![]() Our sources are the Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and a Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart/ Cyrus Phono Signature/PSX-R2 record playing combo. That said, it works well enough.Īmplification at this level demands a suitably talented system. We think it feels cheap and is disappointing for a product of this type. This is a fairly complex system remote, so has a whole lot of buttons owners may not use. Of course, most people will use the remote handset instead. It doesn’t help that both controls wobble notably too Chord should really look at tightening the tolerances in this respect. While we have no issue with selecting an input by pressing in the volume control, we have to say that the feel of both the volume and balance controls when we press them in is clunky and imprecise, and out of keeping with the well-engineered overall feel of both products. ![]() They look equally good in both the silver and black finish options. In short, these are expensive items and they certainly exude a luxury aura. Both units feel immensely well made with thick aluminium panels and a high standard of fit and finish. Make sure that anything you connect to this input has the means to control volume or you’ll probably be shopping for some speakers soon after. The AV input – another balanced XLR – bypasses the Pre 3’s volume control and feeds the full strength signal straight into the power amplifier. You toggle through the inputs by pushing in the volume control, while doing the same to the balance dial selects the AV input. On a conventional design you would expect the other control dial to be the input selector, right? But here, it is in fact the balance control. Initially, we find ourselves going back to the user manual to identify which of the five inputs is selected, but after a while it ceases to be an issue. It doesn’t end there, the Pre 3 preamp has an LED ring around the volume control to indicate the input chosen red for input 1, yellow for input 2 and so on. These glow green on initial power-up and then turn to blue once the units stabilise. Both units have large orbs in the centre of their front panels that are in fact, the power buttons. These wouldn’t be Chord products if there weren’t some sort of light show on offer, and we’re not disappointed. That’s largely down to the small electronic footprint of those unusual high frequency power supplies. ![]() Look past the bulk provided by the rather extravagant quartet of outboard aluminium cylinder legs (that support each unit) and you’ll see that both are surprisingly compact for products of their type. The brand claims the electronic design gives benefits across the board from very low distortion figures to wide ranging dynamics.Ĭhord has developed such a distinctive aesthetic over the years that this pairing couldn’t belong to any other manufacturer. Here it is used with sophisticated drive circuitry feeding no less than 32 proprietary MOSFET power devices to deliver that healthy output figure. The Ultima 6 power amplifier uses a clever dual feed-forward amplifier topology that has been implemented in all the company’s recent high-end power amplifier designs. There’s particular care taken over the way the input signal is buffered to reduce radio frequency interference and a great deal of attention given to maintaining its integrity as it flows through the audio circuitry. ![]() The preamp’s circuitry isn’t just a tweaked carry-over from the previous generation of Chord products, but rather takes a fresh look at the task and approaches it with all the technical advancements and experience gained over the company’s three decades-worth of manufacturing. Not only does the efficiency of such a power supply allow Chord to make more compact and physically lighter products, but the company also claims sonic advantages in terms of distortion, responsiveness and stability.īoth the Pre 3 and Ultima 6 use these kinds of power supplies, tailored for their specific requirements. One of the cornerstones of Chord’s electronic designs has always been the use of ultra-high frequency power supplies in its products, rather than the usual big transformer/large smoothing capacitor configuration used by most rivals. Take a look inside and the story changes. So far so relatively conventional for products of this type. ![]() Analogue inputs Balanced XLR x 2, stereo RCA x 3, stereo AV inputĪnalogue outputs Balanced XLR, stereo RCA ![]()
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