I´ve come to appreciate the amazing time and effort you put into your reviews Terry. Ive tried to reach you for months for a custom DIRAC LIVE calibration. Greetings from Colombia!
Hi Juan, thank you very much for the kind comments, I decided a few months ago I was stopping offering the calibration service. I am swamped with work and its impossible to do everything and I really want to succeed on here which is getting harder all the time. This is a 7 days a week job, every week with the exception of this time of year. No-one realises how much work it is constantly and trying to find tome to even answer emails is tough. The calibrations were becoming difficult to fit in and I am not keeping up with all the latest hardware releases. I am not going to do it anymore and I am sorry you were trying to get hold of me
Outstanding as always Terry. I've always been fascinated by Chord's products & designs and I wish I could afford a Mojo2 let alone an Ultima. The sound characteristics you described are right in my wheelhouse so maybe some day (Winning the lottery) I'll be able to add an Ultima to my system. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Thank you for your review Terry. I have been saving up for years and I am about to order an Ultima 6 plus TT2 and M Scaler. So this as an alternative is very interesting.
I might be alone on this but I feel the Chord is the nicer looking (pleasing the eye) one compared to NAD or the Gryphon… and soundwise it seems to be my ally anyway Tx for great review
Thanks for your review, on point and interesting as always, and made excellently. I'd love to hear it in my system, but maybe that's a way down the line.. Aesthetics have always been a point of contention with chord products for some. I've been seriously into hi fi for 40 years and at this point I'm into anything that's NOT a featureless black box, why surround yourself with the dull and uninteresting? Musically I certainly appreciate their Dacs. I'm using a Hugo TT2 like yourself, and having only recently added the M scaler, I'm still scraping my jaw of the floor with the beauty and insight that combo achieves. In silver of course. My love affair with black boxes died long ago. I'm using a Mcintosh tube pre/ AB power combo (something else that looks straight from the TARDIS) to drive my Elysian 3 speakers, as I appreciate the slight romanticism and warmth this brings to the sound for me, but I'd love to be able to be in a position to try this unit and see how this would work. Incidentally Terry, we recently shared a few views on another of your videos regarding digital cables, with me very much being on the 'digits is digits' end of that debate. However, people I trust, like yourself, were clearly advising that differences can be heard, so I recently just replaced an ethernet cable with an 'audiophile' one expecting to send it back. But the differences are undeniable and clear to hear. I need to ignore my electronic engineering background and embrace the undoubted truth I hear and I thank you deeply for helping me discover that.
I love their DAC’s, but for their Amps are (IMHO) better and cheaper alternatives. I hope there will be a new line of DAC’s soon. Do you have any idea 💡? Anyhow, thanks for this honest review!
CHORD should make a new portable DAC/headphone amp incorporating the Mojo2, Poly and some Korg Nutubes. I'm available if they need input from the public. I love my Mojo.
In this video, you commented about having only a Balanced Input, and that you would ask for a second one. I saw a review of a passive preamp that connects the XLR Cold (3, hot 2, ground 1) to the ground point of the RCA. I've also made simulations about this, and it seems not to have difference in gain. Have you tried this? Connecting the hot to the RCA center and the cold to the shield? It also means to short-circuit 1-3. Or the vice-versa connecting an RCA to 2, 1-3. If you've tried this, how this could sound? By the way, anodized black is very unassuming... Thanks in advance, Alfredo
Terry, enjoyed the review. How would it compare to the Etude on sound quality basis? I would use with a Dave and Blu II so don’t need the preamp section. Curious on your preference based on use. Thanks
I would expect the entude to be similar but I don’t know I had the etude here a long time ago. It’s quite a bit less powerful and pre amps add something to the sound that dacs don’t always give you. When it’s big bucks at stake home demo and see
For half the price, you can get Benchmark separates - DAC/pre + power amp - which are basically top of the line in terms of measurements. Best deal IMO.
And some would say you can get Fosi or some Chi-fi that is half the price of the Benchmark and they measures well. I would never consider Chord a high value product but they seem prices appropriate. If I was spending that much probably save a little more for an Accuphase or pass labs.
You're right, you could buy other products for less money. And then end up with a lesser product. The rest of us understand that you can also spend more and get more. (Not sure how much time you've spent with the Benchmark. In my experience, it sounds like the sonic equivalent of a giant whale skeleton that's been left to bleach out under the sun for three quarters of a century.)
if it were as simple as measurements, then why would there be so much demand for other products? i own an LA4 myself, but i think dogmatism doesn’t take you far in this hobby
Hi Terry, thanks for the detailed review. I am considering Musical Fidelity's M8xI which is at around the some price point as the Chord. Could you give an opinion/comparison on these two please.
I had the NV here years ago when I first started - I would say its chalk and cheese presentations. The NV is about being pleasing and easy going to listen to with a good amount of power so plenty of drive. The Chord is more about clearing the music up so you can hear everything within with a lot of detail and clarity especially the mids and highs as I explained they are a little more emphasised but that could just be the clarity on offer.
Rarely have I heard something unseen and thought God that's good. One case in particular was in a pharmacy that had some music. The speakers back in late 70's were very small made by Klarion. Not Clarion , got me confused at the time. I don't like remotes , they get lost or break and the manufacturer spent money on the remote, reciever and controls. I believe the money could have been spent on the sound.
I think this was a great review but comparing things like this to “studio sound” is dangerous. For example most people who work in “studio sound” would agree something like Adam audio s3h’s are awesome studio monitors but a pair of those will run around the same as this amplifier and they are in effect, speakers, amps and dacs. To be clear I am not saying the Chord amplifier isn’t brilliant.
The words in the title are giving someone my as quick as possible inclination of how I see this amplifiers overall sonic characteristic - I didn't mention the words studio once in the review because I have no comparative reference for it but I talk about the nature of this amp and how its trying to go deep on detail and break the music layers and nuances down and present it all really clearly. That would be a studio sound one where there is a lot of clarity allowing it to be easier to work on the music. Thats the suggestion here, but again its only the title
Had a chord integrated a while back...think was very noisy and not anything special... It got sold obviously. I think Chord are way better at digital processing than Amplification. Also, i have a chord cd player with a chunky aluminum remote which broke so i opened it up...wanna guess what was inside? THE cheasiest, cheap as chips Chinese plastic remote.
If the amp was not an ULTIMA then it wouldn't sound like this one, the ULTIMA is a much nicer and better balanced sound I find compared to the older Chord amps so you cant judge this from that. If it was Ultima that is obviously different,
Adding my own two cents I think in my history as a Hi-Fi enthusiast I've found that a lot of British amplifiers sort of portray a sort of similar sound, that's not to say that they all sound alike but compared to a Japanese amp or an American amp or even European amplification, the sound is different. I've often found that they have sort of a lighter sound to them, sort of like the tonal mass or acoustic mass is lower on a British amp comparatively, and while that could be a negative I've often found from my perspective that it lends itself to greater mid-range Bloom and transparency. Course these are simply generalizations and obviously my own personal observations but yeah.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem True, but I'm one of those that like the Chord design aesthetics - so it looks lovely, to me. Thanks for a really comprehensive & balanced review, as always. Cheers Terry, and best wishes to you & yours from Japan. (ex-Scotland but 26 yrs. + living here...)
$8K🧐& very stylish unit, which is more than it’s substance🙈. At best it’s worth $4-$5K at best, find a hungry dealer & offer him 25% above his cost. Various aluminum extrusions are pieced together in an unusual form factor. There’s no serviceable fuse holder💩on the rear panel. Dust getting in it is a huge fault, a sealed cabinet is desired for an AB amp, using adequate heat sinks. (I love my Aavik Class D unit). I saw it’s bottom chassis is perforated sheet metal, another drawback of its price. Fancy lights are useless to serious audiophiles. The multifunctional knobs are questionable at best. The spkr posts are generic & poorly placed too close together. The limited inputs offered are a judgement call. A Pass Labs model would be a better choice overall😎.
I have had the price equivalent pass labs here it’s a super syrupy sound nice in ways with some speakers not others. The heat sink for this amp is on the rear so dust won’t be an issue
I once upset one of the Chord reps at a hifi show a few years ago. I said to him their products (DACs) look like something a child would play with. He wasn't impressed and replied "Well, we like it". This amp is another example of that look. Dripping with CNC aluminum jewelry and big colorful knobs and round lights with not much inside. This amp looks expensive on the outside but disappointing to listen to, which were the vibes I got from your review Terry and over priced like many high end hi-fi pieces. Also lack of inputs and versatility. You can get much, much more for your money than this!
Thought the same at first look. But then noticed the feet on rails. Look like they may function as isolation feet and electronics are in a separate case which would add to isolation. Also a large heat sink on the back.
Who designs the asthetic for Chord? A 5 year old? I can't take them seriously. Do they not realize that we have to look at most of these products sitting in our rooms? Ugly and childish looks. I have heard they perform very very well though.
Well I used to think the same. But the more you look at them the designs grow on you. You will notice that this is very unique design Chord offers in the market. Why would you settle for usual box top components? You should welcome the variety in this industry even it is not to your taste.
Nobody cares if you take them seriously. Only a child would think everybody likes what they like. They sell vast numbers of units to those of us who got bored with plain black boxes decades ago.. so it's certainly not hurting their sales.
Great review, Terry: 'The Chord really is fantastic...the ULTIMA ticks a lot of very important boxes...a package you really can't fault'. Love it!
I´ve come to appreciate the amazing time and effort you put into your reviews Terry. Ive tried to reach you for months for a custom DIRAC LIVE calibration. Greetings from Colombia!
Hi Juan, thank you very much for the kind comments, I decided a few months ago I was stopping offering the calibration service. I am swamped with work and its impossible to do everything and I really want to succeed on here which is getting harder all the time. This is a 7 days a week job, every week with the exception of this time of year. No-one realises how much work it is constantly and trying to find tome to even answer emails is tough. The calibrations were becoming difficult to fit in and I am not keeping up with all the latest hardware releases. I am not going to do it anymore and I am sorry you were trying to get hold of me
Outstanding as always Terry. I've always been fascinated by Chord's products & designs and I wish I could afford a Mojo2 let alone an Ultima. The sound characteristics you described are right in my wheelhouse so maybe some day (Winning the lottery) I'll be able to add an Ultima to my system. Thank you and keep up the great work.
It's worth considering second-hand for a Mojo 2 if you can.
cant wait to see the chord factory! thank you for this great review!!!
Thank you for your review Terry. I have been saving up for years and I am about to order an Ultima 6 plus TT2 and M Scaler. So this as an alternative is very interesting.
Great choice, sir.
I might be alone on this but I feel the Chord is the nicer looking (pleasing the eye) one compared to NAD or the Gryphon… and soundwise it seems to be my ally anyway
Tx for great review
Cool looking amp! Something unique. Too expensive for my tastes but cool
Great review once again.
Thanks for your review, on point and interesting as always, and made excellently. I'd love to hear it in my system, but maybe that's a way down the line..
Aesthetics have always been a point of contention with chord products for some. I've been seriously into hi fi for 40 years and at this point I'm into anything that's NOT a featureless black box, why surround yourself with the dull and uninteresting?
Musically I certainly appreciate their Dacs. I'm using a Hugo TT2 like yourself, and having only recently added the M scaler, I'm still scraping my jaw of the floor with the beauty and insight that combo achieves. In silver of course. My love affair with black boxes died long ago.
I'm using a Mcintosh tube pre/ AB power combo (something else that looks straight from the TARDIS) to drive my Elysian 3 speakers, as I appreciate the slight romanticism and warmth this brings to the sound for me, but I'd love to be able to be in a position to try this unit and see how this would work.
Incidentally Terry, we recently shared a few views on another of your videos regarding digital cables, with me very much being on the 'digits is digits' end of that debate. However, people I trust, like yourself, were clearly advising that differences can be heard, so I recently just replaced an ethernet cable with an 'audiophile' one expecting to send it back. But the differences are undeniable and clear to hear. I need to ignore my electronic engineering background and embrace the undoubted truth I hear and I thank you deeply for helping me discover that.
Great review. Will you try the Rotel P5/S5 amplifier combo? That one sounds amazing in demos.
I love their DAC’s, but for their Amps are (IMHO) better and cheaper alternatives. I hope there will be a new line of DAC’s soon. Do you have any idea 💡? Anyhow, thanks for this honest review!
There is a new M Scaler coming out soon so that will give you a new DAC essentially
@@PursuitPerfectSystemOh that’s good to hear 👂! Thanks 🙏
it looks like Homer Simpson's car design. Sure it will bring joy to your home, with all that different colours shinning...
Nice one. I have a mojo 2, (which I like incidentally) but that really made me chuckle.
Great review! Have you considered the Burmester integrated line up? I recently moved from a Naim stack to a Burmester 082 and it sounds sublime.
It would be the black finish all day long.
CHORD should make a new portable DAC/headphone amp incorporating the Mojo2, Poly and some Korg Nutubes. I'm available if they need input from the public. I love my Mojo.
Thank you Terry, that a nice looking Amp there.
In this video, you commented about having only a Balanced Input, and that you would ask for a second one. I saw a review of a passive preamp that connects the XLR Cold (3, hot 2, ground 1) to the ground point of the RCA. I've also made simulations about this, and it seems not to have difference in gain.
Have you tried this? Connecting the hot to the RCA center and the cold to the shield? It also means to short-circuit 1-3. Or the vice-versa connecting an RCA to 2, 1-3.
If you've tried this, how this could sound?
By the way, anodized black is very unassuming...
Thanks in advance, Alfredo
Connect XLR -ve and shield together and then the remaining +ve gives you an unbalanced 2 wires that are 'phono' compatible.
Tx for great review! How much of a loss is Hugo TT into Bertti vs Hugo TT into Ultima (the prior being more in reach)?
how this compare with the ultima 6? power amp only.
Terry, enjoyed the review. How would it compare to the Etude on sound quality basis? I would use with a Dave and Blu II so don’t need the preamp section. Curious on your preference based on use. Thanks
I would expect the entude to be similar but I don’t know I had the etude here a long time ago. It’s quite a bit less powerful and pre amps add something to the sound that dacs don’t always give you. When it’s big bucks at stake home demo and see
just a note from my experience, i found the Dave sounded better through a preamp then using its internal digital volume control.
For half the price, you can get Benchmark separates - DAC/pre + power amp - which are basically top of the line in terms of measurements. Best deal IMO.
Nad m23 is also top of line for measurements doesn’t mean it sounds better hence the reason for that comparison
And some would say you can get Fosi or some Chi-fi that is half the price of the Benchmark and they measures well. I would never consider Chord a high value product but they seem prices appropriate. If I was spending that much probably save a little more for an Accuphase or pass labs.
I go with measurements these days, I'd be happy with all the above and cheaper options too.
You're right, you could buy other products for less money. And then end up with a lesser product. The rest of us understand that you can also spend more and get more. (Not sure how much time you've spent with the Benchmark. In my experience, it sounds like the sonic equivalent of a giant whale skeleton that's been left to bleach out under the sun for three quarters of a century.)
if it were as simple as measurements, then why would there be so much demand for other products? i own an LA4 myself, but i think dogmatism doesn’t take you far in this hobby
Hi Terry, thanks for the detailed review. I am considering Musical Fidelity's M8xI which is at around the some price point as the Chord. Could you give an opinion/comparison on these two please.
I am really sorry I have not heard the MX8i, only the original Nu Vista 800
@@PursuitPerfectSystem how does it compare to the Nu Vista if you don't mind me asking?
I had the NV here years ago when I first started - I would say its chalk and cheese presentations. The NV is about being pleasing and easy going to listen to with a good amount of power so plenty of drive. The Chord is more about clearing the music up so you can hear everything within with a lot of detail and clarity especially the mids and highs as I explained they are a little more emphasised but that could just be the clarity on offer.
Some of that sound difference could be compensated for with the correct cable choices.
Possibly some of the same, but I am not sure on the overall difference, its pretty big
Rarely have I heard something unseen and thought God that's good. One case in particular was in a pharmacy that had some music. The speakers back in late 70's were very small made by Klarion. Not Clarion , got me confused at the time.
I don't like remotes , they get lost or break and the manufacturer spent money on the remote, reciever and controls. I believe the money could have been spent on the sound.
You don't need a balance control???
Is this a class D amplifier? If not how it differs?
No its Class AB
Chord is a colourful company .
But I'm colourblind and that's no joke.
I think this was a great review but comparing things like this to “studio sound” is dangerous. For example most people who work in “studio sound” would agree something like Adam audio s3h’s are awesome studio monitors but a pair of those will run around the same as this amplifier and they are in effect, speakers, amps and dacs.
To be clear I am not saying the Chord amplifier isn’t brilliant.
The words in the title are giving someone my as quick as possible inclination of how I see this amplifiers overall sonic characteristic - I didn't mention the words studio once in the review because I have no comparative reference for it but I talk about the nature of this amp and how its trying to go deep on detail and break the music layers and nuances down and present it all really clearly. That would be a studio sound one where there is a lot of clarity allowing it to be easier to work on the music. Thats the suggestion here, but again its only the title
$$$$$ says a lot.
Had a chord integrated a while back...think was very noisy and not anything special... It got sold obviously.
I think Chord are way better at digital processing than Amplification.
Also, i have a chord cd player with a chunky aluminum remote which broke so i opened it up...wanna guess what was inside?
THE cheasiest, cheap as chips Chinese plastic remote.
If the amp was not an ULTIMA then it wouldn't sound like this one, the ULTIMA is a much nicer and better balanced sound I find compared to the older Chord amps so you cant judge this from that. If it was Ultima that is obviously different,
Adding my own two cents I think in my history as a Hi-Fi enthusiast I've found that a lot of British amplifiers sort of portray a sort of similar sound, that's not to say that they all sound alike but compared to a Japanese amp or an American amp or even European amplification, the sound is different. I've often found that they have sort of a lighter sound to them, sort of like the tonal mass or acoustic mass is lower on a British amp comparatively, and while that could be a negative I've often found from my perspective that it lends itself to greater mid-range Bloom and transparency.
Course these are simply generalizations and obviously my own personal observations but yeah.
Find that their design aesthetic is a bit of a put-off for some hi-fi enthusiasts.... chalk/cheese, indeed.
Its certainly not a traditional plain black box
@@PursuitPerfectSystem True, but I'm one of those that like the Chord design aesthetics - so it looks lovely, to me.
Thanks for a really comprehensive & balanced review, as always. Cheers Terry, and best wishes to you & yours from Japan. (ex-Scotland but 26 yrs. + living here...)
$8K🧐& very stylish unit, which is more than it’s substance🙈. At best it’s worth $4-$5K at best, find a hungry dealer & offer him 25% above his cost. Various aluminum extrusions are pieced together in an unusual form factor. There’s no serviceable fuse holder💩on the rear panel. Dust getting in it is a huge fault, a sealed cabinet is desired for an AB amp, using adequate heat sinks. (I love my Aavik Class D unit). I saw it’s bottom chassis is perforated sheet metal, another drawback of its price. Fancy lights are useless to serious audiophiles. The multifunctional knobs are questionable at best. The spkr posts are generic & poorly placed too close together. The limited inputs offered are a judgement call. A Pass Labs model would be a better choice overall😎.
I have had the price equivalent pass labs here it’s a super syrupy sound nice in ways with some speakers not others. The heat sink for this amp is on the rear so dust won’t be an issue
I once upset one of the Chord reps at a hifi show a few years ago. I said to him their products (DACs) look like something a child would play with. He wasn't impressed and replied "Well, we like it". This amp is another example of that look. Dripping with CNC aluminum jewelry and big colorful knobs and round lights with not much inside. This amp looks expensive on the outside but disappointing to listen to, which were the vibes I got from your review Terry and over priced like many high end hi-fi pieces. Also lack of inputs and versatility. You can get much, much more for your money than this!
Too much dinero 💰💸
Looks like a case of form over function.
Thought the same at first look.
But then noticed the feet on rails. Look like they may function as isolation feet and electronics are in a separate case which would add to isolation. Also a large heat sink on the back.
once you get over 3k your really splitting hairs. the law of diminishing returns
3k puts you in a good place generally but there is no such thing as law diminishing returns it keeps getting much better
A hideously gaudy dust trap costing £9,000 and a waste of aluminium.
What happens if liquid enters from the top?
The same thing when liquid touches any circuit which is why you don’t have liquid over your amp haha
You would not have any liquid anywhere near your hifi system period. Haha
Who designs the asthetic for Chord? A 5 year old? I can't take them seriously. Do they not realize that we have to look at most of these products sitting in our rooms? Ugly and childish looks. I have heard they perform very very well though.
Well I used to think the same. But the more you look at them the designs grow on you. You will notice that this is very unique design Chord offers in the market. Why would you settle for usual box top components?
You should welcome the variety in this industry even it is not to your taste.
Nobody cares if you take them seriously. Only a child would think everybody likes what they like.
They sell vast numbers of units to those of us who got bored with plain black boxes decades ago.. so it's certainly not hurting their sales.