Chord Electronics ULTIMA 6
The ULTIMA 6 marries explosive dynamics and iron-fisted bass control with a silky, natural poise that keeps long sessions effortless. HIFI.DE highlights its stable, three-dimensional scale, while SoundStage Solo praises its vanishingly low noise and emotional insight. With 180W per channel, this is a seriously refined powerhouse for demanding speakers.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
96/100
Build Quality
96/100
Value for Money
86/100
Pros
Combines immense dynamic headroom and deep, forceful bass with smooth, organic musicality.
Exceptionally low noise floor reveals fine ambient detail, vocal nuance, and subtle instrumental textures.
Creates a broad, stable three-dimensional soundstage with precise, natural image placement.
Superb aircraft-grade aluminium construction is praised for its solidity, precision, and resonance-resistant casework.
Cons
The illuminated interior can be dimmed but not fully switched off.
Its substantial chassis may be difficult to accommodate in some equipment racks.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 96/100
Reviewers describe an unusually complete performance: exceptionally quiet and transparent, naturally expressive, physically authoritative, and spatially stable. Its combination of immense force with a smooth, soulful presentation is repeatedly singled out as a defining strength.
Transparency Resolution
95/100
SoundStage Solo heard a vanishingly low noise floor, with no audible hum or hiss, allowing inner musical nuances to emerge clearly. It also found the Ultima 6 among the leading amplifiers in its class for detail retrieval, transparency, and bandwidth, while HIFI.DE praised its open and richly differentiated handling of voices, cymbals, and saxophone.
Tonal Balance Musicality
96/100
HIFI.DE describes the amplifier as smoother, silkier, more organic, and exceptionally natural, with both scale and subtle musical sensitivity. SoundStage Solo likewise found it neutral, unfatiguing, and emotionally more communicative than earlier Chord designs, with beautifully rendered vocal timbre.
Dynamics
97/100
Dynamics are a major highlight. HIFI.DE reports enormous dynamic capability, almost unbelievable bass force, and ample reserve for large systems and violent transient bursts; SoundStage Solo found the amplifier capable of driving virtually any loudspeaker to extreme levels, with drum impacts that made the room's air physically jump.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
HIFI.DE heard an immediately three-dimensional stage that remained absolutely stable at any level, with precisely located but more lifelike and present images. SoundStage Solo similarly reported a broad stage extending beyond the speakers, alongside strong clarity and control.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
96/100
Construction receives emphatic praise. Hifi Statement calls the Ultima 6 extraordinarily well made, citing centimeter-thick aircraft-grade aluminum sections, substantial casework, carefully recessed fasteners, and a chassis intended to resist resonance; SoundStage Solo characterizes it as bank-vault solid. HIFI.DE also notes precise execution and excellent materials, while reporting that the amplifier barely gets warm in use.
Value for Money
86/100
At roughly €9,000, the Ultima 6 sits as the entry model in Chord's Ultima range and remains a substantial purchase. SoundStage Solo says it is highly recommended and places its technical and sonic abilities alongside leading amplifiers in its price class, but the reviews offer little direct comparison of value against specific rivals.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
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Specifications
- Output Power
- 180W RMS per channel into 8Ω 350W RMS per channel into 4Ω
- Power consumption
- Full power – 500 W Standby – 10 W
- THD
- 0.005%
- Frequency Response
- -1dB – 0.5Hz – 100kHz
- Gain
- 30dB
- Dimensions with included Integra Legs
- 18cm (H) x 48cm (W) x 36cm (D)
- Dimensions with optional Side Blocks
- 15cm (H) x 42cm (W) x 36cm (D)
- Weight
- 22.4kG
Manufacturer's Description — Chord Electronics
The ULTIMA 6 currently offers the most affordable way into our next-generation ULTIMA family of stereo power amplifiers. It builds upon its award-winning predecessor, the SPM 1050 MK II, adding our ground-breaking next-generation ULTIMA amplifier topology.
The new 180-watt model, which benefits from John Franks’ ground-breaking dual-feed-forward circuit delivers a lightning-fast response coupled with effortless power for astonishing dynamics and timing, delivering unrivalled fidelity.
30-years-in-the-making, our new dual-feed-forward topology offers breakthrough performance and is our first all-new circuit in three decades. ULTIMA amplifiers have been engineered for the very finest hi-fi systems; ULTIMA is the ultimate expression of the finest high-performance, ultra-fast, high-power amplifier technology available today.
The ULTIMA 6 has an incredible 16 proprietary MOSFET power devices which demand the most advanced and refined drive circuitry, featuring an ultra-low-distortion, high-voltage amplifier operating at very high speed: 300 volts per microsecond.
Our TO3-style dual-die lateral-matched MOSFETs are continuously monitored with output stage error-correction circuitry and feature fully balanced input circuitry with DC-tracking servos and full temperature compensation.
ULTIMA 6 shares the same DNA as the flagship and reference-level monos, yet benefits from greater practicality and affordability, due to a differing power output.
Our renowned aircraft-grade solid aluminium casework offers a reassuringly high-end and entirely non-resonant enclosure for the electronics and is presented with a redesigned 28-mm-thick fascia featuring John Franks’ latest aesthetic.
A recessed spherical polycarbonate power button illuminates for standby and operation modes and a discreet, hidden front panel switch, located in the vertical split line, enables dimmable lighting.
The amplifier’s rear panel contains both balanced and unbalanced connections, high-quality loudspeaker terminals, a 12 V trigger and a C-19-type IEC.
Other accessories & custom options
Argent silver Integra leg option
Jett black Integra leg option
Gloss black acrylic side block option (can not be stacked)
Inputs:
1x Stereo Pair of Gold Plated Balanced XLR Inputs
1x Stereo Pair of Gold Plated Unbalanced RCA Inputs
1x 12v Trigger Input – Chord Electronics Auto Start
Output:
1x Pair of High Quality, High Current, Gold Plated Type Speaker Terminals
Key Features
Class AB Sliding Bias
Dual feed-forward error correction
HF Switch Mode Power Supply
Proprietary Chord MOSFETs
Fully Balanced Circuitry
Convection Cooled
Balanced XLR Inputs
Unbalanced RCA Inputs
12v Trigger On/Off Input
Included Top Light Ring
Solid Aluminium Chassis
Included Accessories
ULTIMA 6 Quickstart guide
Safety instructions
15A Mains IEC cable
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Chord Electronics ULTIMA 6
- Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
- In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Designs Inc. — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acoustic Streams — in-store — Lower Drift, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
and 202 more verified dealers