C10 Statement DAC
A New Statement in Digital
Most high-end digital audio companies still refine architectures conceived in an earlier era. The C10 Statement DAC begins from a different premise: that believable digital reproduction depends on preserving the temporal relationships by which music becomes intelligible. It is CH Precision's flagship DAC; a purpose-built statement in waveform reconstruction, deterministic conversion, and time-domain fidelity.
The C10 consists of two chassis with distinct functions. The Master DAC performs conversion, translating digital information into analog with CH Precision's most advanced architecture. The Conductor manages processing, timing, and system control, providing the conditions under which that conversion occurs. Galvanic isolation between chassis separates the most timing-critical digital and analog domains into independently powered environments. Cross-domain interference is eliminated. Temporal stability is enhanced.
The C10 is CH Precision's most advanced expression of what digital can become when clocking, upsampling, conversion, analog output, and power architecture are treated as a single coherent system.
Time Domain Integrity
The C10 Statement DAC begins from a conviction that defines CH Precision’s digital work: music is not perceived as an abstract spectrum, but as a sequence of events unfolding in time. Attacks, decays, harmonic bloom, spatial cues, and silence all depend on exact temporal relationships. Preserve those relationships, and instruments retain identity, body, and position in space. Disturb them, even subtly, and the illusion begins to weaken.
That is why CH Precision approaches digital reproduction differently from manufacturers whose design priorities remain centered on conventional steady-state measurements alone. The central problem is not simply how accurately amplitude is reconstructed, but how faithfully temporal information survives the entire conversion process. The C10 was engineered to preserve the ordered flow of musical events from input to analog output.
Rather than asking the listener to choose among familiar digital compromises, the C10 is built around proprietary solutions that address time-domain error at its origin. Its architecture reflects a more recent and more rigorous understanding of how waveform reconstruction, clock stability, deterministic conversion, and power behavior shape what we ultimately hear.
The C10 Conductor—PEtER Spline Upsampling Filters and the Art of Timing
In digital systems, upsampling and reconstruction filtering are among the first stages at which musical timing is altered. Linear-phase, minimum-phase, apodizing, slow-rolloff, sharp-rolloff: each filter type approaches the problem differently, yet all inherit the same tradeoff: where, how much, and in what form the filter is allowed to ring.
Most manufacturers resolve this by offering a menu of choices, leaving the listener to select the least objectionable compromise. Each option reshapes the relationship between frequency response, phase behavior, transient accuracy, and temporal coherence. All inherit the same fundamental tradeoff: where, how much, and in what form the filter is allowed to ring.
Rather than accept these compromises, CH Precision set out to solve the problem. The C10's proprietary PEtER filter—Polynomial Equations to Enhance Resolution—reconstructs the waveform by enforcing smooth continuity of slope and curvature between samples. Rather than forcing the signal through a conventional brick-wall model and managing the consequences, PEtER begins with waveform geometry itself. Its task is to preserve the natural temporal shape of each event as it unfolds, not merely to interpolate additional points.
This reconstruction spans PCM from 44.1 kHz to 768 kHz and DSD from 2.8224 MHz to 22.5792 MHz, with 32-bit internal precision providing the computational density spline-based reconstruction requires. By eliminating both pre- and post-ringing while maintaining mathematically correct reconstruction, the C10 preserves transient definition, harmonic settling, and low-level spatial information with exceptional coherence. Rhythm retains propulsion. Harmonics lock into place. Silence remains clean, undisturbed by the time smear conventional filtering introduces.
The C10 Master DAC—Determinstic R2R Conversion
Within the C10 Master DAC chassis, the C10 Statement DAC extends CH Precision’s deterministic philosophy into the conversion stage itself. Rather than rely on the delta-sigma architectures that dominate contemporary digital audio—with their extreme oversampling, noise shaping, and statistical averaging—the C10 uses a true multi-bit R-2R architecture, in which each digital code maps directly to a defined analog state.
CH Precision’s DSQ implementation operates at full 24-bit data density at 2.8224 MHz, using eight precision DAC elements per channel in a synchronized phased array. Each switching event is resolved explicitly in time rather than inferred statistically from a noise-shaped bitstream.
Music is not heard as an average. The ear evaluates each event as it arrives, aligning transients, fundamentals, harmonics, and decay moment by moment. When conversion becomes statistical, the instantaneous musical event is reconstructed rather than directly rendered. DSQ preserves that event with explicit timing, coherent structure, and exceptional low-level resolution.
At the center of the architecture, multiple precision R-2R conversion elements operate in parallel under the same ultra-stable timebase. The key is not multiplicity alone, but synchronization. Every switching event is phase-aligned and algorithmically controlled, allowing summation to increase precision without introducing time-domain blur. Fabricated and mounted on a common substrate, the converter arrays share thermal behavior, consistent geometry, and tightly controlled electrical conditions. This lowers error, improves linearity, and preserves the temporal explicitness that gives deterministic conversion its musical authority.
Time as System Architecture
The C10 Statement DAC is a unified flagship architecture built from the Master DAC and the Conductor, each with its own dedicated power supply. The purpose of this separation is fundamental. High-speed digital processing, timing control, and signal routing generate electrical activity that can compromise the delicacy of the analog conversion environment if housed too closely together. By assigning these functions to separate, independently powered chassis, the C10 galvanically isolates them, eliminating cross-domain interference and preserving a quieter, more stable context for conversion and analog output.
This is how CH Precision advances from an already extraordinary converter in the C10 Reference DAC to its statement digital platform: not by replacing the underlying philosophy, but by giving that philosophy a more ideal physical and electrical environment in which to operate. The architecture becomes calmer, more isolated, and more exact. Musical consequences follow naturally—greater low-level intelligibility, more stable imaging, more convincing decay, and a stronger sense of continuity through complex passages.
Where Time Is Governed
A flagship DAC's success extends beyond conversion. Upsampling, clock generation, analog output, and energy delivery must all obey the same temporal logic.
The C10's purpose-engineered master clock anchors every internal process to a coherent time reference. Incoming signal disturbances never dictate conversion timing; the system's own clock remains the dominant authority.
The analog stage preserves what the digital architecture establishes. Fully discrete, Class A, and DC-coupled, it is built for speed, symmetry, and stability under real musical conditions. Transients recover cleanly. Harmonic relationships hold as levels shift. It preserves; it does not editorialize.
Power and timing are inseparable. Multiple chassis and isolated supply domains prevent clocking, digital processing, and analog output from interacting, ensuring dynamic musical demands never disturb the references on which precision depends. The result is temporal stability, not merely lower noise.
Together, these disciplines make the C10 behave less like a chain of stages and more like a single time-coherent instrument.
Document and Firmware Downloads
A resource built with the same precision and care that define our instruments, the CH Precision Downloads area provides access to the most recent manuals, firmware updates, spike installation guides, and product brochures. Each document reflects our engineering culture—meticulous in detail, exact in purpose, and designed to ensure that every component performs precisely as intended.
These materials are intended to support owners and partners in configuring, maintaining, and optimising their CH systems. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, we encourage you to contact your authorised CH Precision dealer or reach out directly through our Technical Support form. Our teams are committed to providing the same standard of excellence in service that we apply to our engineering—so that every listening experience remains true to the performance we envisioned.
The CH Control APP
Available for Apple iOS and Android, the CH Controller provides complete app-based control of CH Precision systems, including input selection, volume, mute, configuration settings, and playback functions. It also allows users to access UPnP devices on the network and browse the music stored there, bringing system control and local music access into a single interface.
Its structure follows the same operational logic as the components
themselves, preserving a direct relationship between front-panel control and the mobile experience. True to CH Precision’s engineering culture, the control platform is designed as an extension of the component architecture rather than a separate control layer. It adds convenience and flexibility while preserving the integrity, precision, and musical priorities that define every CH Precision system.
Specifications
General
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Type: Dual-chassis digital-to-analog converter
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Options:
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Additional digital input HD board
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USB audio board
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Ethernet streaming HD board
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Clock sync board
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Upgrade path:
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D10 Reference Transport
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C10 Statement Mono DAC—Dual mono master DAC with seperate PSUs (5 chassis)
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Reference clock (T10)
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Color: Silver (standard), Anthracite or Champagne (option)
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Dimensions: 440 x 440 x 133 mm (W x D x H), all units (DAC, Conductor, Power Supply)
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Weight: 20kg (DAC, conductor) + 23kg (power supply)
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Operating conditions: 5°C<T<35°C, 5%<humidity<85% no condensation
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Power supply: Selectable 100V, 115V or 230V AC, 47Hz to 63Hz
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Power consumption: <0.5W standby, 120W max in operation
User interface
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Display: 800 x 480 pixels, 24 bit RGB AMOLED
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Control: 5-button interface, Infrared remote control, Android app (iOS app to be released)
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Firmware update: via USB flash drive or the Internet
Digital input
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Type:
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1x CH Link HD, 1x AES/EBU (XLR), 1x S/PDIF (RCA), 1x S/PDIF (TOSLINK) per Digital input board (1x standard)
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1x USB type B per USB input board (optional)
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1x RJ-45 on Streaming HD input board (optional)
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Sampling rate:
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CH Link HD: PCM 44.1kHz to 768kHz, DSD 2.8224MHz to 22.5792MHz
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S/PDIF, AES/EBU: PCM 44.1kHz to 192kHz, DSD 2.8224MHz (DoP format)
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Ethernet: PCM 44.1kHz to 768kHz, DSD 2.8224MHz to 22.5792MHz
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USB: PCM 44.1kHz to 384kHz, DSD 2.8224MHz to 5.6448MHz (DoP format)
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Bit depth: PCM 16 to 32 bit, DSD 1 bit
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MQA: Full MQA decoding (unfolding and rendering) at 24bit/705.6kHz or 768kHz
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File Format:
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PCM: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, AAC and MP3
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DSD: DSF and DFF
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Services:
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Local: UpnP/DLNA, Roon ready, Audirvana compatible
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Streaming: Qobuz connect, Tidal connect, Web radio
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DAC
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Conversion type: DSQ R-2R, 24 bit / 2.8224 MHz, 8 DAC per channel
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Upsampling filter: Proprietary ultra-short, low-ringing, time-optimized, synchronous, 32-bit fixed-point PEtER algorithm
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Clocking option: clock master or synchronization to reference clock or optical disc transport
Analog Output
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Type: 1x Balanced XLR, 1x single-ended RCA per channel
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Level: High (5VRMS), Mid (2.5VRMS) or Low (1VRMS) on RCA output (twice as much on XLR output), user selectable
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Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: <0.003% (@ 20Hz-20kHz, A-weighted)
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Bandwidth: DC to 155kHz (-3dB)
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Signal-to-noise ratio (@ 20Hz-20kHz, A-weighted):
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>121dB, High output level
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>120dB, Mid output level
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>117dB, Low output level
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Noise (on XLR output):
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<9μVRMS, High output level
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<5μVRMS, Mid output level
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<3μVRMS, Low output level
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The Foundation of the Ultimate Digital Front End
As CH Precision’s flagship DAC, the C10 Statement DAC stands at the summit of the company’s digital work. It is complete in concept and uncompromising in execution. Yet it also remains part of CH Precision’s larger modular ethos. Owners of the C10 Reference DAC may advance to the C10 through the addition of the Conductor, extending an already exceptional platform into CH Precision’s statement digital model. From there, the C10 Mono Statement DAC adds a second dedicated power supply, carrying the architecture to its most complete expression.
That continuity matters. It reflects a philosophy in which advancement is additive, disciplined, and structurally meaningful. Nothing is discarded for effect. Everything is elevated through deeper precision.
The C10 Statement DAC is therefore both culmination and foundation: the fullest expression of CH Precision’s digital invention, and the basis of an ultimate front end built to preserve the temporal truth of music.