And the Creek does not mix well with the API Powerlink 313. The resultant sound becomes gray, blurry, and rounded, like those fat wooden pencils you used to hate in kindergarten.

The Creek CD43MK2's RCA jacks are closely spaced. So you may have a little difficulty installing interconnects which have large-barrel RCAs. Be that as it may, the top two interconnects I found for the CD43MK2 are the Kimber Select KS-1030 [$1200 (sigh)] and XLO Limited Edition [$2200 (yikes!)]. Tara Labs' The One [$1895 without the Analog Floating Ground Station, which is another $600 (ouch!)], with its open, airy, and spacious soundstaging, took the bronze. But c'mon, who, other than reviewers, is going to use interconnects that cost more than the CD43MK2 itself? Further down the scale, the discontinued AudioQuest Quartz and Lapis (both available cheaply on the used market), Cardas Neutral Reference, and XLO Reference 2 Type 1A work okay with the Creek. I apologize for not finding an appropriately suitable budget interconnect for use with the Creek. But if you decide to look for one, I recommend that it not do the following: (1) interfere with the music's speed, (2) rob the treble of extension, body, warmth, and sheen, (3) blur image outlines, and (4) boost the bass regions.

The Creek CD43MK2 does not have HDCD decoding, but since its sound is so good, why would you want HDCD?

Unusual for a budget CD player, the Creek CD43MK2 effortlessly reproduces soundstage width. If the instruments are scrunched up in the middle, as in monaural recordings, that is what you will get with the Creek. But if the instruments are spread out to replicate a wide venue, the Creek easily places each image in its own space from side to side.

Soundstage depth, however, is not as deep or finely layered as it should be. If instruments are in a line from the front of the stage to the back of the stage, the Creek truncates the space between each instrument, so the venue appears not as deep as it is in real life. It's as if the rows of musicians in the orchestra are closely spaced, with no walking room between the rows. If you sing in a choir, it's as if the guy behind you has taken a step forward, and is now breathing down the back of your head and neck.

Image outlines are focused and razor sharp. However, the Creek does not fill in those images with enough substance and body. The CD43MK2's reproduction of image size is not as 3-D as is should be. But the images are not paper-thin like Presto Magix. Take some Silly Putty, roll it into a ball, then step on it. The Silly Putty may have been flattened, but it still is not as flat as, say, a tortilla. The foreshortened image and soundstage depth gives the CD43MK2 a slightly artificial sound.

To its credit, the Creek's images are not only sharp, but they are firmly anchored within the soundstage. Those images do not waver like balloons tied to a bench, or float like a buoy on choppy water. The CD43MK2's image stability is as solid, secure, and firm as a bank vault.

The CD43MK2's treble can run into problems. On all recordings, the Creek robs treble instruments of their body, sheen, and burnished tone. Yet, all the air around and above the instruments remain. Therefore, as I mentioned earlier, exercise care in choosing an interconnect which does not blunt, roll off, or shrink the mid treble.

The CD43MK2's bass reproduction is tight, fast, and sinewy. The CD43MK2 thankfully leaves out that ubiquitous fat and warm coloration. Gone are the added boom and sludge, so you can finally hear people playing or programming bass instruments. The lack of boom allows the natural warmth and power of male vocals to shine through. So whether a singer murmurs, hums, yawns, slurs, bellows, or enunciates, you will hear those phrasings. Bottom line, the lack of bass boom allows for cleaner, more articulate and natural vocal reproduction.

And did I say the bass was tight? Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" is already thick and sludgy in the bass. The Creek CD43MK2 simply plays this song as it is, without further mucking up the bass. So you can hear the texture of that bass, and watch it decay into the studio. Without adding any more bass to muddy the sound, the sparse finger snaps are not obscured. The CD43MK2's clarity in the bottom keeps Stuart Hamm's bass guitar from blending with the guitars. There are times when you think Hamm is treating his bass as if it were a guitar. The Creek does nothing to hinder Hamm's playing technique. Iron Maiden's Steve Harris picks his notes carefully. Instead of drowning the audience with volume and distortion, Harris enchants us with his story-telling bass playing. On the album "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son," Harris' bass may be way down in the mix, but he's always right there, minding his own business, while the rest of the band plays on. Harris finally gets to show his face in the intro of "The Clairvoyant." Sit up and watch him pick away. So many other CD players and digital separates just forget about Harris, and drown him under the rest of the band.


Versus the Linn Genki ($1700)

Before I traded away my Linn Genki, I compared it side-by-side with the first two samples of the Creek CD43MK2. Keep in mind that I did not feel that the two Creeks were fully burned-in. The Genki's rendition of instrumental tone and texture is more suave, liquid, and yes, realistic. The Genki's images are more fully developed in a 3-D manner (like the Silly Putty before you stepped on it), but the Creek CD43MK2 has sharper, more focused image outlines. The Genki is capable of producing a deeper soundstage, but the CD43MK2's is wider and more stable. The CD43MK2 lists for $995, while the Genki is 70% more at $1700. Given that the Creek is sonically competitive with the Linn, draw your own conclusions.


Versus the Musical Fidelity A3CD ($995)

Another Bay Area audiophile was kind enough to visit me twice, each time bringing his Musical Fidelity A3CD. He had to drive half an hour to my place, which is in the ghettos. And once he arrived, we had to deal with my parents, who can't stand music at any level louder than a conversation between two people.

I easily see why the A3CD is rated so highly. With its silver-colored faceplate and brass trim, it looks so much more elegant and classy than all the other CD players in this price range. The drawer opens and closes smoothly and quietly enough, and the controls are sufficiently responsive. You know those co-workers who dress sharply, but are crummy persons? Well, I'm happy to report that the A3CD sounds every bit as nice as it looks. It does a nice job reproducing the music's texture and harmonics, without hyping, emphasizing, shrinking, or enhancing. It's like that naturally handsome guy who is not pretentious, or that sweet, good-natured girl who looks nice, all without wearing any makeup.

On the owner's second visit to my place, the morning fog lingered. That put us in the mood for some A-Ha. On "Cry Wolf," the layered keyboards and reverb on the vocals create a cool, alpine atmosphere. The A3CD capably set the mood. With the CD43MK2, we sat around picking out all the details.

On all of their compact discs, Air Supply sound weak, thin, tinny, compressed, and grainy. The A3CD's way with instrumental texture saved Air Supply from sounding too reedy and hissy. If you are a married man, and your wife complains about your audio habit, disarm her by putting on some Air Supply on the A3CD. If you are single and have found a new love, the A3CD will make you sing "Even The Nights Are Better" at the top of your lungs. Play this on the A3CD, and the emphasis is on the intense excitement of finding a new love. Play this on the CD43MK2, and it will make you feel like singing/screaming with maximum effort. The CD43MK2 picked apart Air Supply's recordings, and all of you who say they suck will be vindicated. "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" has one of the most laughable lines: "I can make all the stadiums rock." On either CD player, this line remains as unconvincing as ever.

By late morning, the fog had burned off. The pleasant California sunshine put us in the mood for Hawaiian music. Keola Beamer's "Wooden Boat" is clean, sharp, transparent, and focused. It is not your typical warm and loose Hawaiian record. The A3CD made "Wooden Boat" sound closer to those typical round, low-key, and laid-back Hawaiian recordings. The Creek CD43MK2 better preserved "Wooden Boat's" sharpness, clarity, precision, and rhythm.

With The Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl" on the A3CD, our heads swayed back and forth in a lazy, dreamy manner. On the CD43MK2, we sat up and heard each voice precisely in its own place.

We put Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets" on the A3CD, and we just stayed glued to the couch, stared at the space between the loudspeakers, and almost drifted to sleep. Switching to the CD43MK2, we woke up again, the Creek decoding the attack of the piano. When John sings, "B-B-B-Bennie and the jetssssssssss," the CD43MK2 does not polish, sanitize, buff, or roll back the vocal plosives and sibilance.

With Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On," playing in the A3CD, the other audiophile and I enjoyed the color and flavor of the sax. But on the CD43MK2, that sax just picked us up and made us get up. After Frey repeated, "Tell me can you feel it?" three times, the other audiophile emitted a "Yeah!" Shortly thereafter, he got up, called his wife, and told her he felt like going dancing.


Versus the Rega Planet 2000 ($950)

I was able to borrow a Rega Planet 2000 from another audiophile who lives in San Francisco. This is another intriguing product, coming from a manufacturer known for making turntables. I never got used to the Planet 2000's top loading door, though it has been said that other people enjoy this feature. My advice is to borrow a demo or friend's unit, and see for yourself if you can accommodate the top-loading door.

I placed the Planet 2000 on a Black Diamond Racing Shelf, which in turn rested on Vibrapods. BDR's The Shelf effects a much more transparent sound from the Planet 2000. The spaces between the instruments become so much more identifiable, clear, and tangible. Unfortunately, BDR's The Shelf costs $500, half as much as the Planet 2000 itself. I suppose only reviewers would use a $500 shelf under a $950 CD player, but nevertheless, the results are astonishing. The Planet 2000 loses some of its magic, when placed directly on my Roomtunes Deluxe JustaRack. But whatever the Planet 2000 rests on, you can induce it to pause or skip by tapping on its top. So if you are going to play air drums, hit something other than the Planet 2000. Finally, I do not like the red display. I find it hard to read and just plain ugly. You, however, may like the red color contrasting with the black chassis.

I find the Planet 2000 to be smooth yet punchy. Top to bottom, it manages to avoid sonic nasties. Its very top octave, in my system, is slightly sweet and gently rolled off, reminiscent of the Totem Model One Signature's tweeter.

On Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," the Planet 2000 sails through the guitar solo with more poise, ease, and sobriety than the Creek CD43MK2. The Planet 2000 also seems to hold the little rhythms together more gracefully, the CD43MK2 sounding slightly anal-retentive and squawky by comparison.

On Van Halen's "Jump," the cymbals are bit thin (front to back), and can sound a bit sandpapery on the wrong CD players. It is evident that the Planet 2000 does not further squash the front-to-back depth of Alex Van Halen's cymbals. The ring and decay do not artificially vanish as quickly as they do on the CD43MK2. But the Creek does a better job of preserving the studio space around and above Alex's Ludwig drum kit.

On Romeo Void's "A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)," The Planet 2000 has a toe-tapping involvement with Aaron Smith's drum work. But the ethereally foggy keyboards and guitar pickings are somewhat bland. On the CD43MK2, the keyboards set a cool foggy atmosphere, and Benjamin Bossy's lonely sax is oh so catchy and moody. It is the CD43MK2 that better captures the San Francisco feel of this song.

On marathon electronica sessions, the Planet 2000 holds the threats together more calmly and seamlessly. On a CD called "Tranceport [Kinetic/Reprise 9 47120-2]," Paul Oakenfold strings together eleven tracks, and the Planet 2000 does a nice job of keeping the tunes moving, not letting the snippets of sound undo the whole. The Planet 2000 thankfully does not add any boom, sizzle, grit, or hash to the proceedings. The Creek CD43MK2, on the other hand, can sound a bit ragged, zippy, and raucous. With the Planet 2000 playing this type of music, you certainly do not need to resort to drugs, smoke, and alcohol to get high. So if electronica is your thing, the Planet 2000 is ideal for parties. As I pointed out earlier, just don't whack it while it is playing. After the party is over, the Planet 2000 plays on, serving up the electronica as background music while you do chores, sit on the can, check your e-mail, brush your teeth, cook, read the paper, or surf the web.

But on Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime," it is no contest. The Planet 2000 comes across as somewhat gray and murky, with not enough definition. The CD43MK2's transparency allows you to hear into the recording, so that there is no confusion on the sounds of the nurse walking into the hospital room, the TV in the background, the car window rolling down, and the door creaking. When the album comes to an end, you stay seated for a while, not quite ready to get up and play another disc. You then speak, in a low tone of voice, "I remember now." Scary.


So What's It All Mean?

The Creek CD43MK2, Musical Fidelity A3CD, and Rega Planet 2000 offer amazing bang for the buck. Each costs a hair under $1000. They are all one-box CD-only players. And they all avoid the HDCD chip. But they do not look or sound the same. What then?

I have been accused in the past of catering to a male-only audience. Okay, so for the females in the audience, let us pretend that these three CD players are guys.

The Musical Fidelity A3CD is that nice, good-looking, well-dressed, sensitive, caring, and well-behaved guy. He is clean, never shouts or cusses, and does not drink, smoke, or do drugs. He isn't the fastest guy around, and he's not exactly adept at hard physical labor. But he shops smartly, and can fix his own meals. He is the one your parents trust to escort you to the high school prom. He always seems to have a harsh and irascible (bitchy, to be politically incorrect) girlfriend. You wonder why a benign guy like him can't get a girlfriend as nice as yourself.

The Rega Planet 2000 is Mr. Popular. A crowd of people always surrounds him. As a result, he does not realize that a decent girl like you exists. When he finally flashes a look your way, how do you react? Do you gasp and stand there with that deer-in-the-headlights look? Does he only look at you for a fleeting moment, before the mob envelops him? As he's looking at you, do you fight your way through the crowd, in order to secure his attention?

The Creek CD43MK2 is like that quirky co-worker who is always there, but never seems to have a crowd around him. At most, he talks to one person at a time. He is a question mark to you, but how do you approach him? How do you make small talk? What would you say to him? How can you get past the obligatory "Hi, how are you" lines?

So you walk by his cubicle, watch him go to the copier, water fountain, and kitchen. He obviously does not care to spend too much time and money on work clothes, and is more comfortable in casual wear. [Hint: the CD43MK2 is a small (it measures 16.5" x 9" x 2.25"), unassuming black box. Do not let its looks fool you. It is indeed capable of true high-end sound].

So you follow your quirky co-worker around, and you see, one by one, his acquaintances. His teammates love him, and these smart, nerdy, well-off girls seem to think he's the best thing since the atom smasher. You know these girls. Back in high school, they were in honors classes, and the only B they got was in P.E. While you were fixing your hair in front of your locker, they were studying. While you were happy to get 1000 on the SAT, they were disappointed at getting anything less than 1400. These girls easily made it to top-notch universities, and are now employed in the biotech, engineering, and medical fields. So how does that weird co-worker of yours get all these smart and rich girls? [Hint: the Creek CD43MK2 mates well with super and expensive cables like the Kimber KS-1030, Tara Labs The One, and XLO Limited Edition].

You think to yourself, "Gosh, I don't stand a chance against those well-educated girls," but you nevertheless ask your quirky co-worker what he is doing for the upcoming weekend.

He says, "I've got nothing planned. How 'bout you?"

You stammer, "Ah, um, the usual." And then you blurt out, "Wanna go jogging or work out?" [Hint: do not be afraid to ask your local dealer if you can take home the demo unit. If the dealer does not have the Creek CD43MK2 in stock, Music Hall Audio will send him a sample for evaluation].

So your quirky co-worker takes you up on your offer, and you two go jogging. He does not always look you in the eye, he sometimes stops to chat with passers-by, he keeps taking about work, he does not ask questions which reveal more about yourself, and you are afraid to ask more about him. You feel awkward, and you confirm your gut feeling that you two do not have a whole lot in common. But something tells you not to give up on him. [Hint: the CD43MK2 takes a maddeningly long time to burn-in, and it does not always sound good while doing so. Be patient].

So time passes, and you forget about your quirky co-worker. You bump into him in the kitchen, and this time, he asks you what are you doing over the weekend. You tell him that you are going to a picnic with your friends, and without even thinking, you ask if he would like to come along. And -- gasp! -- he says, "yes." [Hint: the CD43MK2 may surprise you with its high-caliber sonics, particularly reproduction of soundstage width. In this aspect, it essentially matches my Mark Levinson No. 360].

At the picnic, your quirky co-worker still looks stiff, and you ask him to join you and your friends in a game of softball. So he takes off his pullover, and you notice that he may be scrawny, but he has no fat, and is quite strong for his size. [Hint: the little CD43MK2 has a tight, detailed, fast, controlled, and muscular bottom end].

Your team is down a run in the 9th inning (I know, I know, softball games typically last seven innings, not nine. But I am using this example for illustrative purposes). Your co-worker leads off the 9th. He lines a double into the gap, and your team is in business. One out later, your friend Conan smashes a double over the outfielders' heads. The hit drives in your co-worker, and the game is tied. [Hint: you can have stellar preamps, amps, and speakers, but without a good leadoff hitter (I mean, front-end source) like the CD43MK2, the rest of the team (audio system) can't drive in the runs (produce music)].

The next batter grounds out to the second baseman, but on the play, Conan advances to third. So there are two outs, and now it is your turn to bat. What will you do?


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Topic - REVIEW: Creek CD43 mk2 CD Player/Recorder Review by Luminator at Audio Asylum - Luminator 02:30:27 05/29/01 ( 8)