A Deliberate Move Upmarket
The Creek Voyage i20 is a Class G amplifier that marks a deliberate move upmarket for Creek Audio. Mike Creek is candid about what the design represents: a step-change for the brand in technical capability and engineering depth. Four decades of building honest, well-judged British amplifiers had established a reputation for value; the Voyage i20 was built to establish a different one — an audiophile amplifier styled to be ergonomic and luxurious in operation, constructed using only the highest quality materials.
Designed and engineered in London, the Voyage i20 combines an analogue pre-amplifier, a digital to analogue converter and a power amplifier around a unique stabilised supply, housed in a slim and attractive case. Several advanced techniques converge to produce a hugely impressive powerhouse in a deceptively small chassis — and an audiophile integrated amplifier that answers to the most demanding systems.
Power Without Strain
Modern multi-driver loudspeakers with complex crossover circuits place heavy demands on any high-end integrated amplifier. The Voyage i20 was designed to drive even the most difficult loads with delicacy and power, while remaining equally at home with simple two-way monitors.
Powerful Sanken STD03 bipolar transistors, augmented by multiple MOSFETs, deliver prodigious output current on demand. Thermal tracking corrects idle current immediately, controlling crossover distortion accurately and cutting warm-up time to a minimum. The figures follow: 120 Watts into 8 Ohms with both channels driven, 240 Watts into 4 Ohms, and 480 Watts into 2 Ohms on a single channel, with peak current reaching ±26 Amps.
That doubling behaviour traces back to a massive 1500-Watt high-frequency supply, optimised for audio electronics and voltage stabilised throughout. Performance remains unaffected by mains quality or voltage stability — the Voyage i20 delivers repeatable output regardless of what arrives at the wall socket.
What a Class G Amplifier Actually Does
A Class G amplifier operates with two voltage rails rather than one. The Voyage i20 tracks input and output signals continuously, and a MOSFET switching circuit steps momentarily to the higher rail when the music demands headroom. For most of any given passage, a Class G amplifier runs on the lower rail, wasting far less energy as heat than a conventional Class AB design.
The practical consequence matters. A Class G amplifier of this power would ordinarily demand a deep chassis and substantial heatsinking; the Voyage i20 fits inside a slim case, runs cool, and gives up nothing in output. Creek refined the Class G amplifier circuitry proven in the Evolution 100A to reach that result.
A letter G appears on the OLED display whenever the higher rail engages, so the behaviour of the Class G amplifier stage is visible rather than hidden — a small piece of transparency that suits an audiophile amplifier built for people who care how things work.
Ten Inputs, Precisely Controlled
Flexibility defines the pre-amplifier stage. Three pairs of RCA sockets and one pair of fully balanced XLR sockets handle analogue sources, with gold-contact relays directing signals to a state-of-the-art MUSES electronic volume and balance circuit. The resistor-ladder attenuator allows precise adjustment across an 80dB range in 1dB steps with extremely low distortion.
Gain is set for unity by default, though each of the first four inputs can amplify by 3dB increments to +12dB where a quiet source requires assistance. Each input can alternatively bypass the pre-amplifier and volume control entirely. That user-selectable DIRECT mode allows the Voyage i20 to serve as a four-input power amplifier, or any combination that suits a particular system.
Digital Sources and Vinyl
The DAC circuit accepts USB, two coaxial SPDIF, two TOSLINK optical and Bluetooth inputs. The USB Class 2 input provides bit-perfect streaming through a multi-core XMOS controller, handling PCM to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD64 and DSD128 — with the converter itself capable of considerably more. USB circuitry is galvanically isolated from the DAC to eliminate ground loops and interference in the signal path, and operating system updates download over the same connection. The coaxial and optical inputs accept 24-bit/192kHz signals for televisions, CD players and streamers, while a built-in Comet mk2 aptX HD Bluetooth module handles wireless streaming at CD quality.
Line input 1 accepts the optional plug-in Sequel mk4 phono pre-amplifier for Moving Magnet or high-output Moving Coil cartridges, selectable for 40 or 50dB gain, 100pF or 200pF capacitance and IEC filtering to suppress disc warp frequencies. A turntable grounding post sits alongside.
Headphones and Protection
A dedicated headphone amplifier fed from the pre-amplifier output drives loads from 12 to 600 Ohms through a 6.3mm jack, with output impedance below 22 Ohms and no added noise or loss of fidelity. Few integrated amplifiers treat headphone replay this seriously.
Protection is equally thorough. A system microcontroller monitors output current, DC offset and temperature continuously; any fault disconnects the output and mutes the input instantly. In Creek tradition, conventional coupling and feedback decoupling capacitors have been eliminated to couple input directly to output, with an electronic servo holding the output at zero volts DC.
Audition the Creek Voyage i20 in London
Reviewers across Britain, Germany, China, Italy, the Netherlands and France have reached similar conclusions about the Voyage i20, but a flagship integrated amplifier deserves assessment in person. Visit Audio Lounge on Wigmore Street to hear the Voyage i20 with music you know well, or enquire with our team to discuss partnering loudspeakers, sources and cabling for your room.
About Creek Audio
Creek Audio began in London in 1982, when Mike Creek’s CAS4040 integrated amplifier earned critical acclaim for delivering genuine hi-fi performance from a compact, honestly engineered design. More than five decades in the audio business have shaped a consistent philosophy: engineering substance first, presentation second, music above all. Creek Audio products remain proudly designed and engineered in London, England, and the Voyage range represents the most ambitious expression of that thinking — a deliberate move into the premium class, as Mike Creek describes it, built on techniques refined across four decades of amplifier design. From the original CAS4040 to the Voyage i20, Creek Audio continues to reward those who value musical truth over fashion. Explore the Creek Audio collection at Audio Lounge.