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Chord Electronics has made its Alto headphone/nearfield monitor amplifier – previously reserved exclusively for the professional audio industry – accessible to non-pro users. The Alto, which was designed specifically for recording and mastering studio engineers to meet the demands of critical monitoring, is a compact analogue amplifier that delivers high-transparency, low-distortion ULTIMA amplification to speakers and headphones.

It can drive up to four pairs of headphones and smaller speakers, and marks the first CE product to include a 4.4mm Pentaconn TRRRS output (pseudo balanced), catering to the increasing popularity of balanced transmission in high-end headphones.

The monitor amp features four fascia-mounted headphone outputs, powered by ULTIMA technology and boasts one 3.5mm, a 4.4mm Pentaconn and two 6.35mm outs. The connections not only facilitate A/B comparisons, but also allow multiple users to listen simultaneously.

For loudspeakers, the Alto delivers a quoted 25W into 8ohm (50W into 4) and banana plug outputs – designed to accommodate all but the largest loudspeaker plugs – are provided on the rear panel.

The Alto’s ULTIMA topology introduces the company’s dual-feed-forward error correction technology, which monitors then corrects signals before the output stage. The twin-input design benefits from both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, as well as balanced XLR outs for bypass/throughput to other devices. The balanced XLR output can also be used in conjunction with headphones or loudspeakers in joint output mode.

The casework is precision-machined from aircraft-grade aluminium, with high-quality anodising undertaken locally. The front fascia includes volume control, power on/off and input selection controls, with colour-changing LEDs indicating power status and in/output choice. Alto measures 200 x 44.45 x 215mm (WxHxD) and a remote control comes supplied.

Available to buy now for £3,000, you can find out more about Chord Electronics' Alto here.