Chord Electronics has made its Alto headphone and nearfield monitor amplifier accessible to the public, after the product was previously reserved for the pro audio industry.
Introduced at the NAMM Show in California this January as part of the Chord Electronics Pro range, the Alto was designed for recording studio engineers. Chord Electronics has now fulfilled the demand for a public release of the product from customers and dealers alike.
The compact analogue amplifier delivers high-transparency, ULTIMA amplification to loudspeakers and headphones. With compact dimensions, portability and a remote control, the Alto can be used between studios and production facilities. It drives up to four pairs of headphones and smaller loudspeakers, marking the first Chord Electronics product to include a 4.4mm Pentaconn TRRRS output for balanced transmission in headphones.
The Alto features 4 fascia-mounted headphone outputs, powered by founder John Franks’ ULTIMA technology. These range from one 3.5 mm output to two 6.35 mm and a single 4.4 mm Pentaconn. These options facilitate A/B comparisons and multiple user listening.
For loudspeakers, the Alto delivers 25 watts into 8 ohms with transparency, speed and low distortion delivered by the ULTIMA amplifier topology. This is the company’s dual-feed-forward error-correction technology, monitoring and then immediately correcting signals before the output stage.
Commenting on the Alto, Franks said: “The new Alto offers levels of performance not yet seen in any headphone/nearfield-monitor amplifier.
“It features our advanced ULTIMA circuit topology to give this new amplifier the high-energy power levels and fast transient power that Chord Electronics’ products are known for.”
