Chord Electronics is a British manufacturer well known to audiophiles. At the recent Bristol 2023 show, it presented a new integrated amplifier, the Chord Ultima, which incorporates the latest technology developed by owner-founder John Franks when he designed the Ultima series some 5 or 6 years ago.
The Ultima integrated amplifier delivers 125 W per channel. It features the latest error-correction topology and the brand’s legendary dual ultra-high-frequency switching power supply. Chief engineer John Franks‘ Ultima technology consists of a circuit that immediately monitors and corrects audio signals before they reach the output stage.
The Ultima has four inputs, one of which is fully balanced on XLR connectors and three of which are unbalanced on RCA connectors. All these inputs are individually buffered and selectively filtered against radio frequency interference. The inputs are switched by sealed relays controlled by a microprocessor. Chord‘s Ultima integrated amplifier remains a purely analogue amplifier, however, as it has no digital inputs. In this respect, the Chord Electronics catalogue is already well stocked with five DAC models with
All the case work is precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium and features Chord‘s iconic Integra-style legs. The front panel is 28 mm thick and its perfectly symmetrical aesthetic is centred around a spherical, multi-colour backlit on / off control. On either side of this control are backlit volume and balance controls.
Excluding the Anni from the compact Qutest range, Chord‘s Ultima is the first new high-end integrated amplifier in at least 7 years. For the moment, it remains the only model of its kind in the catalogue. At the time of writing, it should be available from all the brand’s authorised dealers at a retail price of around $15,500 CDN.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/fr/
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