A few thoughts:
1. More power does not necessarily mean better sound at low volumes. The issue might be caused more by the speakers than the amp. Even the phono amp could be partly to blame.
2. Using the Creek as a pre will probably do a disservice to the power amp that you buy and not let you really hear what it can do. Generally the preamp of an integrated is not in the same league as a stand-alone preamp of a similar price. Perhaps the Creek is an exception, though.
3. There are a lot of good integrated amps in the range that you are looking, so it's difficult to give a recommendation without knowing a bit more about the size of your room and the measurements (as opposed to the published specs) of your speakers.
Just my two cents,Scott
1. More power does not necessarily mean better sound at low volumes. The issue might be caused more by the speakers than the amp. Even the phono amp could be partly to blame.
2. Using the Creek as a pre will probably do a disservice to the power amp that you buy and not let you really hear what it can do. Generally the preamp of an integrated is not in the same league as a stand-alone preamp of a similar price. Perhaps the Creek is an exception, though.
3. There are a lot of good integrated amps in the range that you are looking, so it's difficult to give a recommendation without knowing a bit more about the size of your room and the measurements (as opposed to the published specs) of your speakers.
Just my two cents,Scott