Focal Arche - Class A Headphone Amplifier and DAC

TLDR Verdict:
Sound: 5/5
Design: 4.9/5
Features: 5/5
Value: 5/5 but only if you get it with the Black Friday 1000 USD/EUR/GBP discount. If Retail Price then 4.5/5

As a Focal user I am no stranger to their products. I know what to expect in terms of build and sound quality. While my expectations were high, I did try to temper them in order to be as objective as possible when writing this review.

My journey starts with a 4 day wait for the package to arrive. There were some delays with the shipping due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the story unfolds, I was lucky enough to get the package on Friday the 4th of December 2020. The driver dropped a box that seemed quite large. I did check some pictures online while I was waiting but did not expect this size.

In tone with their brand image, Focal designed a simple yet elegant box. There are no fancy drawings or anything. You get two items: the name of the product and the brand. As you open the box and see the protective cushions inside, you realize why they made the box so big. The Arche is quite hefty in size and weight for a headphone amp. On the left side, in a protective plastic cover, they tucked the amplifier while on the right side you see their signature headphone stand, as well as the accessory box. To my surprise, they do not include the USB cable to connect this to your laptop/PC/Mac. This was not issue as I had a cable laying around, but they did give me a non-EU plug.





Package Contents:
1 x Focal Arche
1 x Headphone Stand + 3 x tiny screws + 1 x Allen Key + Focal Plastic bit
2 x Power Cables (EU and US)

Build Quality:

The Arche is not a small headphone amp. It has been designed in a rather unique way with quite a large footprint. While the height of the product does not have such a big impact and you could potentially tuck it under a screen, the choice to position this will change depending if you mount the headphone stand or not. This is a very nice-looking product and the moment you add the stand it really catches your eye. We will assume this to be the de facto look, thus make sure you have adequate real estate on your desk. Everything feels premium but my one gripe is the fingerprint magnet feature I see every time I interact with it. Not a big thing as they are easily removed but I can see my yeti hands quite regularly.

Functionality

The frontside has a multi-function knob, a white display and not blue as seen in the Focal promo pictures, a 1/4" single-ended output and a 4 pin XLR balanced output. The rear side of the Arche gets a bit more attention and sends a serious business message. You have a choice of three digital inputs, including a USB port, and balanced / unbalanced outputs for those who have a specific preference and would like to use the converter with an external amplifier. At the end of the day this is a DAC – AMP combo so choices do exist.



Features

As introduced above, the Arche prioritizes versatility in terms of connectivity and purpose. To complete the package, Focal & Micromega did not stop here and took one step further. The user can tweak a range of settings to tune the sound. For example, using the multi-function knob we can access the different modes to select from. Should you be a Focal high-end headphone owner, you have dedicated modes for each. Select the relevant product and you will have synergy with your headphone. For non-Focal products, we can pick from a Voltage and Hybrid mode. Finally, you have an option to configure the gain of the Arche: high or low.

Sound

The first impression matters and Focal delivers on features and design. Truth be told, for me this is just a small part as to why I believe I do not need to look elsewhere moving forward. What makes the Arche great is the sound quality and it delivers.

Headphones

• Denon AHD-2000 Mark Lawton Pads – stock cable
• Denon AHD – 9200 stock pads – FORZA NOIR HPC MK2 Balanced 2.5mm & Forza Adapter

Contenders

• Focal Arche
• NAD C388
• Topping A50/D50s/P50

Source

• NAD C568
• Qobuz Studio via Razer Blade Advanced 2019

My NAD C388 hybrid DAC is connected to a pair of Focal Aria 948 speakers. From the onset, the bar for the Arche was quite high in terms of audio quality as my NAD sounds great. If you got this far, you may have noticed that I own a pair of Denon headphones and not Focal. The Denon headphones shine on the NAD so I had my fingers crossed the Arche would get close to it. To put it simply, the Focal Arche does an excellent job at producing a clear sound which is abundant in detail. While certain DAC-Amps tend to force their sound signature on your headphones creating this shift away from the characteristics of your product, the Arche does things differently. There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between the Arche and your headphones leading to a very engaging tone where frequency separation is tailored to what your product can deliver.

Every song I played on the Arche made me want more. My first session with the product was around 7 hours and I never felt any fatigue. The next day I used it for another 5 hours and I simply could not get enough. If I were to summarize the sound, I would say that you experience a rare musical clarity sprinkled with fast pace, hard hitting dynamics, and beautiful sound visualization.

My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try all the preset modes offered. The difference between Voltage and Hybrid mode is subtle yet, if you close your eyes, detectable. The Utopia preset on the 9200 changes the sound and pushes away the oomph you find in Voltage & Hybrid modes. While I understand the approach behind this preset, without a pair of Utopia headphones, I cannot properly classify this natural take I detect.

Listening to artists such as Deep Purple, Sting, Norah Jones, Jon Hopkins, The Chainsmokers, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits pointed out another thing: the Arche retains a high S/N ratio - and a low N/S ratio without any effort. There was no issue with any song and my audio sessions did not suffer from any background noise while listening.

The Focal Arche is an exceptional product and will give you a pleasant pause in your audiophile quest for perfection. For me, the Arche put my voyage on hold as I believe I reached my destination. I also love the fact that I can use the Arche as a pure DAC or amplifier. I can combine this with other products and still enjoy the appealing signature.

It would not be fair to the reader to end on such a high note without pointing out one flaw which puzzles me. It is not related to the sound but to the spiked feet of the unit. If you do not pay attention, you will scratch any surface you place the Arche on. Granted, you get some rubber/silicon covers but these do not stick. They require you to raise the Arche on each side and have the feet dig in them. Not the best solution in my view so I decided to place something between the Arche and the table.

Thanks for giving me some of your time and I will wrap the review here with a cool tidbit between myself and Focal on Twitter. Stay safe and happy listening.