CH Precision C1 DAC Power Cord/Upgrade recommendations?

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
Hi all. I am a recent owner of the CH Precison C1 DAC, and added in the network card recently which made me a very happy man.

However, I am still looking for a good power cord to pair with it. I have been very lucky to try Goebel, Siltech Double Crown, Ruby Mountain, Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus, and High Fidelity Cables on it. My favorite cable so far has been the Siltech Double Crown, but the price point is rather scary.

Are there any other cables that I could try? I have been thinking of Nordost, but the dealer over here does not have any to loan for now.

My ideal price point will be around USD 6,000.

Another question I have is what's next to upgrade the performance?

Should I go for the power supply next, or should I go for a clock? I do not think I can afford the T1 for now, so was thinking of a cybershaft?

The rest of my system includes Vitus SL102 pre, sm10 monos and speakers are Maarten Coltrane Tenor mk1. Transport is an Ayon CDT-II.

Thanks all.
 

thomask

Well-Known Member
Dec 9, 2018
1,603
1,508
275
64
Washington State, US
Cable is dependent on system and personal taste.

You may contact Cable company to try out three different cables to find out yourself.

http://fatwyre.com/

They will loan you cables for home trial.

If you do not have dedicated line, you may consider setting it up first before changing power cables.
 

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
Hi thanks for the reply. I do have a dedicated line, so was looking for what other members have found to have a good synergy with their system.
 

Jambo

Well-Known Member
Apr 15, 2015
106
113
275
Australia
Hi all. I am a recent owner of the CH Precison C1 DAC, and added in the network card recently which made me a very happy man.

However, I am still looking for a good power cord to pair with it. I have been very lucky to try Goebel, Siltech Double Crown, Ruby Mountain, Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus, and High Fidelity Cables on it. My favorite cable so far has been the Siltech Double Crown, but the price point is rather scary.

Are there any other cables that I could try? I have been thinking of Nordost, but the dealer over here does not have any to loan for now.

My ideal price point will be around USD 6,000.

Another question I have is what's next to upgrade the performance?

Should I go for the power supply next, or should I go for a clock? I do not think I can afford the T1 for now, so was thinking of a cybershaft?

The rest of my system includes Vitus SL102 pre, sm10 monos and speakers are Maarten Coltrane Tenor mk1. Transport is an Ayon CDT-II.

Thanks all.

I use Vertere HB power cord on my CH C1, it gives good resolution with a hint of warmth. Try it and see what you think. It's also reasonably priced. I found it's better than Siltech Ruby Hill. But I did not get a chance to compare it to Siltech Ruby Double Crown or Siltech Ruby Mountain.
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,604
5,413
1,278
E. England
Sablon Elite, w options for Bocchino plug and IEC connector. A fantastic combination of detail and warmth, hugely natural sounding.
$2-3k depending on options like the aforementioned Bocchinos.
 

bazelio

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2016
2,493
1,745
345
California
Sablon doesn't seem interested in letting everyone demo his cables before making a buying decision. His company, his rules. I for one just won't be buying blindly, though.
 

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
I have friends with Sablon who spoke highly of his cable. I should be able to get one to test if needed...
 

Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
1,612
1,484
553
Sablon doesn't seem interested in letting everyone demo his cables before making a buying decision. His company, his rules. I for one just won't be buying blindly, though.

@bazelio, The nature of my business is that I custom make high end cables to individual customer order. Some of these cables, such as the Bocchino range, use very expensive parts which are in short supply and usually backordered for several weeks.

My limited demo stock is usually fully booked up and I need to prioritise allocation to existing customers and new enquiries who I feel are seriously considering a purchase.

When we spoke several weeks ago, you gave the impression that your interest was more casual and, given also your interest in DIY, I felt my resources were better deployed elsewhere.

As you say, a commercial decision but your post merited a fuller explanation to give other readers a better understanding.
 

bazelio

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2016
2,493
1,745
345
California
It's your business and I have absolutely no problem with you running it how you please, sir.

When we spoke, I indicated that I was in the process of auditioning cables for an upgrade and was very interested in auditioning yours. If that's too casual, so be it. You seemed to indicate that if I wasn't going to buy it then I wouldn't make the cut. Unfortunately, that ceases to be an audition. Other small cable businesses such as Zenwave are able to be more accommodating.
 

Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
1,612
1,484
553
It's your business and I have absolutely no problem with you running it how you please, sir.

When we spoke, I indicated that I was in the process of auditioning cables for an upgrade and was very interested in auditioning yours. If that's too casual, so be it. You seemed to indicate that if I wasn't going to buy it then I wouldn't make the cut. Unfortunately, that ceases to be an audition. Other small cable businesses such as Zenwave are able to be more accommodating.

So what did you end up buying then?
 

rsorren1

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
365
133
348
Dallas area
Hi all. I am a recent owner of the CH Precison C1 DAC, and added in the network card recently which made me a very happy man.

However, I am still looking for a good power cord to pair with it. I have been very lucky to try Goebel, Siltech Double Crown, Ruby Mountain, Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus, and High Fidelity Cables on it. My favorite cable so far has been the Siltech Double Crown, but the price point is rather scary.

Are there any other cables that I could try? I have been thinking of Nordost, but the dealer over here does not have any to loan for now.

My ideal price point will be around USD 6,000.

Another question I have is what's next to upgrade the performance?

Should I go for the power supply next, or should I go for a clock? I do not think I can afford the T1 for now, so was thinking of a cybershaft?

The rest of my system includes Vitus SL102 pre, sm10 monos and speakers are Maarten Coltrane Tenor mk1. Transport is an Ayon CDT-II.

Thanks all.

JayT, welcome to CH precision ownership and congratulations on your purchase. As several members have pointed out, power cords will be a matter of personal taste once one begins trying well engineered and built brands. There are some solid recommendations here and that you have tried. We have had good results with Nordost at shows.

You asked what should be the next upgrade and I will give you my perspective. You did not indicate if your C1 DAC is HD. If not, this should be your next upgrade. The HD upgrade improves the performance of the C1 by implementing new upsampling and digital filters. These are used on ALL digital inputs; HD-Link, USB, ethernet, AES/EBU, etc. The upgrade is available from our dealers for $2,500 and the unit can be updated at your home in about an hour. Let me know if you need a dealer recommendation by writing me a private email.

After HD, the next upgrade you should consider is the X1 power supply. The X1 will drop the noise floor even further providing more details, and improve the foundation of the presentation. If you decide to invest in a power cord now and do the X1 later, no problem. Just move the power cord to the X1 and use the stock 15amp cord on the C1. Once you connect a C1 to its external supply, all audio circuits are powered by the X1 and only the display and control circuits are driven by the internal power supply of the C1.

Finally, the T1 clock also improves performance of the digital front-end especially when one is clocking multiple units such as a C1, D1 combination. The T1 is an essential component when using our C1 Mono DAC.
 

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
JayT, welcome to CH precision ownership and congratulations on your purchase. As several members have pointed out, power cords will be a matter of personal taste once one begins trying well engineered and built brands. There are some solid recommendations here and that you have tried. We have had good results with Nordost at shows.

You asked what should be the next upgrade and I will give you my perspective. You did not indicate if your C1 DAC is HD. If not, this should be your next upgrade. The HD upgrade improves the performance of the C1 by implementing new upsampling and digital filters. These are used on ALL digital inputs; HD-Link, USB, ethernet, AES/EBU, etc. The upgrade is available from our dealers for $2,500 and the unit can be updated at your home in about an hour. Let me know if you need a dealer recommendation by writing me a private email.

After HD, the next upgrade you should consider is the X1 power supply. The X1 will drop the noise floor even further providing more details, and improve the foundation of the presentation. If you decide to invest in a power cord now and do the X1 later, no problem. Just move the power cord to the X1 and use the stock 15amp cord on the C1. Once you connect a C1 to its external supply, all audio circuits are powered by the X1 and only the display and control circuits are driven by the internal power supply of the C1.

Finally, the T1 clock also improves performance of the digital front-end especially when one is clocking multiple units such as a C1, D1 combination. The T1 is an essential component when using our C1 Mono DAC.

Dear Ralph,

Thank you very much for your insight. I did not realise the HD input was important even for users like me who do not use a D1/C1 combination. I was under the wrong impression that only the hd-link was affected by the HD upgrade.

Think I will go for that first then.

It has been a great experience listening with the CH Precision so far. No regrets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elliot G.

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
3,899
2,141
495
Hi all. I am a recent owner of the CH Precison C1 DAC, and added in the network card recently which made me a very happy man.

However, I am still looking for a good power cord to pair with it. I have been very lucky to try Goebel, Siltech Double Crown, Ruby Mountain, Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus, and High Fidelity Cables on it. My favorite cable so far has been the Siltech Double Crown, but the price point is rather scary.

Are there any other cables that I could try? I have been thinking of Nordost, but the dealer over here does not have any to loan for now.

My ideal price point will be around USD 6,000.

Another question I have is what's next to upgrade the performance?

Should I go for the power supply next, or should I go for a clock? I do not think I can afford the T1 for now, so was thinking of a cybershaft?

The rest of my system includes Vitus SL102 pre, sm10 monos and speakers are Maarten Coltrane Tenor mk1. Transport is an Ayon CDT-II.

Thanks all.

If you like the Siltech Double Crown I have a new PC you may be interested in.

It's a 14g UPOCC silver cable made with 8 teflon-insulated 20g ribbons for hot and neutral + 14g UPOCC copper litz wire for ground. The hot and neutral conductors are made by Harmonic Tech... the same company that makes Siltech and Wireworld UPOCC silver cables. The ground is also made by Harmonic, and is a product I have custom built for my own cables. The litz type ground wire is ideal because it has very low impedance at high frequencies vs a single solid conductor. Plugs are Furutech NCF, same as used on the Triple Crown.

Price is $2999.99 for 2 meters, which is quite amazing for a cable made with best conductors and plugs the world has to offer. If you want a demo, please let me know and I can get it out to you in a week or so. It's a brand new cable so I'm still doing some testing myself, and would be more than happy to get your opinion considering you've tested some very nice cables. :)

 

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
JayT, welcome to CH precision ownership and congratulations on your purchase. As several members have pointed out, power cords will be a matter of personal taste once one begins trying well engineered and built brands. There are some solid recommendations here and that you have tried. We have had good results with Nordost at shows.

You asked what should be the next upgrade and I will give you my perspective. You did not indicate if your C1 DAC is HD. If not, this should be your next upgrade. The HD upgrade improves the performance of the C1 by implementing new upsampling and digital filters. These are used on ALL digital inputs; HD-Link, USB, ethernet, AES/EBU, etc. The upgrade is available from our dealers for $2,500 and the unit can be updated at your home in about an hour. Let me know if you need a dealer recommendation by writing me a private email.

After HD, the next upgrade you should consider is the X1 power supply. The X1 will drop the noise floor even further providing more details, and improve the foundation of the presentation. If you decide to invest in a power cord now and do the X1 later, no problem. Just move the power cord to the X1 and use the stock 15amp cord on the C1. Once you connect a C1 to its external supply, all audio circuits are powered by the X1 and only the display and control circuits are driven by the internal power supply of the C1.

Finally, the T1 clock also improves performance of the digital front-end especially when one is clocking multiple units such as a C1, D1 combination. The T1 is an essential component when using our C1 Mono DAC.

Ralph, I have to say thank you once more for the reminder to change to the HD board. It's 2.30 am where I am, and I just installed the board.

The improvement in dynamic range is amazing!

I might not have to get that power cord upgrade after all.

Thank you once again sir.
 

tunes

Member Sponsor
Nov 9, 2013
187
1
246
Agree with Ralph. HD upgrade, followed by X1 power supply, followed by powercord upgrade on X1. I have ended up with Shunyata Sigma power cords on my CH components, after having used Kubala Sosna Emotion cords previously.
 

rsorren1

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
365
133
348
Dallas area
JayT, thanks for the note. I’m delighted you are enjoying the HD upgrade. Your next stop in upgrading performance is an X1 supply followed by a well designed, well built power cord on the X1. Enjoy the music !
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elliot G.

CKKeung

Well-Known Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,053
3,172
1,410
Hong Kong
Ralph, I have to say thank you once more for the reminder to change to the HD board. It's 2.30 am where I am, and I just installed the board.
The improvement in dynamic range is amazing!

I might not have to get that power cord upgrade after all.
Thank you once again sir.

Hello JayT,
Congrats for getting the HD card for your C1!

Before your next upgrade step of X1 powersupply, may I suggest a very low-price tweak for you?

Most of my C1 owner frds in Hong Kong are using this :
A Taiko Audio Setchi D2 electrical groundbox with usb connector.

Plug it into the idle usb socket at the back of C1.
What you will immediately notice is the increased vividness of the sound.
A very good match with the Swiss finesseness of CH Precision.
;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: JayT and christoph

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
I am thinking to buy the TELOS GNR to put all CH ground to this
I found one ex demo from Italian distributor
Someone listen this?
 
  • Like
Reactions: CKKeung

JayT

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2017
29
10
108
Hello JayT,
Congrats for getting the HD card for your C1!

Before your next upgrade step of X1 powersupply, may I suggest a very low-price tweak for you?

Most of my C1 owner frds in Hong Kong are using this :
A Taiko Audio Setchi D2 electrical groundbox with usb connector.

Plug it into the idle usb socket at the back of C1.
What you will immediately notice is the increased vividness of the sound.
A very good match with the Swiss finesseness of CH Precision.
;)
Hi CKKeung,

Thank you for all your advice so far.

I am interested in finding out more about the Taiko Audio, but was wondering for a first purchase, should I go for a D2 or D3 first? I have read your review, and am quite interested to know how they performed with the C1.

Cheers
 

Elliot G.

Industry Expert
Jul 22, 2010
3,286
2,958
1,360
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.bendingwaveusa.com
JayT, thanks for the note. I’m delighted you are enjoying the HD upgrade. Your next stop in upgrading performance is an X1 supply followed by a well designed, well built power cord on the X1. Enjoy the music !
I agree that adding an X-1 to a C1 or L1 makes a huge difference. I also suggest the Gobel power cables and think they are terrific with the CH gear. All of my clients that have made this change have bought the power cord.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing