Hi All,
I have to say we are going through an embarrassment of riches at HiFi Lounge at the moment as 2020 has started with some awesome new kit on demo and there is still plenty more to come but I have to say having the new Chord Ultima 2 amplifiers on permanent demo is very special indeed as we are the only place to have them on demo in the UK at the moment, a real statement piece, but first I should apologize to Chord for using a rivals DAC with their amps at the moment, ideally I’d be using a DAVE + Scaler but mine are out on loan at the moment and as I was so keen to post the news about the new amps we had to go with what we had here, so sorry Chord, Dave will be back on the rack shortly.
Anyway back to the amps, firstly I was quite shocked at their size when I first opened the flight case, yes they come double stacked in a heavy duty flight case, that certainly makes a statement before you even start, I decided to go with the black side inserts rather than the more tradition Chord in-built leg design and I am really glad I did as I think they really do look epic like this, we then lifted them into place in their new home and fired them up, WOW and WOW again, Chord really know how to make a statement, they just look incredible, it dawned on me the other day that in the UK we really don’t do much in the way of Highend Audio, especially amplification, but Chord are certainly flying that flag proudly with their Ultima range.
It is nice to make a statement with your kit but in reality the only thing that matters is the sound quality and these new Ultima amps are a total redesign of Chord’s amplifier typology and I would say they have created something very special here as we have hooked them up to our PMC Fenestria’s, now these are a brilliant speaker but they really do appreciate an amp with plenty of current and I can honestly say that I have never heard them sound as good as they do with the Ultima’s driving them, they really do get hold of the speaker giving a really tight and controlled sound but they also have a delicacy and articulation that is quite captivating, when I first powered them up one evening I really did struggle to go home as I kept going from track to track, have to say Halo by Machine Head was mind blowing, for me they are an amp that can do everything from great insight with vocals to controlled powerful bass on rock which needs to be turned up to 11, awesome job Chord.
Now they do cost £18,000 each so they should be good but the good news is that Chord are now putting the Ultima Tech into 2 new stereo versions starting around £6k which is obviously a lot more attainable, anyway our new Ultima 2’s will be on permanent demo and always on ready for action so if you’d like a listen anytime please do pop in an be prepared to be impressed.
Please find a link below to the Chord Reference range on our website and a few pictures.
https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/chord-electronics/chord-electronics-reference/
Cheers,
Paul.
