[canali]

I fear we are maybe getting too far OT for some here, but thanks for the recommendations .
I already have the Currentzis Figaro and via my Benchmark and HE1000V2 it sounds clearly easier on my ears than via HUGO and musically it is becoming the one I play most often of My Figaros.
On LPs I also have the classic DGG /Böhm mid 60s recording and Colin Davis's Philips set from a bit later and in slightly better SQ than DGGs.
Don Giovanni same as you on LPs. But I just saw that it has been released as a hi res download. Not sure if hi res can improve the rather thin early EMI SQ though. But yes musically it is wonderful.
Meistersinger Karajan on LPs and Pentatone/Janowski live as 24/96 download
Rigoletto both the original LP DECCA set and the 24/96 download.
It is quite a good example of what 24/96 can deliver from a well recorded analogue mastertape over what rbcd can.
Another good example of the same is the classic DECCA Turandot recording from the same period, which I also have both on LPs and as hi res download.
Unfortunately there is still a lack of modern opera recordings in hi res and ones that musically rival the classic recordings.
But I will look into your Handel recommendations for sure. Cheers Christer

while i know these posts aren't directly hugo2 related, i'm still enjoying them...is always refreshing to step away from our regular fare and explore other genres....i've now downloaded those artists/albums into my Tidal collection ... and, if I enjoy them, may even buy the 24/96 editions on line from 7 digital canada or elsewhere (feel free to offer suggestions)

 

[tunes]

1.yes
2.no, but your brain might
3.no but keep it plugged in is fine and off when not using.

I am confused about the RGB LED indicator function colors. For charging, the manual shows white for the power orb when charging from a mains 2 amp wall wort and blue for 1 amp.

First of all, the color for white seems to have a blue tint depending on the viewing angle so I tried switching between an iPhone wall charger rated at 1 amp and the supplied CHORD charger rated at 2 amps and the power light remains white but definitely not blue. The manual says blue for 1 amp and white for 1 amps??

What is the color shown on the power orb for "fully charged". From the manual it looks like either black or blue or I assume light off. So if it is plugged in and the light goes from white then off after a few minutes can I assume that means it's fully charged? Is blue the color for 100% charges when unit is first turned on after a recharge??

Does the power charge light remain white when charging then I just need to wait for the light to come back on as Magenta to be in the desktop mode?

Once in the desktop mode, if you unplug and move to another location and replug to mains will you have to wait another 24 hours to get back to desktop mode?

What is best for battery longevity, letting it run down all the way periodically or keeping it charged as much as possible??

 

[miketlse]

Once in the desktop mode, if you unplug and move to another location and replug to mains will you have to wait another 24 hours to get back to desktop mode?

Yes. My understanding of Rob Watts posts, is that there is an internal clock that starts from 0 every time that the live charging cable is plugged into the Hugo 2, and once the clock reaches 24 hrs, the batteries are effectively taken 'out of circuit' and the Hugo 2 starts running from mains power only (desktop mode).
This does mean that if you switch the mains power off after 23hrs and 59 minutes, and then switch the mains power back on again, the clock will restart from 0.

 

[514077]

I am confused about the RGB LED indicator function colors. For charging, the manual shows white for the power orb when charging from a mains 2 amp wall wort and blue for 1 amp.

First of all, the color for white seems to have a blue tint depending on the viewing angle so I tried switching between an iPhone wall charger rated at 1 amp and the supplied CHORD charger rated at 2 amps and the power light remains white but definitely not blue.

What is the color shown on the power orb for "fully charged". From the manual it looks like either black or I assume light off. So if it is plugged in and the light goes from white then off after a few minutes can I assume that means it's fully charged? Then I just need to wait for the light to come back on as Magenta to be in the desktop mode?


Once in the desktop mode, if you unplug and move to another location and replug to mains will you have to wait another 24 hours to get back to desktop mode?

Thanks for asking. That desktop mode function needs to be spelled out for such as me. Just read on: Thanks @miketlse for answering.

 

[miko64]

while i know these posts aren't directly hugo2 related, i'm still enjoying them...is always refreshing to step away from our regular fare and explore other genres....i've now downloaded those artists/albums into my Tidal collection ... and, if I enjoy them, may even buy the 24/96 editions on line from 7 digital canada or elsewhere (feel free to offer suggestions)

I am certainly interested in your views...

 

[canali]

I am certainly interested in your views...

i'm no seasoned classical listener, i'm afraid.
this all said i am loving Morphine ('cure for pain')_
Steve Guttenberg tweeted about them recently and i stumbled upon his tweet.
interesting band (trio) from the 90s:
sax player, drummer and a bass (2 string!) player.

 

[miketlse]

I fear we are maybe getting too far OT for some here, but thanks for the recommendations .
I already have the Currentzis Figaro and via my Benchmark and HE1000V2 it sounds clearly easier on my ears than via HUGO and musically it is becoming the one I play most often of My Figaros.
On LPs I also have the classic DGG /Böhm mid 60s recording and Colin Davis's Philips set from a bit later and in slightly better SQ than DGGs.
Don Giovanni same as you on LPs. But I just saw that it has been released as a hi res download. Not sure if hi res can improve the rather thin early EMI SQ though. But yes musically it is wonderful.
Meistersinger Karajan on LPs and Pentatone/Janowski live as 24/96 download
Rigoletto both the original LP DECCA set and the 24/96 download.
It is quite a good example of what 24/96 can deliver from a well recorded analogue mastertape over what rbcd can.
Another good example of the same is the classic DECCA Turandot recording from the same period, which I also have both on LPs and as hi res download.
Unfortunately there is still a lack of modern opera recordings in hi res and ones that musically rival the classic recordings.
But I will look into your Handel recommendations for sure. Cheers Christer

Don't stop.
I too find this recent sequence of posts interesting, because it points me in the direction of music/artists to explore using the Hugo 2.
The discussion the other day about cello music, inspired me to revisit some music that I had listened to using the Mojo, but the music had 'not grabbed me'.
This time using the Hugo 2, sections of the music felt more detailed and moody - so I have today borrowed some other CDs of cello music to explore.

I shall copy some of these recommended tracks to the 'music to test the H2' thread, just as a precaution in case the MODS delete your posts for being OT.

 

[jaspal kallar]

I concur with your comparison to the 2Qute. The Hugo2 is slightly more resolving, but it doesn't present a significant improvement over the 2Qute, like it does when compared to the Mojo. I had to listen long and hard to spot the differences. Bass is slightly less "bloated," more refined, and I can spot a bit more detail. That being said, I am strongly considering leaving my 2Qute exactly where it is and using Hugo2 for portable use exclusively. This says alot about the 2Qute. Tremendous value DAC in my opinion.

Thanks to both Guerph & Ruben D for your comparisons between the CH2 and 2Qute, you may have saved me some money. I thought the CH2 would be quite a bit better than the 2Qute. I'll probably will now get a used 2Qute (or even a used Chord TT) instead of the Chord Hugo 2 since I was only really ever after a desktop solution i.e. Dac/Pre to use with my power amp and speakers.

 

[Jawed]

I've got quite a few Morphine albums I discovered the band through the Volume music magazine. If you want an alternative immersion in the 90s, then you could do worse than this fantastic YouTube channel I've just found:

https://www.youtube.com/user/DEEPERMUSICMCMA/videos?sort=da&live_view=500&flow=grid&view=0

The sound quality of these videos is excellent. I think it'd take a few days to listen to all that!



When you line up the first 10 issues of the magazine there's an image across the spines of a shark.

Now playing: Sonic Youth - Doctor's Orders

 

[jaspal kallar]

I’ve had my Hugo2 for 3 days now. I have done a good session of A/B back and forths with my Hi-Fi system as well as some headphones in a shop. From what I have heard the brain can’t remember the quality of sounds for very long, so for me switching between products in quick succession is how I have gathered my findings.

I’ve compared it to my 2Qute. My speakers are ELAC BS244 and my amp is the Yamaha A-S2100. The Hugo2 is slightly more resolving in this system. This is a compliment to the 2Qute, in that the Hugo2 didn’t wipe the floor with it, and it takes concentration to hear the differences for me in this system, though they are noticeable enough once I pick what parts to listen for. The Hugo2 has, to my ears, the same tonal signature with a bit more depth and separation, mid/upper frequencies have a bit more clarity (I especially noticed this on guitars sounding slightly clearer and this is where I am most pleased). When I first bought the 2Qute, I auditioned it to next to the Qute and Audiolab M-DAC and settled on the 2Qute. The margin between the Qute and 2Qute is a similarly slight leap in quality that took the same concentration to identify. These margins aren’t so huge they would impede my enjoyment of the music to me, I just like to know I am getting the most I can with the system I have. With the Hugo2 in my system however, I can’t say I noticed a difference in the presentation of bass. Not to say I am at all disappointed in that, I’ve never considered the 2Qute’s rendering of bass to be anything other than super pleasing. That may say something about my system (or ears) because when some people compare the Hugo1 (same taps as the 2Qute) to the Hugo2 they report better bass and that would likely come down to the right headphones revealing that.

What input did you use to the CH2, e.g. was it USB or optical when you did the comparison ?

 

[jaspal kallar]

I concur with your comparison to the 2Qute. The Hugo2 is slightly more resolving, but it doesn't present a significant improvement over the 2Qute, like it does when compared to the Mojo. I had to listen long and hard to spot the differences. Bass is slightly less "bloated," more refined, and I can spot a bit more detail. That being said, I am strongly considering leaving my 2Qute exactly where it is and using Hugo2 for portable use exclusively. This says alot about the 2Qute. Tremendous value DAC in my opinion.

What input did you use to the CH2, e.g. was it USB or optical when you did the comparison ?

 

[maxh22]

Thanks to both Guerph & Ruben D for your comparisons between the CH2 and 2Qute, you may have saved me some money. I thought the CH2 would be quite a bit better than the 2Qute. I'll probably will now get a used 2Qute (or even a used Chord TT) instead of the Chord Hugo 2 since I was only really ever after a desktop solution i.e. Dac/Pre to use with my power amp and speakers.

I would wait for more impressions from more users before coming to a definite conclusion. A/B tests are never the way to go, they may reveal minor differences in the short term but given time once comes to realize the whole is greater than the sum. I remember reading on the Dave thread one user bought a Dave and couldn't hear much difference when compared to Mojo in their speaker setup, I think with more time his thoughts have changed. Hugo 2's preamp is incredibly transparent and the PRAT makes the VTL 5.5 pre seem almost sluggish in comparison. Cymbals, drums, guitars, are rendered so beautifully and realistically that they have given me many What moments, blurring the line between what is digital and what is real. Of course, every system is not the same and the overall synergy and transparency of the system will have a lot to do with how the system sounds, YMMV.

 

[x RELIC x]

I would wait for more impressions from more users before coming to a definite conclusion. A/B tests are never the way to go, they may reveal minor differences in the short term but given time once comes to realize the whole is greater than the sum. I remember reading on the Dave thread one user bought a Dave and couldn't hear much difference when compared to Mojo in their speaker setup, I think with more time his thoughts have changed. Hugo 2's preamp is incredibly transparent and the PRAT makes the VTL 5.5 pre seem almost sluggish in comparison. Cymbals, drums, guitars, are rendered so beautifully and realistically that they have given me many What moments, blurring the line between what is digital and what is real. Of course, every system is not the same and the overall synergy and transparency of the system will have a lot to do with how the system sounds, YMMV.

I would agree, short a/b is difficult to get a hold of overall differences. I typically listen for a period of a few days to new gear and then go back the old gear and that's where the differences jump out at me.

The Hugo 2's preamp is nothing more than digital volume control, so, yeah, it's transparent because it isn't there < winkface >.

 

[maxh22]

I would agree, short a/b is difficult to get a hold of overall differences. I typically listen for a period of a few days to new gear and then go back the old gear and that's where the differences jump out at me.

The Hugo 2's preamp is nothing more than digital volume control, so, yeah, it's transparent because it isn't there < winkface >.

I forgot to add that I'm using Hugo 2 into the VTL's Tube Buffer Mode, so it isn't direct to power amps since the system is otherwise fully balanced. The volume is entirely controlled using the Hugo 2 via the remote but it's still connected to the pre which outputs a balanced signal to the amps.

I have been testing with the ISO REGEN and Curious USB and I'm not gonna say anything conclusive yet but let's just say a lot of the 'body' I reported to be missing when compared to the Lampi has been brought back along with a "you can almost reach out and touch the music" kind of sound with impeccable timing . This is just after a couple days of listening so I'm gonna be testing over the coming days and weeks to see how consistent this effect is.

 

[jaspal kallar]

I would wait for more impressions from more users before coming to a definite conclusion. A/B tests are never the way to go, they may reveal minor differences in the short term but given time once comes to realize the whole is greater than the sum. I remember reading on the Dave thread one user bought a Dave and couldn't hear much difference when compared to Mojo in their speaker setup, I think with more time his thoughts have changed. Hugo 2's preamp is incredibly transparent and the PRAT makes the VTL 5.5 pre seem almost sluggish in comparison. Cymbals, drums, guitars, are rendered so beautifully and realistically that they have given me many What moments, blurring the line between what is digital and what is real. Of course, every system is not the same and the overall synergy and transparency of the system will have a lot to do with how the system sounds, YMMV.

Yeah your are right, I should really wait for impressions but maybe in a speaker setup as tested by Guerph & Ruben D, then the differences are not that much between the 2Qute and CH2 but as you say "overall synergy and transparency of the system will have a lot to do with how the system sounds".

One things though. What if one uses the USB input to the CH2, that being not galvanized (but is on the 2Qute) and in "theory" could result in inferior sound, plausible ?