First reviews of an inaugural integrated amp in Chord Electronics' ULTIMA line are starting to appear. Stereonet UK (Scott Frankland) and Hi-Fi Statement Germany (Wolfgang Kemper) where the first, to our knowledge, to publish an in-depth review of the Ultima Integrated.
This amp hosts so many original technologies, developed in-house, so just its technical description is a must-read for anyone interested in electronics. The journalists gladly took the opportunity, and, we gather, with a little help from Chord personnel, managed to deliver a thorough description, albeit broadly similar in both reviews. The Hi-Fi Statement writer also describes the functionality and user experience of the amp and that came out with much more personal touch.
But the main proof of the amplifier credibility is the sound. And there the reviewers spared no effort to prepare the music tests and excelled at the task of conveying their experience to the readers.
We encourage you to read both reviews in their entirety, both are available online. Links: Stereonet UK, Hi-Fi Statement (in German). There is also a PDF file available to download here with an English translation for Hi-Fi Statement review..
On the other hand we would also like to quote a few paragraphs so you know what the experts think about how Ultima Integrated is delivering music in a home audio system.
Stereonet says:
Overall then, this amplifier offers exceptional performance and is surprisingly even-handed with it – no musical genre gets preferential treatment. Whatever I threw at it, it took in its stride – from the hard rock of John Mellencamp to the smooth jazz of Fourplay. It sounds powerful, poised, articulate and dynamic, reveals all the layers of a recording, and gels beautifully together into a coherent whole.
The beautifully built and finished Chord Electronics Ultima Integrated amplifier is not inexpensive but still represents fine value for money. At this price, it is, of course, up against stiff competition, but I still came away quite beguiled by it. During my time reviewing it, I grew to like the Ultima Integrated a lot, and I can say with confidence that if you are in the market for a high-end integrated amplifier, you'd be foolish not to have it on your shortlist. It really is an essential audition.
As a quick result of the review Stereonet presented the Ultima Integrated with their APPLAUSE Award, which are are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price — who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level — after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
Hi-Fi Statement mentions:
One ability that is clearly audible is its velocity, which simultaneously draws the music with sensitive accuracy and yet with an impressive wealth of tonal colours.
The Chord Ultima seems to extract every last ounce of information from the music file - at any rate, I have never experienced such an abundance of tonal colours and fine dynamic evolvement here.
Such transient speed, the astonishing wealth of nuances, this sharpness of contour with spatial order and depth as well as the wonderfully authentic sound colours would be very difficult to find elsewhere in this price range.
Price, specifications and other useful information can be found in our Store: Chord Electronics ULTIMA Integrated.
