British firm Chord Electronics has chosen to mark the final High End show in Munich before it moves to Vienna with the global unveiling of a "groundbreaking new reference-level analogue device."

Chord Electronics does seem to enjoy taking the wraps off its latest and greatest at Munich, as it has cemented its place as the top European audio expo and possibly the best in the northern hemisphere. Melbourne, Australia, also has an excellent show that continues to grow year-on-year.

Last year, we first met Suzi; the year before, it was the Ultima Integrated, which we reviewed. We've also reviewed the Ultima Pre 3.

With Chord Electronics announcing this newcomer as "the new Ultima Reference product" and adding that it is set to become "the flagship within its category", it understandably has us interested.

To avoid any spoilers, the British brand isn't giving much else away aside from the fact that it is analogue and is set to join the current Ultima Reference products, which include a preamplifier and a mono power amp.

My thoughts swiftly jumped to the thoughts of an Ultima reference phono preamp - a Huei on steroids, if you will.

It could even be a purely analogue reference integrated amplifier. With Chord Electronics' digital skills and wide range of DACs, creating a streaming integrated wouldn't make sense. However, it would be nice if such a reference integrated included an equally ranked phono stage.

Also, an Ultima Reference Integrated with a phono stage could fill the billing as the "showstopper" advertised.

Thankfully, we haven't got long to find out, as the new product's debut is the first day of the High End Munich show on 15th May. It will be chaperoned by founder and owner John Franks, who will be on hand throughout the day to provide "insights into the core technologies and innovations" of the new product he has designed.

The teaser press release states, "This expansion underscores Chord Electronics' commitment to analogue innovation for hi-fi enthusiasts while simultaneously enhancing performance for its pro audio clientele, including numerous leading global studios."

The new Chord Electronics product will officially launch later in the year, but we will endeavour to bring you all the details we can—including in-person images from Atrium 3.1, C122—once the show opens, so stay tuned!

Visit Chord Electronics for more details