Chord Electronics traces its origins to the world of aviation. Founder John Franks spent years working as an avionics engineer, an industry where uncompromising precision and superior attention to detail aren't optional — they're the standard. A committed music lover, Franks spent the better part of a decade applying that same aerospace-grade rigour to amplifier design in his spare time, developing proprietary, ultra-efficient power supply technologies along the way, before formally founding Chord Electronics in 1989.

Chord's engineering caught the industry's attention almost immediately: the BBC became an early customer, followed by Abbey Road Studios, Sony Music in New York, and later The Royal Opera House — a client list built entirely on professional-grade performance rather than marketing. That reputation for studio-grade engineering created demand for a domestic range, and Chord's collaboration with digital design pioneer Rob Watts produced some of the most acclaimed DAC technology in the industry, built around Chord's proprietary WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filtering — technology found in everything from the pocket-sized Mojo to the reference-grade DAVE and Ultima ranges.