Chord Electronics Alto

Since its debut, demand from customers, dealers, and the wider audiophile community for a public release has been overwhelming. Alto is now available to purchase from our authorised dealers.

The Alto is a meticulously engineered headphone and nearfield monitor amplifier, designed to drive up to four pairs of headphones as well as compact loudspeakers. Significantly, it is our first product to feature a 4.4mm Pentaconn TRRRS output (pseudo-balanced), catering to the growing preference for balanced transmission in high-end headphones.

The Alto is equipped with four fascia-mounted headphone outputs, powered by ULTIMA technology. These include a 3.5mm output, two 6.35mm (¼-inch) outputs, and a single 4.4mm Pentaconn. This versatile selection not only facilitates effortless A/B comparisons but also enables multiple users to listen simultaneously.
For loudspeakers, the Alto delivers 25 watts into 8 ohms (50 watts into 4 ohms), with the transparency, speed, and low distortion for which the ULTIMA amplifier topology is renowned. Stereo banana plug outputs on the rear panel accommodate all but the largest loudspeaker connectors.

At its core, the Alto’s ULTIMA topology incorporates our advanced dual-feed-forward error-correction technology, which continuously monitors and instantaneously corrects signals before they reach the output stage.

Compact yet powerful, the Alto is slightly larger than A5 in size, making it easy to integrate into any audio system, from desktop set-ups to dedicated hi-fi systems and living spaces.

• 50 W into 4 Ω Bookshelf speaker amplifier
• Desktop size
• XLR through or signal passthrough
• Trickle down ULTIMA tech
• Dual feed-forward error correction
• Fully balanced system
• HF Switch mode power supply

Inputs:
1 x set of XLR inputs
1 x set of RCA inputs
Outputs:
4x headphone outputs (1×3.5mm, 1x 4.4mm balanced jack*, 2×1/4”) *pseudo balanced as the amplifier itself is not a balanced design
1 x pair of banana sockets for speakers
1 x pair of XLR for additional volume control or signal passthrough
1 x 12V DC Jack output for use with other products.