Chord Electronics ULTIMA INTEGRATED
Commanding yet inviting, the ULTIMA INTEGRATED combines silky vocal realism, tight bass control and an expansive, low-noise soundstage. Its 125W Class A/B engine delivers fast transients and muscular drive without sacrificing warmth, while the beautifully machined all-analogue chassis keeps the focus firmly on the music. The Ear found its timing, detail and holographic imaging especially compelling.
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
94/100
Features Connectivity
86/100
Value for Money
91/100
Pros
Exceptionally controlled, detailed and spacious presentation, with stable imaging even in dense recordings.
Warm, lifelike midrange and vocals combine with deep, articulate, tightly controlled bass.
Premium aircraft-grade aluminium construction and distinctive, meticulously finished industrial design.
Cons
Purist analogue specification omits a DAC, phono stage and headphone output, leaving it less comprehensively equipped than many rivals.
Careful system matching is important, as some reviewers found the sound can lean thin and less forceful in large dynamic contrasts with unsuitable partners.
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
Reviewers consistently describe a lucid, controlled and musically involving presentation that combines high resolution with a welcome degree of body and warmth. Its strengths are rhythmic drive, low-level detail, stable imaging and unusually assured bass control, though careful system matching is advisable as some listeners found it can sound lean or thin with unsuitable partners.
Transparency Resolution
94/100
The Ear praises its exceptionally low noise floor, astonishing detail and clarity with complex recordings, while SoundStage Solo heard abundant organic detail presented without overload. What Hi-Fi? similarly highlights agility, precision and the ability to separate interplaying instrumental lines, although it notes that poor partnering can make the balance sound thin.
Tonal Balance Musicality
92/100
Many reviewers hear a compelling blend of natural clarity and musical richness: HiFi News notes warmth without loss of fine detail, and HiFi Huff calls the midrange silky, full-bodied and seductive. The tonal character is not universally lush, however; What Hi-Fi? finds articulation takes precedence over richness and authority, and several reviewers advise matching speakers and sources with care.
Dynamics
93/100
Dynamics, pace and control are recurring highlights. The Ear says it approaches recent pre/power combinations for bass drive, timing and control, while SoundStage Solo reports thunderous large-scale dynamics alongside strong microdynamic expression. What Hi-Fi? finds it exceptionally fluid and agile, but says conventional rivals can produce weightier large dynamic contrasts.
Soundstage Imaging
93/100
Reviewers repeatedly report a spacious, organized and highly stable stereo picture. The Ear describes a vast, detailed and holographic stage with impressive depth, while What Hi-Fi? found instruments securely placed even in dense orchestral material. SoundStage Solo heard particularly deep staging and a dark, uncluttered backdrop, though width remained within the speaker boundaries in that system.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
94/100
The ULTIMA INTEGRATED receives emphatic praise for its precision-machined aircraft-grade aluminium casework, thick front panel and substantial, carefully finished controls. Hi-fi+ says it exudes quality in handling, StereoNET calls the construction immediately impressive, and SoundStage Solo simply characterizes the build as top-notch.
Features Connectivity
86/100
This is an intentionally focused all-analogue integrated amplifier, with three RCA line inputs, one balanced XLR input, balanced pre-outs, a balanced AV-bypass input, remote control and 12V triggering. The pre-out and AV bypass add useful flexibility for bi-amping or home-cinema integration, but there is no DAC, phono stage, headphone output or streaming provision; reviewers describe the connection set as sufficient rather than expansive.
Value for Money
91/100
At £8,500 / approximately $11,250, this is a serious premium purchase, but reviewers generally find the asking price well supported by its performance and construction. The Ear calls Chord's decision to pursue the best amplifier possible at £8,500 well judged, StereoNET considers it fine value despite the cost, and HiFi Huff regards it as priced appropriately for its sound, build and distinctive design.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Specifications
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz-200 kHz +/- 3 dB
- THD
- 0.01 % 20 Hz-20 kHz
- Signal-to-noise ratio
- 90 dB on all inputs
- Input impedance
- 100 kΩ
- Input maximum voltage
- 3 V RMS
- Output maximum voltage
- 35 V RMS
- Gain
- 21dB
- Channel separation
- 100 dB
- Operation voltage
- 80-250 V AC auto-switching
- Power output
- 125 W into 8Ω
- Power consumption
- 200 W
- Dimensions with included Integra legs
- 13 cm(H) x 48 cm(W) x 38 cm(D)
- Dimensions with optional side blocks (can not be stacked)
- 11 cm(H) x 43 cm(W) x 38 cm (D)
- Weight
- 14.75 kg
Manufacturer's Description — Chord Electronics
The ULTIMA INTEGRATED is a class-leading 125-watt integrated amplifier benefitting from the latest dual-feed-forward error-correction topology, Chord Electronics’ legendary proprietary ultra-high-frequency power supplies, plus an unmistakable industrial aesthetic.
Designed by Chord Electronics’ founder, owner and chief engineer, John Franks, the advanced ULTIMA circuit monitors and immediately corrects audio signals before the output stage, for astonishing signal accuracy from a one-box integrated device.
The ULTIMA INTEGRATED also takes advantage of the very latest developments in advanced low-distortion power supplies – devices offering exceptionally low noise and outstanding amplifier operation – for even greater fidelity.
A four-input design, one fully balanced and three unbalanced, all enjoy individual buffering and are selectively filtered against potential ingress from radio frequency interference; selection switching is via microprocessor-controlled sealed relays.
The ULTIMA INTEGRATED is the first new Chord Electronics integrated amplifier for seven years and remains the sole full-width integrated model in the range.
All metalwork is precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium, including Chord Electronics’ iconic Integra Legs. The fascia sports a 28-mm-thick front panel with a perfectly symmetrical aesthetic, centered around a spherical power on/off control with polychromatic lighting, flanked by illuminated volume and balance controls.
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 balanced XLR inputs, 3x stereo unbalanced RCA
Outputs: 1x stereo XLR
1x stereo balanced XLR AV bypass input
1 x 12 V trigger output/input
Key Features
All-new design
Dual feed-forward error correction
AV bypass
Proprietary MOSFET
HF Switch mode power supply
Fully Balanced Circuitry
Included Top Light Ring
Solid Aluminium Chassis
Included Accessories
ULTIMA INTEGRATED Quickstart guide
Safety instructions
10A Mains IEC cable
IR system remote control
2x AAA batteries
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
Zoom out the map to see more dealers
Authorized dealers for Chord Electronics ULTIMA INTEGRATED
- 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