Flagship ULTIMA PRE 2 Strikes A Chord

Chord Electronics has launched its second ULTIMA preamp following the introduction of the flagship model in 2018, which will debut at the Bristol Hifi Show.

The new ULTIMA PRE 2 is the perfect accompaniment to the ULTIMA 2 and ULTIMA 3 mono power amplifiers, which benefit from the company’s adual-feed-forward error-correction circuitry.

The new launch directly replaces its predecessor, the CPA 5000, and uses the company’s new aesthetic, which benefits from a redesigned bolt-less fascia, featuring a 28mm-thick aircraft-grade aluminium front panel. 

Forming part of the company’s flagship Reference range, the new ULTIMA PRE 2 benefits from a substantially larger chassis than the company’s standard preamps and features an ultra-high-frequency power supply and ultra-low-noise circuitry, delivering a noise floor performance of below -130dB.

The new ULTIMA PRE 2 offers four pairs of fully balanced inputs, four pairs of unbalanced inputs, plus two completely independent record loops. Each input has six levels of gain which can be individually selected to prevent large changes in volume when switching between inputs; all settings are microprocessor-stored, even when the power is removed. 

For late-night and personal listening, the ULTIMA PRE 2 also includes two low-distortion low-noise fascia-mounted 6.35mm (¼-inch) headphone outputs, designed to exploit the full potential of today’s high-quality headphones.

Fully balanced A/V bypass circuitry for direct connections to A/V processors is also included, plus 12 V remote triggering outputs at the rear of the unit, to activate compatible power amplifiers or A/V processors on power-up. 

Chord Electronics’ aircraft-grade aluminium casework, available in Jett Black or Argent Silver finishes, offers a non-resonant enclosure for the electronics. The casework is complemented by a stackable Integra Leg system (Jett Black, Argent Silver or Nickel finishes) which offers the ability to stack various other full-size Chord Electronics products, plus the Choral range units (when used with the Choral stand system). A highly polished black acrylic side-block option is also offered as a no-cost alternative to the Integra Legs. 

ULTIMA PRE 2 is priced at £12,500 and is available to order now.