A1 amp technology by CH Precision - both stereo and mono?

Hyperion

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Am I the only one who finds it a little bit strange/funny that a comparion was only made towards an obviously quite dated, unknown Goldmund "reference" system...? Not many people can relate to that.

That said, I'm very interested CH Precision in general. Very intriguing products.
 

BruceD

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Am I the only one who finds it a little bit strange/funny that a comparion was only made towards an obviously quite dated, unknown Goldmund "reference" system...? Not many people can relate to that.

That said, I'm very interested CH Precision in general. Very intriguing products.

Yes i heard them in Gideons Suite at RMAF-very impressive--but on another Forum poster attending the recent Guangzhou HiFi Show noted the Drive would not play his CD-Rs.

Might pay to check first.

BD
 

redsquare

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I agree somewhat but all Goldmund gear shares the same consistent sound. I used to have 9.2 monoblocks and recently heard the latest series, which pretty much sounded alike, with the older series actually sounding much better! The TAS reviewer really nailed it though in terms of his description of the Goldmund sound and why it's dated. He also did a factory visit of CH and said that Soulution gets its technology from CH - very interesting.... So on point I have a CH A1 amp and never had to play around with feedback or gain as the need never arose. Regarding going mono that's alot of coin and I'm really satisfied with a stereo A1. Super fast, quiet, explosive but liquid. This is a very special amp.
 

Rhapsody

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I agree somewhat but all Goldmund gear shares the same consistent sound. I used to have 9.2 monoblocks and recently heard the latest series, which pretty much sounded alike, with the older series actually sounding much better! The TAS reviewer really nailed it though in terms of his description of the Goldmund sound and why it's dated. He also did a factory visit of CH and said that Soulution gets its technology from CH - very interesting.... So on point I have a CH A1 amp and never had to play around with feedback or gain as the need never arose. Regarding going mono that's alot of coin and I'm really satisfied with a stereo A1. Super fast, quiet, explosive but liquid. This is a very special amp.

So in AT's review he does not mention the exact model of Goldmund that he is listening to. Is it current, 10 year old, 15 year old Goldmund system/amps that he is listening to? Then Redsquare you say that you have listened to the latest Goldmund amps. Do you mind mentioning the exact models that you listened to and the system that they were used in. Was it in the exact same room/system that the CH P was used in?

Just trying to figure out specifically what both AT and Redsquare are talking about and it's hard to do that with generalizations about Goldmund vs. specific information. Thx in advance for the information.
 

redsquare

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Just go ask Alan Taffel since he wrote the review for TAS. Apparently he's been a Goldmund user for years.

I heard 2500's by a friend who bought them discounted on Audiogon as well as Telos 600's, Job 225 etc..., and I agree with Taffel that there's definitely a Goldmund sound throughout the years.
The CH A1 is more to my tastes, not a matter of good vs bad. Also, all these companies, including Goldmund, are constantly updating and changing models so it's just not feasible to hear everything. Maybe these two companies will be at shows and everyone can judge for themselves.

Some of the others here were also impressed with CH so maybe they have compared with Goldmund or others like Soulution, Dartzeel etc.
 

Rhapsody

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Just go ask Alan Taffel since he wrote the review for TAS. Apparently he's been a Goldmund user for years.

I heard 2500's by a friend who bought them discounted on Audiogon as well as Telos 600's, Job 225 etc..., and I agree with Taffel that there's definitely a Goldmund sound throughout the years.
The CH A1 is more to my tastes, not a matter of good vs bad. Also, all these companies, including Goldmund, are constantly updating and changing models so it's just not feasible to hear everything. Maybe these two companies will be at shows and everyone can judge for themselves.

Some of the others here were also impressed with CH so maybe they have compared with Goldmund or others like Soulution, Dartzeel etc.

Thank you! Btw, I am SURE that the CH Precision gear is top notch gear, as is Constellation, Soulution, DZeel and mucho others.....it's all preference and system matching to suit a user's specific preferences at this level. Saying one of these brands is better is mental masturbation and someone's opinion, which is and should be totally respected, BUT it's nothing more than that.

I think great review(s) of the CH Precision gear is great, but not sure why in AT's review the entire article seems to be focused on how much better the CH P gear is to the Goldmund Reference system that Alan has been using.....and we have no idea or age of his "Ref System". Wonder why AT could not have just discussed the CH Precision gear on it's own merits vs. doing such in depth comparisons vs. Goldmund and not mentioning the models or age of the Goldmund system that he refers to so many times.

I have posted the question on the AS site, no reply from AT....it is what it is.
 
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Rhapsody

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Just go ask Alan Taffel since he wrote the review for TAS. Apparently he's been a Goldmund user for years.

I heard 2500's by a friend who bought them discounted on Audiogon as well as Telos 600's, Job 225 etc..., and I agree with Taffel that there's definitely a Goldmund sound throughout the years.
The CH A1 is more to my tastes, not a matter of good vs bad. Also, all these companies, including Goldmund, are constantly updating and changing models so it's just not feasible to hear everything. Maybe these two companies will be at shows and everyone can judge for themselves.

Some of the others here were also impressed with CH so maybe they have compared with Goldmund or others like Soulution, Dartzeel etc.

Redsquare- Did you heard the Telos 2500's, which are now a 5 year old design, or did you hear the latest 2500+ models, which sound different than the original and came out about a year ago? Did by chance the Goldmund system(s) that you heard have the Leonardo/Proteus time/phase alignment software controlling the system. A Leonardo system is in a different league than a non Leonardo corrected system, which I am sure that you realize if you are familiar with the latest Goldmund gear.

Would be interesting to compare EXACT apples to apples vs. gross generalizations, don't you think? Then we would really know something, rather than expressing unfounded opinions.
 

tunes

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While I appreciate the apples to apples clarification, back to my OP,
Has anyone had a chance to try out the adjustability features of the CH Precision A1 ? Redsquare, seems like you are a happy A1 user but have not mucked about with changing the settings. Anyone actually try this out? These seem like interesting tuning options for an amp.
 

redsquare

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Tunes, thanks for bringing this back on point. The A1 has feedback and gain settings
and while I did not feel the need for fdbk, I settled on a 2.5 increase in gain - this
gave me a tad more dynamic energy. I used to use an FM Acoustics 411 which had incredible
power reserves but not the triode like clarity of the CH. In Japan they are nuts over
this amp because it's got that SET magic but with so much power. I think you do loose
some of that triode magic in the A1 when you start increasing feedback but not so with
the gain. The fdbk gives you a bigger more midrangy sound which was not my thing. The
beauty is that you have incredible flexibility. I want to try the C1 with phono analog
input - did you hear that at the show? What's your rig?
 

Rhapsody

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Duplicate post
 
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tunes

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Redsquare,
Interesting comments re global feedback and gain. Nope, didn't hear c1 with phono at rmaf, the vinyl was through trinity to koda pre to ch a1 amps.
I'm not using CH but an admirer for sure. Got nagra vpa to verity amadis. Amg through trinity to nagra jazz up front. Love my system for my space and budget :)
 

zbub

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Jun 27, 2013
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So in AT's review he does not mention the exact model of Goldmund that he is listening to. Is it current, 10 year old, 15 year old Goldmund system/amps that he is listening to? Then Redsquare you say that you have listened to the latest Goldmund amps. Do you mind mentioning the exact models that you listened to and the system that they were used in. Was it in the exact same room/system that the CH P was used in?

Just trying to figure out specifically what both AT and Redsquare are talking about and it's hard to do that with generalizations about Goldmund vs. specific information. Thx in advance for the information.

Well, actually if you read the "associated equipment" portion of the review, Goldmund 22 and 29.4 were mentioned. I am not familiar with 29.4 monoblocks, but the 22 is a darling of a preamp. One of my favorites in history.
 

wisnon

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Dec 12, 2011
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Tunes, thanks for bringing this back on point. The A1 has feedback and gain settings
and while I did not feel the need for fdbk, I settled on a 2.5 increase in gain - this
gave me a tad more dynamic energy. I used to use an FM Acoustics 411 which had incredible
power reserves but not the triode like clarity of the CH. In Japan they are nuts over
this amp because it's got that SET magic but with so much power. I think you do loose
some of that triode magic in the A1 when you start increasing feedback but not so with
the gain. The fdbk gives you a bigger more midrangy sound which was not my thing. The
beauty is that you have incredible flexibility. I want to try the C1 with phono analog
input - did you hear that at the show? What's your rig?

IIRC from my factory visit, the user Feedback setting function was to match the amp to the drivers in the owners speakers to optimize the coupling and minimize cable loss. The really interesting tech in their amp is the transistor that monitors the input and output components for temp changes and allows for the automatic active real-time bias adjustment of the discrete components. They feel that this allows them to exceed class A tube performance.

I plan to do a write up of this visit by February (for PTA), after CES, when I go back to get some missing info and to debut their new/soon-to-open demo listening room at their new offices.
 

Rhapsody

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Well, actually if you read the "associated equipment" portion of the review, Goldmund 22 and 29.4 were mentioned. I am not familiar with 29.4 monoblocks, but the 22 is a darling of a preamp. One of my favorites in history.

Jbub- Thank you so much for noting the "associated equipment". My bad for not seeing it or looking for it. Appreciate it very much. I have no problem that AT is comparing new CH P gear with 15 year old designed Goldmund gear, which is when the 29.4 were designed. Yes they were great amps etc.

Sorry to all for bringing Goldmund up and hi-jacking the thread. Have a great holiday season.
 
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redsquare

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Tunes - at RMAF was Gideon using 2 x A1 amps or just one in stereo mode?
I'm toying with the possibility of getting another A1 and using the biamp or bridge modes. My Stenheim's are very efficient but they were using 2 x A1's at the last Munich show so curious about that. Also, how do you like your Trinity phono? Fremer did a part one review of it and hints that it may be unbeatable - at least it's not as expensive as the dac so that's somewhat comforting.
 

tunes

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Redsquare,
Audioarts was using two A1 amps at RMAF paired with Zellaton.
As for trinity phono, i love this thing. Will be installing a balanced input transformer option board in my nagra jazz this weekend. Will let you know the difference to the trinity once i am running fully balanced :)
Yes, Fremer writes positively but briefly about the trinity. Will be interesting to hear his comments when he can try it properly as well.
 

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