There isn’t a single musical or sonic attribute in which the C1.2/X1 combination betters the ‘C10’ development mule. Combine those across the board advantages and you’ve got a gaping chasm in terms of musical communication and insight – not to mention the credibility of the performance as a whole. How much the fully realised C10 will add to that gap remains to be seen. But on this showing, it’s a compelling question, moving the CH digital solution into areas of musical performance, human agency and musical expression that have, until now, been the exclusive preserve of the uber-expensive Wadax Reference products. How the two compare – and just how much of that territory CH have managed to colonise – will have to wait until finalised versions of the C10 (and D10) are available. But for now it’s a comparison that is, for the first time, something other than a simple slam-dunk.
