What it is
Chord Electronics flagship reference preamp; designed and built Maidstone, Kent. Distinctive chassis styling. ULTIMA range was Chord's 30th anniversary launch (~2020).
I/O is exceptional: 4 XLR + 4 RCA inputs, both XLR + RCA outputs. AV bypass available. Two tape loops on RCA. Headphone amp. Three system-trigger outputs.
-130dB noise floor is best-in-class. Switch-mode PSU rather than linear — Chord argues this gives better noise performance than traditional linear designs at the high end.
Who it comes up against
10 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 keeps the slot clearly.
With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.
A-wtd S/N 96.6dBHi-Fi News Lab (Miller), 2020
A-wtd S/N 96.6dBHi-Fi News Lab (Miller), 2020
8 lost· 1 won · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Anchored brief, the Audiolab 9000Q keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the preamplifier position.
see-through clarity and comprehensive tightening-upHi-Fi News, Miller, 2020
8 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference
Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50SA MKII keeps the slot clearly.
With the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair), the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
A-wtd S/N 96.6dBHi-Fi News Lab (Miller), 2020
A-wtd S/N 96.6dBHi-Fi News Lab (Miller), 2020
4 lost · Cavity-Native, Characterful, Romantic
Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Leema Neutron keeps the slot decisively.
With the Leema Hydra II, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Rega Aura Reference MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Leema Hydra II gives up vocal presence under the Cavity-Native weighting.
A-wtd S/N 96.6dBHi-Fi News Lab (Miller), 2020
see-through clarity and comprehensive tightening-upHi-Fi News, Miller, 2020
2 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line) keeps the slot decisively.
With the EAR Yoshino 890, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Rega Aura Reference MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the EAR Yoshino 890 gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.
868L line preamp, Tim de Paravicini valve designEAR Yoshino 868L + multi-decade Stereophile heritage
2 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier keeps the slot clearly.
With the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units), the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units) gives up vocal presence under the Artisan weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the preamplifier position.
see-through clarity and comprehensive tightening-upHi-Fi News, Miller, 2020
1 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the Audio Note M2 Phono keeps the slot clearly.
With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Chord ULTIMA PRE 2 is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the preamplifier position.
Audio Note pre with onboard phono, classic SET-friendly voicingAudio Note M2 Phono + Stereophile heritage