Chord Electronics Alto Headphone Amplifier

IMPORTANT: Due to contractual limitations imposed by Chord Electronics, Audio Sanctuary are currently unable to ship this product outside of the UK. Please contact us for more information.

The new Alto professional headphone and speaker amplifier distils 35 years of Chord Electronics amplifier manufacturing history into a highly transparent compact unit.

Containing ULTIMA technology, the Chord Alto is the most versatile amplifier available to the professional market.

Since its debut, the demand from customers, dealers, and the audiophile community for a public release has been overwhelming. Hence, the Chord Electronics Alto is now available to buy from hi-fi dealers.

Alto is a meticulously-designed headphone and near-field monitor amplifier, capable of driving up to four pairs of headphones and smaller loudspeakers.

Notably, it marks the first Chord product to include a 4.4 mm Pentaconn TRRRS output (pseudo balanced), catering to the increasing popularity of balanced transmission in high-end headphones.

The Alto features four fascia-mounted headphone outputs, powered by ULTIMA technology. It features one 3.5 mm output; two 6.35 mm (1/4-inch); plus a single 4.4 mm Pentaconn. The array of outputs, not only facilitates easy A/B comparisons, but also allows multiple users to listen simultaneously.

For loudspeakers, the Alto delivers 25 watts into 8 ohms (50 watts into 4 ohms), with the transparency, speed and low distortion for which ULTIMA amplifier topology is renowned. Stereo banana plug outputs are provided on the rear panel, accommodating all but the largest loudspeaker plugs.

The Alto’s ULTIMA topology introduces the company’s dual-feed-forward error-correction technology, which monitors and then immediately corrects signals before the output stage.

Compact yet powerful, the Alto’s dimensions — slightly larger than A5 — make it easy to place in any audio system, including desktop set-ups, living spaces and dedicated hi-fi systems.

Features

• Premium Quality Pro Audio Headphone Amplifier
• 50 W into 4 Ohms Bookshelf Speaker Near-Field Amplifier
• Desktop Size
• Trickle-Down ULTIMA Technology
• Fully Balanced System
• HF Switch Mode Power Supply
• XLR / Signal Passthough

Specifications

• Inputs: 1 x Stereo XLR / 1 x Stereo RCA
• Outputs:
• 4 x headphone outputs (1 × 3.5 mm / 1 x 4.4 mm pseudo-balanced / 2 × 6.3 mm)
• 1 x pair of banana sockets for speakers.
• 1 x pair of XLR for additional volume control or signal passthrough.
• 1 x 12 V DC Jack output for use with other products.
• Output Power (Speakers): 50 W into 4 Ohms
• Output Power (Headphones): 2250 mW into 100 Ohms
• THD (Speakers): 0.003 % into 4 Ohms
• THD (Headphones): 0.001 % into 100 Ohms
• SNR: 120 dB
• Frequency Response: 6 Hz – 60 kHz
• Input Max Voltage: 6 V RMS
• Crosstalk: -95 dB
• Output Max Voltage: 15 V RMS into 8 Ohms
• Operation Voltage: 80-250 V AC auto-switching
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 215 x 200 x 57 mm
• Net Weight: 1.95 kg

Included

• 1 x Alto Headphone Amplifier
• 1 x Power Cord
• 1 x Documentation

More Information

• Alto Professional Headphone Amplifier, by Chord Electronics