The point I tried to make is that your opinion of the Hugo's SQ is based purely on what you've heard from the headphone out -
have you tried using it as a dedicated DAC ? It's subjective but I'm convinced that I'm getting more from the RCA out into my Taurus than I was from the Hugo's own headphone stage. To use a very cliched song selection, I can hear aspects of Adele's voice on
Someone Like You in this configuration that I'm simply not getting via the Hugo's headphone out and metal is on another plane - more slam, tighter bass and a sense of being much closer to the band. On the downside, the HD800s may be a little bit harsher through the Taurus, but I'm only at the 100-hour mark and the recommendation is that I need 500 hours to really hear what the amp is capable of - to be fair, I'm in much the same boat with the Hugo. If nothing else, I far prefer the volume control on the Taurus to that provided with the Hugo and I don't run the risk of accidentally dislodging the coax cable when using it purely as a DAC on my desktop.
If I was ever in any doubt as to the VFM equation in buying a dedicated desktop headphone amplifier, the Taurus has completely crushed those doubts. This 12lb lump of metal is a monster and I'm finding it very hard to drag myself away from it to attend to the mundanities of life