Then there are those other aspects of the CH Precision approach that are directly intended to make this a future-proof choice: an amp for life if you like. How many other products offer that? The performance and options on offer make this very much the first step in an ‘end game’ proposition. Look at the CH range as a whole and it quickly becomes apparent that the modular, card cage construction makes it possible to buy an entry-spec product and add further modules, upgrades, functionality and additional elements at a later stage, as the need arises and funds permit. Ironically, the L1 pre-amp is the exception to this (at least in terms of functionality) although as I mentioned above, the L1 chassis is multi-configurable – and that’s before you get to the option of additional, external power supplies. I’ll be getting to those another time…
Perhaps the most telling example of this is the C1.2 DAC, already reviewed at length by RG. However, the implications of its “upgradable, expandable” nature (to quote CH) are worth repeating.
The unit itself offers the user a choice of digital AND analogue inputs and clocking capabilities to suit their system scenario. In other words, buy the inputs and connectivity you need, not the stuff you don’t. But more than that, original C1 units can be fully upgraded to C1.2 spec. That means that a 10-year old DAC can be made completely current – even down to a new serial number. But the best bit: the cost is equivalent to the difference in the price between the two – or around £4K for a current C1! That modular approach even extends to the chassis elements if you ‘expand’ your L1: a stock L1 costs £28,000; an expansion chassis will cost you £18400; a twin chassis L1 True Mono, bought new, will cost you – you guessed it – £46,400. So no cost penalties built into the upgrade path; meaning that users don’t need to take a hit on the resale value of their current unit when upgrading.
‘Lossless’ upgrades…
Think about the typical loss when you resell most high-end kit and it’s not difficult to imagine this approach alone saving you the original purchase cost, after several iterations and upgrades. On the one hand, inveterate box-swappers need not apply: on the other, if they’re actually seeking a cure for their particular audiophilia nervosa, this could just be it. The other pleasing aspect, of course, is that there’s far less prospect of these units finding their way to landfill in years to come. As I sit here writing this, I have not the slightest difficulty imagining entering my dotage in company with a clutch of CH Precision’s blue-grey boxes, possibly even starting with these very ones…
