Welcome to the Extraordinary: The Chord Electronics Ultima Pre3 Preamplifier (and Ultima 5 Amplifier)
/Although not one of Aristotle's Seven Virtues (Trust, Compassion, Courage, Justice, Wisdom, Temperance and Hope. Not a bad list, as lists go), Patience has often been touted as a contender for inclusion in a list of desirable traits a young person would do well to cultivate. As French playwright, actor, and poet, Molière (also known as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) reminds us… “Trees that are slow to grow, bear the best fruit”.
That's all very well for Jean-Baptiste, but our Chord Electronics Ultima 5 Power Amplifier has been weeping gently for six months now, all alone, pining for a mate; those tears are now hot tears of joy. We are pleased to announce that the Ultima Pre3 has arrived - hurrah!
Not merely a pretty face…
It's a 'from-the-ground-up' new design packing the very latest East Farleigh technology, of which Chord Electronics are (somewhat self-effacingly) proud.
An all analogue design, the Ultima Pre3 features two balanced XLR & three unbalanced RCA phono inputs, an XLR A/V input plus XLR & RCA variable outputs for a power amplifier.
There is no tape loop, no phono stage, no Bluetooth connectivity nor any digital inputs, nothing to get in the way of reproducing the very best analogue audio possible. It does have a very useful 5V USB-A socket on the rear panel, so you can power portable devices such as the Chord's own Mojo 2 & Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amplifiers. It is worth noting that it is not recommended you use it to charge your mobile phone though!
As you can probably tell from the images (diolch Nic!) the Pre3 is beautifully engineered, with rock-solid build quality, and it is a joy to look at and use…
"Yes, yes, but what does it sound like?" Well....
Chord Electronics' electronics have always done certain things very well; timbre, timing, textures and space. The Pre3 and 5 Power are no exception, now adding weight and scale to their list of virtues (See what I did there).
Thrilling without being tiring, detailed without appearing hard, solid whilst not overwhelming the listener, this is very, very good indeed. Turn up the volume and it doesn’t appear to become louder, just bigger as it moves you closer to the artist, until you realise it’s very loud indeed and maybe it would be prudent to back it off - just a touch.
Playing Hans Theessink's "Blues Stay Away From Me", it's obvious this track is a duet, the accompanying vox appearing behind and above Hans' melody. On a lesser system, you don't hear anything but Hans, solo (I'm not even sorry).
Mario Biondi's cut of "This Is What You Are" has a very subtle tempo change on the cymbal after the first verse. Most systems miss it – the Pre3 and 5 Power do not. Also it sounds as if the percussionist is playing actual tom-toms, rather than yoghurt pots.
"Maybe In Another Life" by Caitlin Smith is beautifully rendered, a fabulous production, full, lush and solid – one can even pick out she uses a hard plectrum on this track, rather than her fingernails.
Finally, the 'Live in Japan' Eddi Reader performance of "Hallelujah" is heartbreaking and emotional, we defy you to not have a thickening to your throat and a tear in your eye while listening to it…
But why take our word for it? Come and join us for a listen.
Thank you for reading.
Ade, Andy & Nic - Audio T Swansea
If you would like to book a demonstration, call on 01792 474608 or Email us at swansea@audio-t.co.uk we look forward to seeing you.
If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.
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