As with all Chord Electronics products, their avionics heritage inspires only the highest quality: all of their products are made here in the UK and all start life as a single billet of aircraft-grade aluminium. This is just one of the hundreds of processes that help shape Chord Electronics multi-award-winning devices; the same standards, care and attention run through the production of all of their units. When you place an order for a device in the Table Top range and above, your purchase is assigned to a Chord engineer who will begin the process of curating each individual component before carefully crafting the unit to the highest standards. Only once it has passed numerous measured and listening tests, will it qualify for a Chord Electronics name badge. The fully modernised Chord Electronics ULTIMA PRE 2 is built to complement stereo systems of the highest order and represents the finest Chord Electronics engineering inside and out. Just as a preamplifier should, the ULTIMA PRE 2 adds nothing to the original waveform and instead preserves it with zero colouration. This is thanks to our latest advances in switch-mode power supply design, developed from aerospace technologies, and our ultra-low-noise proprietary solid-state circuitry which is both carefully shielded and equipped with premium system components. As a result, the ULTIMA PRE 2 is able to achieve unprecedented noise floor performance of -130dB, meaning your source will always sound like your source and nothing else. Where connectivity is concerned, the ULTIMA PRE 2 has hi-fi systems (and more!) covered. Featuring eight inputs, four stereo pairs of XLRs for balanced connections and another four RCA for unbalanced connections, each of these can be gain-matched and individually selected. For outputs, a single stereo pair is available via XLR or RCA, to accommodate a single stereo amplifier such as the ULTIMA 5 or a pair of mono blocks such as the ULTIMA 3s. Naturally, headphone users are catered for, too, for personal and late-night listening with the addition of a high-resolution 6.35mm output on the front fascia. Where system-triggering is important, (allowing the simultaneous start-up of connected equipment from a single button-press), the ULTIMA PRE 2 is equipped with three outputs which should be more than enough for most systems. Specifications Inputs & Outputs: 8 Stereo Inputs and 1 Stereo Output 4x Stereo Balanced XLR Inputs – Line In 1, Line In 2, Line In 3, and Line In 4 4x Stereo Unbalanced RCA Inputs – Line In 5, Line In 6, Tape 1, Tape 2 1x Stereo Output – Either via Balanced XLR or Unbalanced RCA 2x Stereo Outputs – RCA unattenuated for recording loop 1x Stereo Balanced XLR AV Bypass Input Frequency Range: 2.5Hz – 200kHz ±3dB Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.002% 20Hz – 20kHz Intermodulation Distortion: -115dB on all inputs Signal to Noise Ratio: -120dB on all inputs Channel Separation: 20Hz @ 100dB, 1kHz @ 95dB, 10kHz @ 90dB, 20kHz @ 85dB Channel Balance: 0.01dB Input Max Voltage: 17v RMS Balanced – 8.5v RMS Unbalanced Output Max Voltage: 17v RMS Balanced – 8.5v RMS Unbalanced Output Offset: 0mV (Both Channels) Potentiometer Performance: 0dB 0.5dB, -20dB 0.2dB, -60dB 0.24dB (13 seconds Full Travel) Nominal Gain: All inputs subject to six levels of switchable gain – x0.5, x1, x1.5, x2, x2.5, and x3 Input Impedance: 100 kΩ Balanced – 50 kΩ Unbalanced Output Impedance: 100Ω (Short Circuit Protected) Operating Voltage: 85v – 270v AC (50Hz – 60Hz) Auto Switching Power Consumption: 30w Dimensions Without Integra Legs: 420mm (w) x 355mm (d) x 133mm (h) Dimensions With Included Integra Legs: 480mm (w) x 355mm (d) x 173mm (h) Weight: 18kg
