[lovethatsound]

Are we talking 'a really good sub-2k transport' or one of the mega-dollar transports from Esoteric / Simaudio Moon etc ? This isnt an idle query - I just plonked down 2.5K USD on a 35lb dinosaur because it happens to have the DAC I want, digital inputs and outputs and an SACD transport that seems to be well regarded among the disc spinning fraternity. Like vinyl vs CD, it's a completely unwinnable debate but I need to settle the issue for myself before throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

well you can a good cd transport from about £600 and even at that price it's gonna better sound quality than a pc or laptop.what people have got 2 remember is laptops and pc are jacks of all trades(made 2 do many things)cd transports are made just for one thing(music)now with dacs like the Hugo, cds are really showing us just how good red book really is.cd dieing(no) it's only now it's starting to come alive.

 

[estreeter]

well you can a good cd transport from about £600 and even at that price it's gonna better sound quality than a pc or laptop.what people have got 2 remember is laptops and pc are jacks of all trades(made 2 do many things)cd transports are made just for one thing(music)now with dacs like the Hugo, cds are really showing us just how good red book really is.cd dieing(no) it's only now it's starting to come alive.

 
I believe your thinking is at least 3 years out of date. Several very good dedicated music servers available now - including DiY designs - that most definitely are not 'jacks of all trades'. Fanless, solid-state hard drives, purpose-built USB cards and software that gets better every year - with UPnP I can have my Oppo BDP-105 serving up everything from 256K iTunes downloads thru CD rips to DSD128 downloads, all without a single PC or hard drive in the listening room. 
 
I'm fine with people who have no desire to move from what they know and enjoy - just less so with outdated thinking on computer audio. If you're prepared to embrace an unconventional DAC design like the Hugo, perhaps you might want to reconsider some of your other playback options. 

 

[lovethatsound]

I believe your thinking is at least 3 years out of date. Several very good dedicated music servers available now - including DiY designs - that most definitely are not 'jacks of all trades'. Fanless, solid-state hard drives, purpose-built USB cards and software that gets better every year - with UPnP I can have my Oppo BDP-105 serving up everything from 256K iTunes downloads thru CD rips to DSD128 downloads, all without a single PC or hard drive in the listening room. 

I'm fine with people who have no desire to move from what they know and enjoy - just less so with outdated thinking on computer audio. If you're prepared to embrace an unconventional DAC design like the Hugo, perhaps you might want to reconsider some of your other playback options. 

I have other play back options and I'm standing by what I've said and what i can hear.A good cd transport will outperform a laptop or a pc for sound quality with the Hugo.I know lots of people use their laptops and pc for their music and i don't have any problem with that,I myself use a laptop sometimes,but at the end of the day if your on about which product gives you the best sound quality it's the cd transport.

 

[ted_b]

  Great eclectic choice of spices!
 
As to listening tests, there are broadly two levels of listening - specific tests, and general tests..........
  Rob

Wow, Rob.  That was a great summary of what you go through.  I am so thankful for that; it gives me a much better feel as to how this beast of many heads gets tamed.  And for what to look (listen) for when the next iteration of the WTA, etc gets released.  Thanks much
Ted
 
P.S.  Oh, and in the world of "geniuses think alike" I have both that Norah track and the Moby 18 transitions from We Are All Made Of Stars -In This World-In My Heart (great trio of dynamic but different sounds) in my demo list.  Interesting that you use Norah for both female vocals AND that double bass.  Nice!  Wonder if those ab changes also surface on the 24/192 or DSD (Analogue Productions, that is) versions of that track.

 

[elviscaprice]

I have other play back options and I'm standing by what I've said and what i can hear.A good cd transport will outperform a laptop or a pc for sound quality with the Hugo.I know lots of people use their laptops and pc for their music and i don't have any problem with that,I myself use a laptop sometimes,but at the end of the day if your on about which product gives you the best sound quality it's the cd transport.

Who cares?  They would be so close and all would be dependent on system synergy. 
But what really matters is the mobility factor and organization along with multi function abiltiy.  The PC/MAC/portable blow away the transport disc spinner in these three factors.  That's why the CD transport is quickly becoming a dinosaur and eventually the CD discs to boot..

 

[ajay555]

any one tried connecting a digital transport to the Hugo? I am hoping than sound is more musical with a digital transport like Bryston BDP player versus a laptop computer?

 

[lovethatsound]

Who cares?  They would be so close and all would be dependent on system synergy. 
But what really matters is the mobility factor and organization along with multi function abiltiy.  The PC/MAC/portable blow away the transport disc spinner in these three factors.  That's why the CD transport is quickly becoming a dinosaur and eventually the CD discs to boot..

Who cares?I care,didn't they say the same thing about vinyl.

 

[x838nwy]

my $0.02….
A whole bunch of my music is on CD's. I do not have the time or resources to rip them all to a hdd (which also contains a vast amount of music) and certainly no intention of throwing them away. So for me, a transport + hugo or any other decent DAC would be better than my old, some what broken CD player (no digital out) and will continue to be relevant to my enjoyment of music for many, many years to come.

 

[elviscaprice]

Who cares?I care,didn't they say the same thing about vinyl.

Big difference between redbook digital which shall continue, via HDD, without the CD mini hard drive discs and analog sound mediums like vinyl which did not have an alternative analog medium.  I'm not the one deciding these things here, the market is already doing it.  I'm just making vocal what I see happening.
If your seeing something else in the marketplace that I'm not, please point it out.  I would think that most Hugo owners are not looking for disc spinning transports to drive the Hugo.  Those folks, that are, should be looking for a higher end multi format transport with a built in DAC like Estreeter pointed out.

 

[lovethatsound]

Big difference between redbook digital which shall continue without the CD mini hard drive discs and analog sound mediums like vinyl which did not have an alternative medium.  I'm not the one deciding these things here, the market is already doing it.  I'm just making vocal what I see happening.
If your seeing something else in the marketplace that I'm not, please point it out.
Estreeter also makes some good points about the component trend.

I do understand what your saying about the market place 2 day.All I'm doing is pointing out that a good cd transport well out perform a laptop or pc for sound quality with the Hugo.And if people what 2 get the very best from the Hugo that this is still the best way 2 go.

 

[elviscaprice]

I do understand what your saying about the market place 2 day.All I'm doing is pointing out that a good cd transport well out perform a laptop or pc for sound quality with the Hugo.And if people what 2 get the very best from the Hugo that this is still the best way 2 go.

Which PC setup, which transport?
This is still an absurd statement.  For several factors I just mentioned your comparing apples to oranges.  Let alone the qualitative difference between different transports and different PC setups or mobile players.  Hugo owners do not buy the Hugo to move backwards to be driven by a CD transport, it's a non factor to compare. 

 

[lovethatsound]

Which PC setup, which transport?
This is still an absurd statement.  For several factors I just mentioned your comparing apples to oranges.  Let alone the qualitative difference between different transports and different PC setups or mobile players.  Hugo owners do not buy the Hugo to move backwards to be driven by a CD transport, it's a non factor to compare. 

using a laptop or pc is the backwards way 2 go if your on about sound quality my friend.

 

[jjcha]

using a laptop or pc is the backwards way 2 go if your on about sound quality my friend.

 
I'm curious as to the rationale behind this.  I was around when DACs first started taking in USB inputs.  Certainly struck me as convienent but perhaps suboptimal.  I've been out of high end audio for a while.  I would have hoped/thought that with the new USB2 stuff they would have finally figured out some of the disadvantages the first implementation?
 
No real stake in this fight.  Just curious.  Still got plenty of USB devices that output an optical out for certain DACs.  I always liked my Blu transport feeding the DAC64 mk 2 way back when.  I'd imagine some of the new network stuff that Chord uses as transports has that technology built into it.

 

[SearchOfSub]

Wow, Rob.  That was a great summary of what you go through.  I am so thankful for that; it gives me a much better feel as to how this beast of many heads gets tamed.  And for what to look (listen) for when the next iteration of the WTA, etc gets released.  Thanks much
Ted

P.S.  Oh, and in the world of "geniuses think alike" I have both that Norah track and the Moby 18 transitions from We Are All Made Of Stars -In This World-In My Heart (great trio of dynamic but different sounds) in my demo list.  Interesting that you use Norah for both female vocals AND that double bass.  Nice!  Wonder if those ab changes also surface on the 24/192 or DSD (Analogue Productions, that is) versions of that track.

Hah. In the world of geniuses think alike

 

[isquirrel]

Farewell Hugo, there will always be a special place in my heart for you. However it was time to say goodbye. He's gone to a good home.