CH Precision D1

micro13

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Jun 15, 2020
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Considering buying a D1 (in addition to a C1), because I still have a lot of CDs and I don't want to go through ripping them all. But it got me thinking, the D1 is except the later CH Link HD connection unchanged since 2010, is the D1 still state of the art and comparable to current transports?

From what I've read about CH Precision there is quite some system synergy when using D1 with C1, but is the D1 still worthy of his high price sticker? Or could you recommend other (cheaper) transports in combination with a C1?

Thanks
Michael
 

Brahmsian

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Aug 2, 2020
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I have had the C1 and D1 for the last 4 years and I also upgraded to the latest CH Link HD connection. In combination with the X1 and T1, I believe it is still a world class product. I don’t feel that I am losing out to anything against other brands although I have not heard the WADAX Reference.
 

CKKeung

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Jun 17, 2011
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Considering buying a D1 (in addition to a C1), because I still have a lot of CDs and I don't want to go through ripping them all. But it got me thinking, the D1 is except the later CH Link HD connection unchanged since 2010, is the D1 still state of the art and comparable to current transports?

From what I've read about CH Precision there is quite some system synergy when using D1 with C1, but is the D1 still worthy of his high price sticker? Or could you recommend other (cheaper) transports in combination with a C1?

Thanks
Michael
Pls make sure that it's D1.1 with the new digital output card.
If your dac is C1, pls upgrade it to C1.1 by upgrading its digital input card too.
 

micro13

Well-Known Member
Jun 15, 2020
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I have had the C1 and D1 for the last 4 years and I also upgraded to the latest CH Link HD connection. In combination with the X1 and T1, I believe it is still a world class product. I don’t feel that I am losing out to anything against other brands although I have not heard the WADAX Reference.
Thanks for your comments about your own experience. It's good to hear that after the 4 years you don't have the urge to swap to something else. It's also nice to have an upgrade path with X1, T1, but on the other side you'll need some place for all the boxes :oops:
I'm aware that it's possible to stack the CH units, but I'm not convinced that this is the best way to place them.
 

micro13

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Jun 15, 2020
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Pls make sure that it's D1.1 with the new digital output card.
If your dac is C1, pls upgrade it to C1.1 by upgrading its digital input card too.
Thanks for your advice, but in Europe both units are just C1 and D1 even with the new digital input/output cards.

The full story is a bit more complicated for me. I think since 2010 I'm playing CDs with EMM Labs. Beginning with TSD1 and Dac2, later changed to TSDx and Dac2x, and for nearly two years I have the new DV2 (still with the TSDx, the later TX2 unfortunately is sold out). I'm still very pleased with the EMM units, especially with their Optilink digital connection there is no need for an expensive digital cable (except the optical cable from Aural Symphonics).
Still I admire the CH devices since a long time. The big thing for me is now that my trusted dealer got in a slightly used C1 Mono including the new digital input card from another customer (don't ask me why, he didn't tell me). I couldn't resist and at the moment this C1 Mono sits in my rack and I'm trying to compare it to my EMM Labs combination. Due to a lot of work I didn't have much time spent with the comparison. But I already learned that the C1 units are very susceptible to placement. The EMM units are normally placed in two Symposium ISIS racks with additional Symposium Ultra platforms and Rollerblocks Series 2+ in double stack configuration. Both racks rest on Cerapucs from Finite Elemente.In this configuration I have very balanced sound with the EMM units.
For a fair comparison I put the C1 Mono likewise the EMM units in the ISIS racks. Both the C1 and the DV2 act also as a preamp directly to an amp.
Interestingly I got bloated bass and midbass with the C1 Mono. After all the glorious reviews about the C1 I couldn't believe that this is it. Therefore I stripped the rack to its core - the bloated bass was gone. It looks like the C1 doesn't like the combination of the ISIS rack with the Cerapucs - so the Cerapucs are out of equation.
As I said before I didn't have spent enough time with the comparison, but at the moment the C1 Mono and the my DV2 are rather more similar than different and I can't tell which one I'd like better. BUT I have to admit that the comparison is not really fair because the transport for both Dacs are the EMM TSDx which surely has its own system synergy with the DV2. And until now I used the Optilink cable for the DV2 and just a Nordost Heimdall 2 AES/EBU digital cable for the C1. It's a nice digital cable for the money but probably not the best choice for this test. So I think it's quite a compliment for the C1 for the similarity to the DV2 under these non-ideal circumstances.

Maybe the better question is not if the D1 is still state of the art, but how much better will be the C1 in combination with a D1, especially with the HD Link connection and an additional clock connection from D1 to C1 (I'm aware the combination with a T1 is a special story).
 

zbub

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Jun 27, 2013
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After changing to the new HD digital board(s) you have essentially upgraded to 1.1 This was a very worthwhile upgrade in my experience. I applaude CH for their modular design, as I was able to keep what I have already and improve the performance with (somewhat) minimal investment.

If SACD playback is required you have to have the D1 in order to play them. You will not be able to play the DSD content from EMM transport to CH C1. When I purchased the D1/C1 7 years ago I wanted the D1 to be the last transport I'll ever need, and fortunately I always found CD physical discs to sound better than the ripped files via D1/C1.
 

micro13

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Jun 15, 2020
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After changing to the new HD digital board(s) you have essentially upgraded to 1.1 This was a very worthwhile upgrade in my experience. I applaude CH for their modular design, as I was able to keep what I have already and improve the performance with (somewhat) minimal investment.

If SACD playback is required you have to have the D1 in order to play them. You will not be able to play the DSD content from EMM transport to CH C1. When I purchased the D1/C1 7 years ago I wanted the D1 to be the last transport I'll ever need, and fortunately I always found CD physical discs to sound better than the ripped files via D1/C1.
Thank you for your opinion - to get the last transport I'll ever need is also my idea. Seven years is a lot of time with digital stuff, it's nice to hear that you're still satisfied with your CH units.
There are a lot of SACDs in my collection, but still are a minority. In general I think/hope there's also a great system synergy with C1/D1 to better the TSDx even with Red Book CDs. It's mainly the system synergy that got me thinking about the D1. From a mechanical and vibration reducing viewpoint there are surely better transports out there like the CEC TL0 3.0 for around the same price. But the TL0 surely lacks system synergy with the C1. Would be an interesting comparison.
 

howiebrou

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Jun 29, 2012
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Thank you for your opinion - to get the last transport I'll ever need is also my idea. Seven years is a lot of time with digital stuff, it's nice to hear that you're still satisfied with your CH units.
There are a lot of SACDs in my collection, but still are a minority. In general I think/hope there's also a great system synergy with C1/D1 to better the TSDx even with Red Book CDs. It's mainly the system synergy that got me thinking about the D1. From a mechanical and vibration reducing viewpoint there are surely better transports out there like the CEC TL0 3.0 for around the same price. But the TL0 surely lacks system synergy with the C1. Would be an interesting comparison.
I toyed with getting a D1 many years back to go with my C1. I ended up ripping my CDs and haven't looked back. Unless you are hell bent on physical CDs or like playing SACDs I would ditch CD playback personally. Yes, may be the sound is slightly better with CDs but the ability to choose at a whim and find new music is undeniable.
 
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Brahmsian

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I toyed with getting a D1 many years back to go with my C1. I ended up ripping my CDs and haven't looked back. Unless you are hell bent on physical CDs or like playing SACDs I would ditch CD playback personally. Yes, may be the sound is slightly better with CDs but the ability to choose at a whim and find new music is undeniable.
Despite all the great advances with streaming playback, including the Taiko, I still find the CD playback still provides me with the best sound quality, especially timbre and upper mid-range. So I really don’t mind getting up to change CD or LP. Besides, I have over 6000 CDs that are catalogued so I will stick with a CD player within the foreseeable future. Coming back to the point at hand, the D1 is a great spinner in combination with the C1 as there is a lot of synergy between the two.
 

howiebrou

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Jun 29, 2012
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Despite all the great advances with streaming playback, including the Taiko, I still find the CD playback still provides me with the best sound quality, especially timbre and upper mid-range. So I really don’t mind getting up to change CD or LP. Besides, I have over 6000 CDs that are catalogued so I will stick with a CD player within the foreseeable future. Coming back to the point at hand, the D1 is a great spinner in combination with the C1 as there is a lot of synergy between the two.
Fair enough and don't get me wrong. I was not saying CDs were not worth keeping. They're certainly a lot lighter than LPs!
 

micro13

Well-Known Member
Jun 15, 2020
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Despite all the great advances with streaming playback, including the Taiko, I still find the CD playback still provides me with the best sound quality, especially timbre and upper mid-range. So I really don’t mind getting up to change CD or LP. Besides, I have over 6000 CDs that are catalogued so I will stick with a CD player within the foreseeable future. Coming back to the point at hand, the D1 is a great spinner in combination with the C1 as there is a lot of synergy between the two.
Many thanks for your comment about your own thoughts and experiences with the D1. I don't have as much CDs as you but like you I prefer to play them with a CD player. And it's good to hear that there is a lot of synergy with the C1, that makes it easier for me to decide.
 

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