Now that I am home, I am able to mix and match my gear to see what happens. I had such good luck with Hugo 2 + C9 via USB set up to my laptop that I just had to try it with my Bluesound Node 2i streamer. As expected, getting rid of USB really raised the level of the Hugo 2 + C9. I connect the Node 2i via optical input. The sound stage increased and the bass response deepened. The sound is more 3D. Punch and slam improves quite a bit. The best part of it is that the Node 2i supports Tidal Connect, so I can control the music with my iPhone either using the BluOS app or the Tidal app directly. I haven't tried it with my 2Go yet. This set up is just so perfect.
As a side exercise, I bought a THX AAA 789 amp to see how well it pairs with my Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC. Wow. This set up rocks and it's a matter of preference which set up is better.
Node 2i + Bifrost 2 + THX AAA 789 vs. Node 2i + Hugo 2 + C9. The full sized desktop solution is way cheaper with a retail price of $549 + $699 + $320 vs $549 + $2495 + $1995 or $1568 vs $5039. The THX solution has far greater power, sound stage and transparency. The C9 solution is warmer and has tube sound. So, depending on your headphones, you may prefer one over the other. For instance, for my Custom LX, the C9 solution is better because I can put it into tube mode and get that really deep sub bass rumble. The THX solution is far better with the Focal Clear headphones. The greater sound stage compensates for the lack of sound stage with these headphones. And, since the Clears are already warm, it doesn't lose much pairing with a more transparent source. I was finally able to make the Clears sound good with the Hugo 2 + C9, but it required significant EQ. On the Hugo 2 + C9, the Clears take on an L-shaped sound signature with overloaded bass and really recessed treble and stage. So, EQing them to Harmon corrected this and the sound great with it
Here are the Parametric settings I used. Notice the significant boost in the treble.
Preamp: -6.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 24 Hz Gain 6.1 dB Q 1.03
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 2277 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 2.35
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 4658 Hz Gain 7.0 dB Q 1.46
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 9687 Hz Gain 8.8 dB Q 0.54
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 14961 Hz Gain -7.6 dB Q 0.06
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 178 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 1.16
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 588 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.44
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5373 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 5.50
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 6010 Hz Gain -2.3 dB Q 3.77
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6832 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 5.80
Fortunately, this is not required with the THX solution.
After initial testing, I am concluding that for full sized headphones, the C9 can sufficiently drive them and make them sound good, but a true desktop solution provides the better overall performance both absolutely and from a price-performance point of view. I think the best use case for the C9 is transportable solution for mainly IEMs and some headphones. But, to drive full sized headphones, full desktop solution is the way to go. The full desktop solution is likely to blow away the C9 solution when I add a full sized tube amp like a ZMF Pendant SE. And, at a retail price of $1995, it will still be significantly cheaper than the transportable C9 solution. There is a significant cost of portability. Your use cases will determine if the price difference is worth it to you.
![20240807_162433[1].jpg](https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/12463575.jpg)
