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Pasche told me that at audio shows in Hong Kong and Shanghai, where the I1 and A1.5 amplifiers were paired with Wilson Audio Alexia 2 speakers, exhibitors went with either 0% or 20% global feedback. In Nordost's room at RMAF 2018, in which YG Acoustics Sonja 2.2 speakers were biamped by driving the bass with the I1 and the mids and highs with CH's flagship M1 power amp, a combination of 0% global and 100% local feedback was used. After some experimentation, I found that, with my own Alexia 2s and Nordost Odin 2 speaker cables, 0% global and 100% local feedback delivered the fullest, most…
Although neither manual nor website offers instruction in how to operate the Control app, it's extremely easy to use once someone's shown you how. (Bless you, Ralph Sorrentino.) Whenever I wanted to reconfigure the I1 to connect an external clock, switch between the I1's internal DAC and my Rossini DAC, or activate volume bypass to let the Rossini control volume, change inputs, etc., I grabbed the Android tablet and succeeded, without pain.
Thankfully, the manual does tell you exactly what the buttons on the remote do. While I mainly used the remote to control volume, it also lets you…
At one point, after a short break, we forgot which DAC we'd last listened to. When we started playing music through the I1's DAC, I discovered that the all-important Ethernet link was still connected to the Rossini. How could music be playing without a connection? That's when I realized that the MacBook Pro was set to wireless operation. When Raphael Pasche and I had set everything up weeks before, neither of us had realized that the music was actually streaming wirelessly. Since wireless transmission potentially compromises sound quality, every digital listening test I'd conducted up to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state, class-AB integrated amplifier with DAC. Digital inputs: AES/EBU, S/PDIF, & TosLink to 24-bit/192kHz & DSD64 via DoP; CH-Link to 32/768 & native DSD128; optional Ethernet via UPnP/DNLA compatible source & optional USB to 24/384 & DSD 128. Optional analog inputs: balanced (XLR); single-ended (RCA, BNC); phono MC, virtual ground input. Input impedance: balanced (XLR), 94k ohms or 600 ohms; single-ended (RCA, BNC), 47k ohms or 300 ohms; phono MC, <0.1 ohm. Analog outputs: balanced (XLR), 4V RMS; 1 pair speaker binding…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Rossini DAC & Scarlatti clock; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; Intel NUC7i7BNH with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD running Roon; Link-sys routers with two sets TP-Link Gigabit Ethernet media converters plus multimode duplex fiber-optic cables, Small Green Computer linear power supply; external hard drives, USB sticks, iPad Pro.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Systems Progression monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet), Wireworld…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the CH Precision I1 Universal amplifier with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before performing any testing, I connected the amplifier's Ethernet port to my network, then ran it at one-third power into 8 ohms. At the end of that period its top panel was warm, at 107.8°F (42.1°C), and the front-panel display indicated that the internal temperature was 63°C (145.4°F). (This panel is very useful—as well as temperature, it indicates volume, the input settings, and when the amplifier is clipping. It also allows the menu…
In the 1990s, while putting together one of my early hi-fi systems, I'd often visit New York City audio retailer Sound by Singer to gawk at their top-tier wares. On one such visit I noticed a serious-looking gentleman listening to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring through a pair of Audio Physic's Step loudspeakers (accompanying electronics long forgotten). Sitting on their dedicated, minimalist-looking metal stands, the pint-size Steps were angled up 22° or so, to create a physical time alignment of the tweeter's and midrange-woofer's wavefronts. The Step looked odd—kind of scrawny. But these…
I did all of my listening with the Steps' grilles off. I also switched out my usual Auditorium A23 speaker cables for Triode Wire Labs American cables, which improved focus from top to bottom. AudioQuest's Castle Rock speaker cables sounded rather hot at the frequency extremes, Tellurium Q Black somewhat lightweight.
I evaluated the Step Plus using LPs, CDs, and four different amplifiers: the Heed Elixir and Parasound Halo Hint6 integrated amps, and the Mytek Brooklyn and Shindo Haut-Brion power amps.
Listening with Parasound's Hint6 Integrated
With rumors circulating in…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, ported, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units (both ceramic-coated aluminum diaphragms): 1.75" (45mm) tweeter, 5.9" (150mm) midrange-woofer. Frequency range: 50Hz–40kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB. Recommended amplification: 10–120Wpc.
Dimensions: 12.6" (320mm) H by 6.9" (175mm) W by 9.8" (250mm) D. Weight: 12.1 lb (5.5kg).
Serial number of units reviewed: 8083 (both).
Finishes: Cherry, Ebony, Walnut veneers; Black High Gloss; White High Gloss, add $200/pair.
Price: $2599/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 18.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi tonearm; Thorens TD 124 Mk.I turntable, Jelco 350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Hana EL, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus, Qobuz; ATC CDA2 Mk.II CD player, LG BD550 BD player (as transport); Halide DAC HD, Mytek Brooklyn, PS Audio NuWave DACs; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 MC step-up transformer; Heed Audio Quasar, Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifiers; Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
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