Chord Hugo TT High End DAC Amp Impressions Thread

[kennyb123]

  Any update on the TT vs. Yggy sonics subject?

 
I got to compare the Yggy, Ayre QB9-DSD and Hugo TT on an excellent system.  I easily preferred the TT to the other two, as it sounded quite special to my ears.  Even the Ayre was more to my liking than the Yggy.  The Yggy sounded like a very good DAC at its price point, but not in the same league as the other two more expensive DACs.  YMMV
 
I went on to purchase a Hugo TT.  I absolutely love it.

 

[Jawed]

TT was thoroughly wonderful for the 14 months or so I owned it. TT made all my music repeatedly surprising and freshly invigorating to listen to. I was gobsmacked the whole time by the transformation it worked on my music.

Now playing: Maurice Ravel - Trio for piano, violin and cello

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Any update on the TT vs. Yggy sonics subject?
I ask this because Stereophile has now reviewed both of these (there is a new review on the Yggy).
While the sonics were judged superb on both (by different reviewers), John Atkinson said that the TT's measurements were extremely good, but the Yggy's were less so.
(I'm agnostic on measurements and do not want to start up the classic debate, I just thought it was interesting and wanted to relay it here. I have not heard the Yggy but own the TT.)
 
From the Yggy article:
It's difficult to sum up the Schiit Yggdrasil's measured behavior. While the processor's analog circuitry is superbly well designed, its digital circuitry appears to have problems with high-level, high-frequency tones, and with the LSBs of 24-bit data. It's possible, of course, that the former will be rare with music, and that the latter will be obscured by the noise floors of recordings. But it does look as if the digital circuitry is not fully optimized. Hopefully, this could be addressed with a firmware upgrade.—John Atkinson
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor-measurements#s8urxGCUxYk1FvQS.99
 
From the TT article:
With a product that offers, shall I say, idiosyncratic measured behavior, I have to spend a lot of time determining whether I have correctly characterized its performance or if there has been some peculiar interaction between the measuring system and the device under test. With Chord's Hugo TT D/A headphone amplifier, I had no such problems—this is an extraordinarily well-engineered component. I just wish I had had time to listen to it before shipping it back to Jon Iverson. (I took the hint.)—John Atkinson
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-hugo-tt-da-headphone-amplifier-measurements#ff070zp2yHfvZDX3.99
 
Whole articles:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor#B9bUWSI1xr3Y8M88.97
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-hugo-tt-da-headphone-amplifier#TfJ5UY7rj4Az6tjW.97

 
I have liked the Yggy, but the treble was an issue, plus it still suffered somewhat from "digititus" for me anyway. I've always preferred the TT.

 

[iDesign]

  Any update on the TT vs. Yggy sonics subject?
I ask this because Stereophile has now reviewed both of these (there is a new review on the Yggy).
While the sonics were judged superb on both (by different reviewers), John Atkinson said that the TT's measurements were extremely good, but the Yggy's were less so.
(I'm agnostic on measurements and do not want to start up the classic debate, I just thought it was interesting and wanted to relay it here. I have not heard the Yggy but own the TT.)
 
From the Yggy article:
It's difficult to sum up the Schiit Yggdrasil's measured behavior. While the processor's analog circuitry is superbly well designed, its digital circuitry appears to have problems with high-level, high-frequency tones, and with the LSBs of 24-bit data. It's possible, of course, that the former will be rare with music, and that the latter will be obscured by the noise floors of recordings. But it does look as if the digital circuitry is not fully optimized. Hopefully, this could be addressed with a firmware upgrade.—John Atkinson
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor-measurements#s8urxGCUxYk1FvQS.99
 
From the TT article:
With a product that offers, shall I say, idiosyncratic measured behavior, I have to spend a lot of time determining whether I have correctly characterized its performance or if there has been some peculiar interaction between the measuring system and the device under test. With Chord's Hugo TT D/A headphone amplifier, I had no such problems—this is an extraordinarily well-engineered component. I just wish I had had time to listen to it before shipping it back to Jon Iverson. (I took the hint.)—John Atkinson
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-hugo-tt-da-headphone-amplifier-measurements#ff070zp2yHfvZDX3.99
 
Whole articles:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor#B9bUWSI1xr3Y8M88.97
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-hugo-tt-da-headphone-amplifier#TfJ5UY7rj4Az6tjW.97

John Atkinson is a not a good journalist and I'm surprised the The Enthusiast Network has not replaced him as the editor of Sterophile. It is important to note that measurements do not always determine how a DAC will sound. The Yggdrasil and the Hugo TT are both very good DAC and you should listen to both before making a purchase.  

 

[Mojo ideas]

John Atkinson is a not a good journalist and I'm surprised the The Enthusiast Network has not replaced him as the editor of Sterophile. It is important to note that measurements do not always determine how a DAC will sound. The Yggdrasil and the Hugo TT are both very good DAC and you should listen to both before making a purchase.  

Stating that a well respected journalist should be replaced because what he has measured is not to your liking is never a good option. Try better a design that performs and measures better. It might be a better way forward for you

 

[N15M0]

Will there be a Hugo TT 2 coming out soon? I just gotten the 2Qute and I am actually considering to invest in another Hugo TT for my living room speakers. 

 

[Whazzzup]

Will there be a Hugo TT 2 coming out soon? I just gotten the 2Qute and I am actually considering to invest in another Hugo TT for my living room speakers. 

Soon being? You won't know till the launch but the pressure for new to keep competitors at bay seems to be stronger than I thought. See Hugo 2 launched three years after Hugo . So following this pattern 2018 we could see Hugo TT 2. But I have no clue.

 

[Mojo ideas]

Will there be a Hugo TT 2 coming out soon? I just gotten the 2Qute and I am actually considering to invest in another Hugo TT for my living room speakers. 

There are no plans at present for a 2 for TT this is because the T T always had significantly better performance as a desktop the The original Hugo this was due to a better pulse array PSU arrangement and of course the far larger and more capable battery and ultra cap internal power supplies. Therefore the Hugo TT is still good to go.

 

[N15M0]

Will there be a Hugo TT 2 coming out soon? I just gotten the 2Qute and I am actually considering to invest in another Hugo TT for my living room speakers. 

There are no plans at present for a 2 for TT this is because the T T always had significantly better performance as a desktop the The original Hugo this was due to a better pulse array PSU arrangement and of course the far larger and more capable battery and ultra cap internal power supplies. Therefore the Hugo TT is still good to go.

I see thanks. But I thought that the new Hugo 2 will be using a new FPGS chip and increases in the taps count. I was hoping to see this change being implemented into the TT.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Mojo ideas]

I see thanks. But I thought that the new Hugo 2 will be using a new FPGS chip and increases in the taps count. I was hoping to see this change being implemented into the TT.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not for a good while yet.

 

[Whazzzup]

 

I see thanks. But I thought that the new Hugo 2 will be using a new FPGS chip and increases in the taps count. I was hoping to see this change being implemented into the TT.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not for a good while yet.

well then.  

 

[kennyb123]

Not for a good while yet.

But we want more taps too!!

Just kidding. I purchased my TT only a couple of months ago, so I'm kind of relieved that Chord doesn't believe it's currently due for an upgrade.

 

[halloweenman]

Hugo 2 has a remote, so you could just add USB galvanic isolation (Intona USB, or perhaps Chord will offer an add-on like Poly that has it) and voilà - a Hugo TT 2!

I'd be interested to know what Rob Watts thinks of Intona USB and also Hifime High-Speed USB Isolator that has new Silanna High-Speed USB Isolator chip inside it.

 

[Whazzzup]

Hugo 2 has a remote, so you could just add USB galvanic isolation (Intona USB, or perhaps Chord will offer an add-on like Poly that has it) and voilà - a Hugo TT 2!

I'd be interested to know what Rob Watts thinks of Intona USB and also Hifime High-Speed USB Isolator that has new Silanna High-Speed USB Isolator chip inside it.

Still not same archetecture, no xlr balanced out, no supercapicitors, not same isolation. The itona has been beaten to death on Hugo threads, although, I'm sure folks are interested in Hugo versus Hugo 2 on the Hugo thread. Folks have been hoping since the launch of TT that Hugo would be, viola, as good as TT for half the price add on a box or Frankenstein the battery.
Try out TT versus Hugo now and see for yourself.

 

[ubs28]

Hugo 2 has a remote, so you could just add USB galvanic isolation (Intona USB, or perhaps Chord will offer an add-on like Poly that has it) and voilà - a Hugo TT 2!

I'd be interested to know what Rob Watts thinks of Intona USB and also Hifime High-Speed USB Isolator that has new Silanna High-Speed USB Isolator chip inside it.

​What if Chord simply introduces modules like they do for the Mojo, but for desktop use. Maybe the Hugo 2 could be transformed into a Hugo TT 2 with modules.