Chord Electronics - ALTO - Professional Headphone and Speaker Amplifier

Available from April 2025. A compact yet powerful headphone and speaker amplifier, originally launched for professional studios and now available for home audio set-ups. 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.

Once the preserve of top studios and mastering facilities, the new Alto headphone &  loudspeaker amplifier is now available to everyone!

• ULTIMA tech for both loudspeakers and 4x headphones
• Includes a 4.4 mm Pentaconn for balanced headphones
• Dual-feed-forward error-correction technology
• Compact yet powerful: only slightly larger than A5
• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs

“There’s no added flattery from the Alto, it’s just the music as is... this is what I need in my mixing”
Steven Wilson, singer, songwriter and record producer, and founder, guitarist and lead vocalist of Porcupine Tree

The Alto professional headphone and speaker amplifier distils Chord Electronics’ 35-year UK amplifier manufacturing history into a highly transparent amplifier. Containing their ULTIMA technology, 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. Alto is now available to buy from our dealers.

The Alto is a meticulously designed headphone and nearfield monitor amplifier, capable of driving up to four pairs of headphones and smaller loudspeakers. Notably, it marks our first 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 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 the 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.

FEATURES

Inputs:
1 x set of XLR inputs
1 x set of RCA inputs

Outputs:
4x headphone outputs (1×3.5mm, 1x 4.4mm balanced jack*, 2×1/4”)
*pseudo balanced as the amplifier itself is not a balanced design

1 x pair of banana sockets for speakers

1 x pair of XLR for additional volume control or signal passthrough

1 x 12V DC Jack output for use with other products.

KEY FEATURES

• 50 W into 4 Ω Bookshelf speaker amplifier
• Desktop size
• Headphone amplifier
• XLR through or signal passthrough
• Trickle down ULTIMA tech
• Dual feed-forward error correction
• Fully balanced system
• HF Switch mode power supply

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Output power (Speakers):
50 W into 4 Ω

Output power (Headphones):
2250 mW into 100 Ω

THD (Speakers):
0.003 % into 4 Ω

THD (Headphones):
0.001 % into 100 Ω

Signal-to-noise:
120 dB

Frequency response:
6 Hz – 60 kHz

Input maximum voltage:
6 V RMS

Crosstalk:
-95 dB

Output maximum voltage:
15 V RMS into 8 Ω

Operation voltage:
80-250 V AC auto-switching

Dimensions:
Length 215 mm, Width 200 mm Height 57 mm

Net weight:
1946 g