All
Chord
Website:https://chordelectronics.co.uk/
Est. year: 1989
Chord Electronics is a British maker of digital converters and amplifiers founded in 1989 by John Franks, an electrical engineer who had worked on power supplies in the aviation industry. Within a year of its launch the company was supplying the BBC, followed by Abbey Road Studios and Skywalker Sound, though today it sells mainly to home listeners. Its main products are portable and desktop DACs with FPGA-based conversion, along with heavy machined amplifiers.
Range & what it's known for
The digital side runs from the portable Mojo and Hugo 2 through the Qutest desktop DAC and the Hugo TT 2 to the DAVE, which combines DAC, preamplifier and headphone amplifier in one case. Conversion is done in programmable FPGA chips running code written by Rob Watts, who has worked with Chord since 1996, instead of with an off-the-shelf DAC chip. On the analogue side the ULTIMA amplifiers, including the ULTIMA 2, 3, 5 and 6, use custom Exicon MOSFETs with a sliding-bias output stage. The original company idea was high-frequency switching power supplies, a technique Franks brought from aircraft work.
Who owns it and where it's made
Chord remains an independent British company led by its founder. Design and assembly take place at The Pumphouse, a riverside building in East Farleigh near Maidstone in Kent, where everything from the Mojo to the largest mono amplifiers is built. Each ULTIMA mono amplifier, weighing 86 kg, is assembled by hand over several days under one engineer, and casework is CNC-machined from solid aluminium.
The lineup in this catalog
DACs, headphone amplifiers and power amplifiers across several product categories. The portable converters sell from roughly GBP 500, while the DAVE costs well over GBP 10,000.
Who it's for
Digital conversion designed entirely in-house is the reason to choose Chord, whether on the move with headphones or in a full home system. A typical path starts with the Mojo or Qutest, moves to the Hugo TT 2 and ends at the DAVE, with ULTIMA power amplifiers available to complete a system from one maker. It also appeals to buyers who prefer compact metal cases built in one British factory.
Range & what it's known for
The digital side runs from the portable Mojo and Hugo 2 through the Qutest desktop DAC and the Hugo TT 2 to the DAVE, which combines DAC, preamplifier and headphone amplifier in one case. Conversion is done in programmable FPGA chips running code written by Rob Watts, who has worked with Chord since 1996, instead of with an off-the-shelf DAC chip. On the analogue side the ULTIMA amplifiers, including the ULTIMA 2, 3, 5 and 6, use custom Exicon MOSFETs with a sliding-bias output stage. The original company idea was high-frequency switching power supplies, a technique Franks brought from aircraft work.
Who owns it and where it's made
Chord remains an independent British company led by its founder. Design and assembly take place at The Pumphouse, a riverside building in East Farleigh near Maidstone in Kent, where everything from the Mojo to the largest mono amplifiers is built. Each ULTIMA mono amplifier, weighing 86 kg, is assembled by hand over several days under one engineer, and casework is CNC-machined from solid aluminium.
The lineup in this catalog
DACs, headphone amplifiers and power amplifiers across several product categories. The portable converters sell from roughly GBP 500, while the DAVE costs well over GBP 10,000.
Who it's for
Digital conversion designed entirely in-house is the reason to choose Chord, whether on the move with headphones or in a full home system. A typical path starts with the Mojo or Qutest, moves to the Hugo TT 2 and ends at the DAVE, with ULTIMA power amplifiers available to complete a system from one maker. It also appeals to buyers who prefer compact metal cases built in one British factory.
- All
- DACs
- Other devices
- Power amplifiers mono
- Power amplifiers stereo
- Integrated amplifiers
- Preamplifiers
- Phonostages
- Headphones amplifiers
