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 that point was, I now realized, unreliable. I started over from near scratch.
Then, not long before the I1 was scheduled to be shipped to John Atkinson to be measured, Ralph Sorrentino and I were consulting via Facetime when he asked if I'd installed the latest Roon updates. When I told him I had, he warned me to check my audio settings. Roon's recent update had changed his audio settings and engaged Roon's DSP engine.
Sure enough, and without my knowledge, Roon DSP had been engaged in my system, too. While I had no way to ascertain when Roon had first activated the DSP processing I'd so carefully deactivated, I knew that, no matter how good the I1 sounded, what I'd been hearing was not truly representative of its uncompromised performance. While my listening tests of the I1 phono stage, external clock, inputs, and streaming were still valid, everything else needed to be scrapped. I started over again.
Once everything was correct . . .
Ultimately, I found that the best way to get a handle on the CH I1's sound was to compare the sound of its DAC to that of the dCS Rossini DAC, using the I1 for amplification, bypassing the amplifier's A/D converter. Note, however, that by the time you read this, the Rossini's software will have been upgraded to v.2. If the difference between Rossini v.1 and v.2 is anywhere near as great as that between v.1 and v.2 of dCS's Vivaldi DAC, some of the conclusions that follow will no longer apply. Then again, CH Precision might also issue a downloadable software update by publication time. Meanwhile, I had to start somewhere. I started with Lou Harrison's clearly recorded, color-rich Concerto for Violin and Percussion, with solo violinist Tim Fain and Angel Gil-Ordóñez leading the PostClassical Ensemble (24/48 FLAC, Naxos 8.5598250). The I1's sound was extremely direct, clean, and focused, but with a bit of a gray cast. The Rossini's images were rounder, with edges less sharply delineated—it sounded airier, more atmospheric, definitely more transparent—and warmer, less clinical, not as forward, and a bit more organic, with more color contrasts and, most definitely, more treble brightness. The bass and image sizes from both DACs were more or less equal.
These observations held for several other recordings, including Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony's performance of Alban Berg's extremely complex, bass-rich Three Pieces for Orchestra (24/192 WAV, SFS Media SFS0070). The I1's sound was very straight-ahead and focused, albeit with some gray between the notes—very get-the-job-done, distinctly yang—while the Rossini, through the I1's amp section, was willing to show its rounder, softer yin side without sacrificing detail or bass slam.
If pressed, I'm tempted to say that the I1's images were the more precise, while the Rossini, through the I1's amplification section, delivered the more graceful sound. They may have had different strengths, but in their abilities to allow the music to connect on an emotional level, both were equally effective.
The final comparison, with my friend Peter Schwartzman present, was to bypass the I1's amplification section entirely by connecting balanced (XLR) interconnects between its analog outputs and the D'Agostino Progression monoblocks ($38,000/pair). Peter thanked me for the opportunity to experience the D'Agostinos—and noted that, with the Harrison concerto, he felt he could reach out and touch the solo violin, he said, "The music feels like it has more momentum."
I heard a significantly more transparent sound—all of the I1's grayness had vanished. The D'Agostinos opened the soundstage wide and reproduced music more vividly, with more 3D, lifelike images. Music no longer comprised an array of highly organized, emotionally compelling sounds floating between two speakers—instead, it took over the room, and took on a life all its own. From a pair of monoblocks that cost as much as a basic CH I1, one would hope for no less.
Conclusions
CH Precision's I1 Universal integrated amplifier is a Swiss Army knife of a component that, with all its options installed, can do just about everything except open your next pint. Built to last, with modular construction that permits future add-ons, as well as downloadable firmware updates, its solidity conceals engineering that reveals the heart of music. The I1's sound may be clean, strong, and direct, but it doesn't filter out those intangibles that allow the music to elicit a powerfully emotional response. As with all integrateds that squeeze everything into one hefty package, its sound can be improved by adding as many separates as its design and your budget allow. But on its own, the CH Precision I1 is a highly competitive product that will give any integrated in or near its price range a run for the money. The I1 reproduces music its own way: upsampling PCM to 24/352.8 or 24/384, converting DSD64 through DSD256 to PCM 24/352.8, and, with analog board installed, converting analog to high-sample-rate PCM. If that intrigues you, I urge you to give it a listen. CH Precision's I1 is one of the most complete, most neutral sounding, most carefully conceived components I've reviewed.
Ultimately, I found that the best way to get a handle on the CH I1's sound was to compare the sound of its DAC to that of the dCS Rossini DAC, using the I1 for amplification, bypassing the amplifier's A/D converter. Note, however, that by the time you read this, the Rossini's software will have been upgraded to v.2. If the difference between Rossini v.1 and v.2 is anywhere near as great as that between v.1 and v.2 of dCS's Vivaldi DAC, some of the conclusions that follow will no longer apply. Then again, CH Precision might also issue a downloadable software update by publication time. Meanwhile, I had to start somewhere. I started with Lou Harrison's clearly recorded, color-rich Concerto for Violin and Percussion, with solo violinist Tim Fain and Angel Gil-Ordóñez leading the PostClassical Ensemble (24/48 FLAC, Naxos 8.5598250). The I1's sound was extremely direct, clean, and focused, but with a bit of a gray cast. The Rossini's images were rounder, with edges less sharply delineated—it sounded airier, more atmospheric, definitely more transparent—and warmer, less clinical, not as forward, and a bit more organic, with more color contrasts and, most definitely, more treble brightness. The bass and image sizes from both DACs were more or less equal.
These observations held for several other recordings, including Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony's performance of Alban Berg's extremely complex, bass-rich Three Pieces for Orchestra (24/192 WAV, SFS Media SFS0070). The I1's sound was very straight-ahead and focused, albeit with some gray between the notes—very get-the-job-done, distinctly yang—while the Rossini, through the I1's amp section, was willing to show its rounder, softer yin side without sacrificing detail or bass slam.
CH Precision's I1 Universal integrated amplifier is a Swiss Army knife of a component that, with all its options installed, can do just about everything except open your next pint. Built to last, with modular construction that permits future add-ons, as well as downloadable firmware updates, its solidity conceals engineering that reveals the heart of music. The I1's sound may be clean, strong, and direct, but it doesn't filter out those intangibles that allow the music to elicit a powerfully emotional response. As with all integrateds that squeeze everything into one hefty package, its sound can be improved by adding as many separates as its design and your budget allow. But on its own, the CH Precision I1 is a highly competitive product that will give any integrated in or near its price range a run for the money. The I1 reproduces music its own way: upsampling PCM to 24/352.8 or 24/384, converting DSD64 through DSD256 to PCM 24/352.8, and, with analog board installed, converting analog to high-sample-rate PCM. If that intrigues you, I urge you to give it a listen. CH Precision's I1 is one of the most complete, most neutral sounding, most carefully conceived components I've reviewed.
