Focal Arche Review

Design and build

The Arche is a well-packaged all-in-one device, packing its amplification, DAC and preamp components (plus all the bits in-between) into a 60 x 200 x 297mm space weighing a reassuringly hefty 4.65kg. It’s not exactly small, but neither is it humongous considering that it does negate the need for separate components. Let’s just say that it’ll occupy about one magazine’s-worth (remember those?) of space on your desktop. In terms of layout, the Arche is slightly unusual in that it is deeper than it is wide, so it might not be a perfect fit for all desktop layouts. Thankfully, the Arche has an on-board power supply and uses a standard IEC power cord meaning that no wall-warts need to be stuffed away behind your desktop or listening space. 

And on the subject of space, I’m going to give another round of applause for the Arche’s absolutely terrific built-in headphone stand. Upon taking the Arche out of it’s relatively undramatic yet perfectly appropriate cardboard packaging, the new owner is required to carefully slide the stand between the heat-sink fins on the Arche’s roof and screw it into place via the bottom panel. Installing the stand means that stacking anything atop the Arche is out of the question…but why would you go and do a thing like that?! This is without a doubt the most tastefully-implemented and well-thought-out piece of industrial design that’s come across my review desk since, well, ever? 

While the amp itself does look like a fairly unremarkable black rectangular box from across the room, upon closer inspection the Arche does begin to give off vibes of premium befitting its price-tag. It’s an all-metal unibody affair, with matching front and rear face-plates all made from the same satiny semi-matte finish.

The Arche’s front-panel includes a Neutrik 4-pin full-sized XLR connector next-door to a 6.3mm single-ended jack, signaling that this amp is squarely designed for serious, home listening using the connectors that Focal ships with their high-end headphones. A small LED multi-function display acts as the Arche’s ‘face’, and sits next to a solid, stepped-attenuator with ‘infinite’ scrolling. 

The rear-panel of the Arche is a busy-affair, and that’s not surprising considering the wide array of input and output options that it features. Full-sized USB, optical and coaxial inputs are provided for digital connectivity to the on-board AK4490 DACs, and I was delighted to find a pair of analogue inputs as well. This is something I look for in a DAC/amp combo as it allows for the pairing of alternate DACs, turntables, or any other line-level signal. A standard USB-A connection is provided to allow for firmware updates.

The Arche can act as a preamplifier upstream of powered speakers or a power amplifier courtesy of its variable XLR and RCA outputs. If you’re mooting having one box to act as the ‘brains’ of your desktop or HiFi system then the inclusion of preamp facilities is a welcome inclusion for maximum versatility. 

What’s it like to live with? 

Let’s talk about the Arche’s knob, as you’re going to need to be using it for practically everything on the unit in terms of controlling it. It’s a solid, metal volume pot with tactile, yet inaudible ‘clicks’ that signifies the increase or decrease of volume by one unit out of a total of ninety-nice increments. It’s precise, well-machined, and generally a delight to use. Having digital volume adjustment instead of your standard potentiometer means that the Arche has perfect channel matching at even the lowest volume levels – something to consider with sensitive headphones and IEMs. The Sparkos Aries still holds the position of best volume knob in my books, but the Arche isn’t far off the pace. 

The knob also acts as an interface for the digital menu displayed on the Arche’s LED screen, accessed by ‘clicking’ the pot, and then scrolling through a range of options including ‘INPUT’ (digital/analogue input selection); ‘GAIN’ (low/high gain selection) ‘PHASE’ (normal or reverse phase selection), ‘AMPLIFIER’ (amplifier mode + headphone preset selection), as well as display, sleep and firmware options. It’s pretty simple to use and learning to navigate the various features of the Arche requires a learning curve of less than a minute. I do have a couple of minor irritations with this system, however. I did find myself wishing for a separate ‘back’ button a couple of times, as you need to either scroll through to find this option to navigate back to the home screen or wait around fifteen seconds for it to eventually revert to the home screen. This means that you’re unable to control volume levels while deep in the menus, which was a little annoying but not a massive deal-breaker. 

What is more disappointing is the lack of a remote! As a $2,490 device intended to be the One Desktop Box To Rule Them All, this would have been both a thoughtful and helpful inclusion to make navigating the Arche’s settings a little less cumbersome, and also to make the Arche more versatile as a preamplifier. With remotes now coming as standard with devices as affordable as the $129 Topping E30, this really does feel like an oversight – and depending on your use-case – it might be a deal-breaker. 

The Arche’s headphones stand really is a Triomphe (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) when it comes to making your desktop a more useful and better-looking space. It might seem quite obvious, but it really is an awesome space-saving solution and it does work rather well with headphones of all makes and models – not just Focal’s. I loved being able to have my headphones not only at arms-reach but also on display in my home workspace during my review time with the Arche. While it’s not exactly diminutive, net-net it did make for a less-cluttered and better-looking space. 

But here’s the problem when it comes to putting the Arche on your desktop – it has spiked-feet that are guaranteed to scratch it. Spiked-feet are nothing new in the HiFi world, but for a luxury-tilted consumer product aimed at desktops, this really is an oversight. Focal does include four tiny, rubber pads to seat underneath the Arche but there is no way of attaching them – while you’re trying to lift each side of the unit to slide them under, you’re bound to move the opposite one and slip a spike back onto the surface, thereby indenting or scratching it. And sure enough, I did. In the end, I had to resort to plonking the Arche unceremoniously on top of a pile of paper. 

Quibbles-aside, the Arche was otherwise dead-simple to operate as my main audio device on a day-to-day basis while working 8+ hours a day, and paired simply with both my Macbook Pro and Android phone as a USB DAC without the need for installing drivers. I simply set-up the Arche as the ‘Zone’ in Roon on my Macbook, and I was able to happily churn through hours of Tidal and local files each day without a hiccup. Tidal users must note that the Arche is not an MQA-compatible device – I won’t wade too far into that debate, but for me, this was certainly not problematic.

I’m somewhat dismayed by the omission of analogue-inputs in DAC/amp combos these days, and it’s one reason why I’ve not wanted to ‘upgrade’ my Questyle CMA600i to the newer CMA Twelve. Hooking-up the Arche to my ‘TAPE-OUT’ on my NAD 3020e meant that I was able to enjoy spinning LP’s and 45’s just as easily as digital files (apart from the whole flipping sides and dusting part) and enjoy all the other benefits of the Arche’s with a range of headphones. And enjoy I did, because the Arche sounds sensational. 

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