Power amplifier
above typical
Among the 25 power amplifiers in the catalogue, this one is above typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
NO BRIDGE MODE. Chord monoblock approach is the dedicated ULTIMA 2/3 pair instead.
I/O: accepts both RCA and XLR — Chord ULTIMA range is universally flexible on input topology.
Assessed against 14 rivals across the sixty systems: 3 head-to-heads won, 44 lost.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
13 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
4 lost · Cavity-Native, Characterful, Romantic
Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Leema Hydra II keeps the slot clearly.
With the Leema Neutron, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
4 lost · Characterful, PRaT, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Characterful brief, the Audiolab 9000P keeps the slot decisively.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the power amplifier position.
4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the NVA S300 Stereo (Artisan) keeps the slot clearly.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the ProAc Tablette 10 Signature, the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the stronger power amplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the NVA P50SA MKII gives up vocal presence under the Intimate weighting.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
3 lost · Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
3 lost · Intimate, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Audio Note P1 SE keeps the slot by a whisker.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
SET 8W/ch tube power amp, classic Audio Note voicingAudio Note P1 SE positioning + Hi-Fi+ reviews
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
3 lost · BBC Sound, Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
3 lost · Artisan, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot clearly.
With the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
2 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 890 keeps the slot decisively.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
1 lost· 3 won · BBC Sound, Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Chord ULTIMA 6 takes the slot clearly.
1 lost · Anchored
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
1 lost · Twin Arms
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · BBC Sound
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Quad Artera Stereo keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA 6 is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the power amplifier position.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forward Chord Ultima 6 stereo positioning· Bass control
startling levels of punch and attack What Hi-Fi? 2022 (Pre3+Ultima6 combo)· Transient attack
lows punchy, powerful and immensely taut What Hi-Fi? 2022 (combo)· Bass control
class-leading composure What Hi-Fi? 2022 (combo)· Dynamic coherence
neutral and even-handed... natural warmth What Hi-Fi? 2022 (combo)· Tonal body
| is monoblock | False |
|---|---|
| is balanced internal | True |
| power class | AB |
| power 8ohm w | 180.0 |
| power 4ohm w | 360.0 |
| damping factor | 180.0 |
| accepts rca | True |
| accepts xlr | True |
| accepts din | False |
| input impedance rca kohm | 100.0 |
| input sensitivity rca mv | 1000.0 |
| speaker terminal type | binding post |
| gain db | 25.0 |
| sold as pair | False |
| notes |