Okay, this is my first-ever new thread, So I apologize in advance if I missed anything, or did something "wrong", but I searched all of Head-Fi, and I didn't see any posts or threads that directly compared and contrasted the two. 
 
Yes, I fully-realize that the iFi is a $500 piece of kit and the HUGO is a $2500 one.  My question is more along the lines of despite the law of diminishing returns, is the HUGO still only 1/5 as good-sounding as the HUGO, or is it closer to 1/2 or maybe even better?  And how so?  Tighter, more controlled, better balanced, more detailed, etc...  Unfortunately, I don't have a Chord HUGO seller anywhere near me that I can do a proper A/B session with my iDSD Micro.  And $2500 is a bit steep for MY tastes to invest in a device that I already have sight-unseen/heard.  (I'm not THAT far gone into "Audiophiliosis" to make those types of leaps....YET.) 
 
Ideally, I'd love to hear from anyone who has both, but am interested in opinions from all about the SOUND.  Not specs, or chipset A should sound better than chipset B.  Nothing wrong with that type of analysis.  I just hope that you will create a separate thread for that type of debate.  I suppose this is the one and only thing in my life that I am absolutely NOT analytical about.  To me audio is about the sound and how it makes you feel, and why.  So I'd love to hear your takes on them if you've been fortunate enough to hear both...
 
Thank you for any considerations, and above all;
 
ENJOY THE MUSIC
 
 
Regards and respect,
 
Ken N.

Try the link posted below here: from post # 126 and beyond, it is worth the read, better than a newspaper for sure...all good!
 
​
Spoiler Alert:
Bottom Line...Hugo 1. iFi DSD .9999999999998 huge price difference...different on different recordings, power supplies, head gear music, tracks, chords etc etc.
 
http://forums.vr-zone.com/audiophiles-htpc-corner/3030876-geekout-se-w-crystek-femto-micro-idsd-chord-hugo-ha22tubex-9.html

thenoose said:

 
Try the link posted below here: from post # 126 and beyond, it is worth the read, better than a newspaper for sure...all good!
 
​

Spoiler Alert:
Bottom Line...Hugo 1. iFi DSD .9999999999998 huge price difference...different on different recordings, power supplies, head gear music, tracks, chords etc etc.
 
http://forums.vr-zone.com/audiophiles-htpc-corner/3030876-geekout-se-w-crystek-femto-micro-idsd-chord-hugo-ha22tubex-9.html

Click to expand...

This is excellent!  Exactly what I was looking for.  I'm not biased for or against either, but If I can get even 90% of the HUGO for 1/5th of the price, I am thinking that I did pretty well for myself even if it was accidentally....

thenoose said:

 
Try the link posted below here: from post # 126 and beyond, it is worth the read, better than a newspaper for sure...all good!
 
​

Spoiler Alert:
Bottom Line...Hugo 1. iFi DSD .9999999999998 huge price difference...different on different recordings, power supplies, head gear music, tracks, chords etc etc.
 
http://forums.vr-zone.com/audiophiles-htpc-corner/3030876-geekout-se-w-crystek-femto-micro-idsd-chord-hugo-ha22tubex-9.html

Click to expand...

 
I only had a brief audition of Hugo to compare it to my iDSD micro a few days ago, and I am pretty much agree with the guy over at VR-Zone. They are, to my ear, about the same level of performance, with (mostly) pros and (very little) cons of their own.

I wish they made the iDSD Micro about half its current size...this would make it perfect.

I guess tho this is the job of the iDSD Nano...

The Nano does not have the same ultra-high quality components as the Micro, unfortunately. Plus the front is ugly compared to the Micro.

thenoose said:

 
Try the link posted below here: from post # 126 and beyond, it is worth the read, better than a newspaper for sure...all good!
 
​

Spoiler Alert:
Bottom Line...Hugo 1. iFi DSD .9999999999998 huge price difference...different on different recordings, power supplies, head gear music, tracks, chords etc etc.
 
http://forums.vr-zone.com/audiophiles-htpc-corner/3030876-geekout-se-w-crystek-femto-micro-idsd-chord-hugo-ha22tubex-9.html

Click to expand...

 
That's a very interesting read. The only thing that rings a little strange to me is his overt use of a tube driven headphone amp. That particular model (indeed, most tube amps) is going to color the sound considerably, whereas something like the iTube, as a tube buffer, is a phenomenal unit inasmuch as the colorization is nominal compared to the benefits you get from its use.  Well, the iTube is beside the point. As a headphone amp to integrate with either the iDSD micro and the Hugo, I would say it's not a good gauge.

to me it did not seem like anywhere there was anything like idsd micro is anywhere near chord hugo...

I wonder which of the differences listed above could explain your experience here between these two...
 
"different on different recordings, power supplies, head gear music, tracks, chords etc etc."

I meant, from what i read... the entire threads that i read never told anything like idsd micro a cheaper chord hugo... i am yet to listen... i am open minded, but i am yet to read that exact sentence from anyone who owns both...

i own the iDSD Micro . 
First thing you notice would be the looks .
The iDSD Micro looks more like a $2500 than the Hugo does . 
Everyone would agree that the Hugo looks cheaper than the iDSD Micro . 

Sonically , the iDSD is an overachiever with alot to play with ,
and if you ever consider getting some iFi "add-ons" you can, and it will blend perfectly in design with the other iFi equipment .

I have never heard the Hugo , but i seriously doubt it would justify the price as compared to the iDSD Micro. 
Audio improvements of the 2 will never be 5x difference . it's not possible . 

I would recommend you to go down to your local audio shop and give them a try .
To be fair to both of them .  
And if it cannot be done , go for the iDSD Micro , its more feasible as it can drive sensitive IEMs to HiFiMANs.
Furthermore , they allow a 7 day return period at no loss . That's how confident they are with their product . 

i wouldn't buy the Hugo even if it is $250 , and yes , it's just based on the physical looks . 
As my amps are placed beside my bed , it should be a showpiece .

The design is really undesirable , i don't know why you even considered it . hahaha !

I would also be interested to know your experiences on the Hugo if you have tried it

i had tried only hugo. well, i really loved how it looks, because it is all metal, looks like the only 2500$ thing to me in most portables. probably because i have not seen ifi idsd in person,.
 
i can only test hugo, ifi i have to buy.
 
to be short about the story:
 
i already have fiio x5, ie8, ultrasone dj one pro, sennheiser hd380pro. at the store i was trying to decide about ie800. then i remembered that they also have hugo.
 
it sounds, like 5% better than fiio x5. it sounds like taking a veil off the sound, like everything becomes even better defined, even more alive, even better.  i spend the most of time with hugo, with dj one pro, because i know them very well, already. the sound was amazing. there were no new things to hear compared to x5, but every instrument was better, it was more detailed, it was more alive.
 
remember hugo adds 5% over fiio x5. if idsd adds at least 3-4% over x5, then i can go for idsd. considering the prices.
 
i am anyways going to buy hugo at some point, i am just very very optimistic about the hugo next gen not using the battery while on usb DAC mode. because i want as mucu battery life as i can.
 
with ifi idsd i plan to buy idsd and usb size of idsd thingy. i do not plan to buy ican, because it has the same specs at fiio e12. i think that if ican had more power i would had considered it better.
 
but the sound of hugo, was... perfect. in one word, perfect. everything was exactly how it naturally sounds. remember than fiio x5 already does 95% of this, at 450$, so for the rest 5% i have to pay 2500$..

i own the ifi micro.  i've never heard the hugo.
 
some comments, nonetheless:
 
1.  i think the micro's dac is ok; it's perfectly acceptable; it's good.  otoh, i don't think it's wonderful.  i used my ibasso dx90 as a transport, coax out to the micro's dual burrr-brown dac and amp.  i compared that to using the dx90's line out to the micro's line in - i.e. in that configuration i was using the dx90's dual sabre dac and the micro's amp.  imo the dx90's dac was marginally better, and specifically more resolving.  to discern this, however, i had to go back and forth between the 2 configurations, using the same music, several times.  it's not a huge difference, but there's a difference.
 
    i've never heard the hugo, but i've seen strong praise for its dac, so this would be one point of comparison.
 
2. i've seen the hugo's sound described as dry.  the micro's is not dry, it does not sound thin.  this would be another point of comparison.
 
3. the ifi micro has a huge battery; i don't know how many hours of play you can get from the hugo.   otoh, the huge battery of the micro makes it both more bulky and heavy,
 
4. it is never the case that a piece of equipment that costs 5x as much will be 5x better.  there is a law of diminishing returns, and more and more effort required to achieve each level of improvement.  perhaps something that costs 5x as much is 20%-40% better [whatever "better" means to your ears]. skerry, above, says the hugo is only 5% better than a fiio x5 at 1/5 the price.  then it's a matter of how much disposable income you've got and what it's worth to you.  if an extra $2k of expense really doesn't matter much to you, and you like the hugo even 10% better, then why not buy it?

5% in audio is a world of a difference actually!
 
most daps and amps can reproduce most of sound. the details are not that 99% of sound, but that 1%
 
EDIT3: that important 1%