What Hi-Fi? has reviewed a string of premium integrated amplifiers recently, and the theme that runs through them all is the desire to pack as much as possible into that one box. It plays to the neatness and lack of clutter that forms the innate appeal of such designs. Phono stages have become standard inclusions, and it has become usual to find tone controls, headphone outputs and DAC modules specified too. Some have the option of streaming smarts built-in to provide an even neater system solution.
And then there is the Chord Ultima Integrated; a minimalist unit with just four line-level inputs and none of the trimmings. Has Chord Electronics got it wrong? We’re about to find out.
