You have a point Christer. However the Chord products outgun other products, because they use a more powerful processing system. That puts demand on the Chord product battery life, that other DAPs do not have. Therefor not having a screen on the device is a effectively a potential plus in this case. That all of course depends on how well it works with the phone and app. … I know if I were out an about with Hugo 2/2Go, I would prefer to keep it in a bag. Not be getting it out to change music or volume.
The benefit may comes form using the 2Go in bettered sound quality. What Rob said about getting good sound from files played from his phone was made pre-2Go. Therefor he may prefer a 2Go. No idea about that of course, as it's speculation. However Hugo 2 sound quality was never under speculation, from pretty much any source. Rob implemented noise filtering on the USB input to Hugo 2, so it was pretty much source equal.
I personally tried a quick USB / optical listening test with Hugo. Can't say I heard any change. I suppose a longer listening of one source then a week later change, would have been necessary.
I don't have a smartphone yet. I have my eye on two though, and will finally make the jump.
Hello GreenBow, it seems we're a bit in the same boat as far as smartphones are concerned you and me. And you mentioned a quite credible reason for Chord's not including a control screen on at least one of the two new toys.
The reason for this imho very unfortunate omission could very well be that it would drain the battery if there are batteries in these two as well as in H2?
But if there are batteries in them have they learnt the lesson of H1 at all or is it still the same story?
Send to us at your own cost for battery exchange?
If that is still the case I must say I find it very unpalatable indeed.
And I hope that potential buyers are taking that fact into account before comitting to buy.
And regarding battery drainage, unless I am misinformed there are already DAPs from some Asian companies that have similar computational power demands as say a H2 ,but maybe not HMS yet.
The recently discussed FIO M15 is also an fpga based product that plays up to 32/768khz if I remember correctly.
Whether it sounds as good as a H2 on its own or a H2 with the 2GO remains to be known.
But as far as functionality it and some products from AK for example, are more complete products in their own right than the H2/2GO/2You from Chord seem to be from my point of view.
And my wish to have a portable unit that sounds at least as good as H2 and hopefully BETTER with all I need already onboard.
AND without the need for smartphone control which I suppose not only forces the user to control via a smartphone but also to download apps that are an additonal cost and/or something the user will have to pay monthly bills to to be able to use at all.
I want to avoid as much as possible of these constantly growing binding subscription based solutions that especially the younger generation happily get hooked on and willingly pay for.
The latest admittedly unrelated to audio but still stupid add, I saw on this hate subject of mine read:
"Don't buy your goggles
rent them from us!"
My three main ways of playing back the music I SOO MUCH LOVE are via LPs, CDs and downloads and occasional Youtube videos or other free of charge streams from many sources within the categories of music I mainly listen to Western and Eastern classical music, via my mbp/Qutest /HMS.
My 4th and growing musical addiction is to actually play music at my piano which I bought second hand for 100€ including home delivery!
No app needed!
But it would be nice to listen to music in the garden in summer without having to lug my laptop with me.
Or temporarily employ movers to move that heavy beast,mein Klavier, into the garden if I would want to play the Moonlight Sonata outdoors on a hot summer evening.
And since Chord does not seem to cater to my needs the way I want them to, I keep my fingers crossed that the often cheaper and more consumer oriented Asian competition is catching up with Chord's imho ONE AND ONLY real advantage over the others
RW's Mscaling tech.
If you haven't heard the HMS in action yet, I recommend you to do so asap. It can turn digital into very enjoyable music listening imho.
Cheers CC