Chord Electronics Anni

Desktop hi-fi? Can't say I've dabbled. But, of course, 'desktop' is just another marketing category and not a stipulation. Basically, it means small, which is a much more liberating concept and a description that aptly fits Chord Electronics' new integrated amplifier, Anni.

With the same dinky form factor and CNC-machined aluminium build as its Qutest DAC (HFC 436) and Huei phono stage (HFC 459), Anni completes a tiny trilogy that, with the addition of Chord's dedicated QSS (Qutest System Stand), can be stacked for an even more Lilliputian footprint.

The star innovation of the company's large, insanely powerful and very expensive flagship Ultima amplifiers is also at Anni's heart. Chord calls it dual-feed-forward error correction circuit topology. It's clearly scalable and gifts Anni the kind of point of difference its maker is famed for. Naturally, the 'desktop' remit is nailed. That means headphone users are handsomely catered for with 3.5mm and 6.35mm outputs recessed into the front panel and both can be used at the same time.

Round the back, flush banana plug sockets are used for speaker terminals and flank the two line-level RCA inputs. A four-pin socket accepts the 15V switch mode external power supply and there's 12V DC output for powering the Qutest DAC and Huei phono stage.