The idea of a stereo amplifier that costs £75,000 takes some getting used to. While able to deliver huge volume levels, they never quite convey solidity and outright punch quite as well as we’d like. Oddly, despite their monumental power output we think these amplifiers could also do with more punch and sonic authority too. The Chords define each note beautifully, but don’t always convey the music’s momentum as skilfully as we’d like. We find most high-power amps suffer in a similar way: it’s as if all that muscularity prevents timing precision. In our experience, no product manages that.īy absolute standards, these Chords don’t convey rhythmic drive particularly well. It really is a poor effort.Ĭhord CPA 8000/SPM 14000 Mk II review: Verdictīut if you’re thinking that amplifier’s price tag means it should represent audio perfection, you’re in for a disappointment. It’s an ergonomic mess, and little more than a conventional plastic handset wrapped in a metal case. We’re not fans of the supplied remote control handset. If you can, stick to the balanced connections, they sound best. Yes, VU meters, though these can be turned off if you find them distracting.
Aside from extensive balanced and single-ended connectivity it has dedicated bass and treble controls per channel, twin headphone outputs and VU meters (fluorescent lights that track the signal level).
Most high-end preamps tend to be stripped-down affairs. These Chords give off a fair amount of heat, unsurprisingly, so make sure there’s plenty of ventilation, otherwise you’ll end up with tropical temperatures in your listening room. We’d expect most people to leave the 75kg SPM 14000 Mk II monoblocs on the floor with the preamp on a dedicated rack, where it sounds best anyway. If you use a dedicated rack it had better be mighty strong. Stacked, as it’s designed to be, this trio takes up about as much space as a washing machine.
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