Chord’s Anni is a surprising amplifier. It has pushed the envelope of what a good amplifier in this category can do, and it also shows that putting a good amplifier circuit in a small box is a practical solution, without having to resort to the strictures of products like gainclones (remember them?). Those who can never see past the 10W or the small box are missing a treat. This is a full-sized amplifier that lives in a desktop shaped box!

This dinky little amp makes best sense as part of Chord's own Qutest system but is easily capable enough to be used outside this in various applications. If you're looking for a great-sounding, super-compact hi-fi amplifier, this fits the bill perfectly, but it isn't the greatest value on the market if its diminutive dimensions don't matter quite so much.

There’s little we’ve heard that sounds better than the Chord Anni when used in a desktop context

The Chord Anni is a tiny, very well built amplifier, ideal as either a desktop amplifier, a headphone amplifier, or both. The Anni’s sound quality belies both its size and power output making it ideal for even the smallest of desks. The Anni runs cool during use due to adequate ventilation in the casework and a cooling fan that kicks into operation when required. I did detect very slight noise from the fan when there was no music was playing but this was completely inaudible with music playing even at very low levels. Being in the £1000+ price range, it is by no means a cheap solution if either desktop or headphone listening are a very occasional occurrence, but if you do spend a lot of time at your desk or are a serious headphone user then the Anni is very much worthy of your attention. I am certainly going to miss it when it is gone.

As long as you’re not expecting Anni to be a full-size integrated amp squeezed into a box smaller than a carton of milk, you’ll be fine. This is a remarkably authoritative and revealing little amplifier