I suppose my ultimate question is whether the CH Precision L1/A1.5 combination would be a sensible, or even viable option in the context of a room, and system like mine. On the latter point, there’s no question that the amps performed magnificently, and elevated the Kims to new levels of performance. That core strength I’ve talked about never strayed into an iron grip; the amps didn’t dominate, its just that everything they were connected to became a more definite, more fully realised version of itself – the nature of the CD player, and the loudspeakers, and the Nordost cable loom supporting it all. So yes, I have absolutely no doubt that the CH Precision kit made a compelling case for itself, even in the context of my ‘voice of sanity’ listening space. Sorry about that.
I’ve also every confidence that in a bigger room, with full size, full-range loudspeakers, the CH Precision L1/A1.5 combination could, and doubtless would, deliver even more of what their, not inconsiderable, cost promises. But even in my room, the CH Precisions and the Kims found something of a sweet spot, realising the potential of the music delivered by the Accuphase players to a degree I‘ve not experienced before. And it’s not like all that power went to waste. One of the more mesmerising aspects of the A1.5’s display is a power output reading, updated with just enough lag to let you actually read the numbers. I was surprised and a little gratified to see that the amp was getting a decent workout, readings of 60-80 watts being not uncommon, and over 120 watts for some of the loudest bits, like ‘Tower of Strength’ from The Mission’s Children album, my go-to track for rousing the neighbours. That it didn’t feel as loud as it clearly was, also, er, speaks volumes about the lack of apparent strain or effort in the way these amps go about their business. Not quite fit and forget – at least not in the traditional sense –it’s more a case of fit carefully and then forget. Get them dialled-in, set up the system, including exact levelling and load balancing of the adjustable, grounding spikes, and then stop fretting, because they’ll take it from here.
Utterly together, effortlessly separate…
What these amps do is organise and present the disparate parts of the music with a coherence and cohesiveness I’ve not encountered outside a live performance. That poise I mentioned is all about being unperturbed by musical complexity or dynamics, two horsemen of the audio apocalypse. Hi-fi is about getting your mind into that state of ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ despite the fact that your eyes are aware there are no musicians present. As animals go, we’re pretty good at it, but it’s only when you hear something that approaches what’s possible that you realise how much background effort it has hitherto required.
Surely nobody of sound mind would ever seriously suggest that a £60k amplifier represents good value? You, dear reader, are welcome to draw your own conclusions as to my mental faculties because yes, hell yes, I’m going to do exactly that. What this amplifier (both parts of it) has done for me is redefine, with shocking clarity, the art of the possible. Until now, I had believed that where I’d got to with my own system was a good way down the road to what domestic audio was capable of achieving. I’ve heard a lot of expensive amps, but none that sounded anything like this. That left me thinking that any further progress would be incremental, by degrees, basically more of what I like in what I have now. The CH Precision products have shown me that step changes in performance (and the way that performance is engineered) are still achievable. The truly high end is now a real, meaningful, technically attainable goal, one that represents a distinct level of performance I’d hitherto not even imagined was possible. It’s no longer a term you might quietly reserve for Veblen goods priced for tin-eared oligarchs, it’s a genuine and meaningful attempt to reproduce a musical event to a new level of fidelity. They have recalibrated my expectations, which has been a valuable, if salutary experience. I now know where I’m aiming for, and having sight of, if not the summit then at least the route to the summit, makes it less likely that I’ll take a wrong, if sometimes entertaining, turn down a different path.
