High-Tech Disc Playback: CH Precision's New D1.5 Digital Player/Transport
he heart of CH Precision's new D1.5 digital player/transport ($46,000 for player/transport, $41,000 for transport only) is the unit's in-house-designed and -built MORSe (Mechanically Optimized Reading System) transport, which is said to prevent "vibrations generated by the spinning of the disc from reaching sensitive electronic boards, as well as low-frequency vibrations originating in the power supply or chassis disturbing the accurate tracking of the laser mechanism." To achieve this, the optical pickup and motor are mounted on a machined brass sled that weighs two pounds, which is isolated on an alpha-gel suspension that's fine-tuned to filter vibration down to AC frequencies. The drive's ultra-rigid support frame is constructed from almost four pounds of machined billet aluminum and direct coupled to the chassis base plate, with its improved four-point mechanical grounding and leveling system. The D1.5 is fully compatible with SACD, CD and MQA-CD discs. For CD replay, CH Precision has revised the company's optional onboard upsampling, updating it with its proprietary PEtER spline filter algorithm. MQA replay allows the choice of optimized MQA digital output when connected to an external MQA-capable DAC, avoiding on-the-fly sample-rate switching. CH Link HD, AES/EBU, S/PDIF and TosLink digital outputs are standard. Optional dual-mono DACs and a Sync IO board allow users to use the D1.5 as a transport or player, with or without external clocking. The D1.5 is compatible with CH Precision’s C1 and C1 Mono DACs, the I1 integrated amplifier, as well as the T1 Time Reference master clock and X1 external power supply. Owners can start with a single-box D1.5 player and grow it by steps, all the way up to a nine-chassis digital front-end. They can also stop at two boxes, three boxes or any number of boxes up to nine. Finally, as a nod to existing D1 owners, while that unit
cannot be upgraded to a D1.5, in keeping with CH Precision’s future-proof ethos, a
price-difference trade-in program and compatibility with all existing CH Precision digital
products ensure existing owners a cost-effective path to owning the D1.5. |
