mt-hifidelity
500+ Head-Fier
How would you characterize the differences between the Cube and the Hugo2?
Astell&Kern KANN CUBE
- Thread starter JasonNYC
- Start date
-
- Tags
- astell&kern kann kann cube
How would you characterize the differences between the Cube and the Hugo2?
Interest check to see if anyone wants to buy my XLR cable for KANN CUBE. I had it custom made after I pre-ordered my KANN CUBE with thoughts of connecting it to my Massdrop x THX AAA 789. As always in this hobby though, plans changed and I ended up picking up a Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R in the recent second drop to pair with the 789 instead. In reality I'm never going to connect the CUBE to the desktop amp for my use case, so this might as well go to a better home. Specs:
Wire is Canare L-4E6S Star Quad sleeved with techflex
Mini-XLR 5pin female is Rean
2x XLR 3pin male are Neutrik
Length 1M
I did plug it in and confirmed it works. I used the KANN CUBE standalone as well as a USB DAC connected to my Intel NUC running Roon. Kinda neat using it that way and can't wait for full Roon support *cough cough*
Asking $45 shipped CONUS. PM me if interested.
EDIT: SOLD.
Wire is Canare L-4E6S Star Quad sleeved with techflex
Mini-XLR 5pin female is Rean
2x XLR 3pin male are Neutrik
Length 1M
I did plug it in and confirmed it works. I used the KANN CUBE standalone as well as a USB DAC connected to my Intel NUC running Roon. Kinda neat using it that way and can't wait for full Roon support *cough cough*
Asking $45 shipped CONUS. PM me if interested.
EDIT: SOLD.
Last edited:
marcan
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2004
- Posts
- 643
- Likes
- 153
And did you compare the Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R with The DAC of the Kann Cube?
Last edited:
hey, the Chord Hugo 2 ,is a digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier, the Astell&Kern Kann Cube DAP MUSIC PLAYER has a Dual DAC ( The ESS SABRE PRO series of Digital-to-Analog Converters) and accurate playback of native 32bit/384kHz audio, also the CUBE offers 3 different power output options of High / Mid / Low, which can drive any headphone with unprecedented power - 12Vrms for Balanced output and 6Vrms for Unbalanced output, and a Open APP Service for music streaming option.etc etc.
there are some reviews about the Cube check them out the same for the Hugo2.
i haven't got it yet will be a while here in Germany
Easy Cowboy, are you serious ?? a hired gun or a hired help What ?. If the way i express myself with some passion and enthusiasm about finally finding technology like the Atell&kern Cube, and the IEM campfire Andromeda ,that can match my sound signature,
i am in Heaven man !!!
anyhow, I'll give it to you, made me laugh.
DanDorn
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2013
- Posts
- 154
- Likes
- 94
I bought the Kann Cube this past weekend and I've yet to receive it (want it so bad I can tase it), and I've always liked the original Kann sound signature. The Hugo 2 is another story, and quite problematic for me in terms of sound signature because it made headphones sound bright that I didn't consider bright. Check out the URL; this article nails it I think.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17273218/chord-hugo-2-review-dac-headphone-amplifier
Wow, i do envy you, mine is going to take a while, ( sold out) i did try it at the high end audio expo here in Munich and it did blow me away, specially when i try it with my Shure SE846 earphones all that power you’ll be surprised of how excellent the CUBE makes them sound. The sound is full bodied, dynamic and powerful. It has plenty of detail with an excellent sound stage width and depth and the layering is top You can be sure you’ve never heard them like that before from any other DAP. The KANN CUBE does something magical to your gear, and I for one love it.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Posts
- 28,349
- Likes
- 32,183
Chord and their stuff are FPGA based, so with each firmware, the sound will be drastically changed. I am not too sure about the fact that Hugo2 is that horrible with trebles as I have tested with a couple of Chord stuff including DAVE. The only thing that I am not and never happy about Chord is the fact that they use a lot of Digital Signal Processing and mask up too much errors, which could result in either 3 of these compromises (grainy treble and or edges textures, Uneven-spatial rendered of soundstage, or missing details). With all due respect, neither of those 3 are going to be observed if you are not seeking for it or have experienced enough to tell them apart as they were meant to be “a mask”, similar to what MP3 are...masking and trimming away info that is deemed unobservable by human, which I never agreed with....and in fact I quit this hobby when IPod were the king and iTunes were the queen
The 3 things Chord do right is the Build and appearances, the propriety FPGA coding, the analog like signatures which horribly plague the digital worlds. Beside Chord, there is virtually no one who can strike for the analog signature like, until Sony is back into it game just recently
mt-hifidelity
500+ Head-Fier
Right, but I meant the difference in sound quality. I've owned a few Chord and A&K products and currently use the Hugo2 and SP1000M as my go-to portable sources with IEMs. They both provide good resolution and dynamics, but I find the Hugo edges toward a sterile sound.
I'm looking for something that can drive the Diana Phi well or even the full-size Abyss Phi. Neither the Hugo or SP1000M brings out the best in the Dianna. I was not a fan of the original Kann compared to the SP1000 or SP1000M, but am intrigued by the Cube's redesigned dac and amp section. If it pairs well with the Diana then I'm all in.
i just checked the Abyss Diana headphone specs and the Impedance is 40 ohms, my Sennheisser are 300 ohms and the Cube can drive them to a different level, the beauty of The CUBE is the AMP
has 3 gain settings and the numbers are as follows:
[High]
Unbalance 6 Vrms
Balance 12 Vrms
(Condition No Load)
[Mid]
Unbalance 4 Vrms
Balance 8 Vrms
(Condition No Load)
[Low]
Unbalance 2 Vrms
Balance 4 Vrms
(Condition No Load)
that is a lots of power, check it out at a dealer near you before you buy it .
stay in touch.
mt-hifidelity
500+ Head-Fier
I have a feeling the Kann Cube will put out plenty of power but I wish I was good at doing the math to convert the Vrms in terms of wattage... Any idea how it compares to the Hugo2's 740mW into 32 Ohms?
I did very briefly, but not enough to draw any major conclusions. Both are new to me so I don't have much experience with either just yet.
Sorry but you still will need a Hi-res audio player
Are you planning to use your Hugo 2 to power your home Full range speakers?? Sorry but you still will need a Hi-res audio player.
mt-hifidelity
500+ Head-Fier
Hi res audio player... I have a few. I'm not sure what you are saying @TigerAlex. My question is can the Kann Cube perform adequately so I don't have to bring along a dedicated portable/transportable amp.
Users who are viewing this thread
