[InstantSilence]

It's Just too forward with impact on some tracks. Like upper bass... Idk something about the H2 is fatiguing in a weird way, not treble related.

I guess I'm at a crossroad yet again, I enjoy the detail and resolution and clarity.
But it's too much to get to lay back and have a few hrs of chilling.
About an hr is all I can take. And my când are some of the best in sense of non fatiguing sound...

Its a shame. The filters and xphd help and hurt it at the same time.
Idk. Maybe the tt2 fixes it maybe not...

 

[edwardsean]

It's Just too forward with impact on some tracks. Like upper bass... Idk something about the H2 is fatiguing in a weird way, not treble related.

I guess I'm at a crossroad yet again, I enjoy the detail and resolution and clarity.
But it's too much to get to lay back and have a few hrs of chilling.
About an hr is all I can take. And my când are some of the best in sense of non fatiguing sound...

Its a shame. The filters and xphd help and hurt it at the same time.
Idk. Maybe the tt2 fixes it maybe not...

You may be responding to additional noise and the graininess that brings. You may want to look at possible solutions people have used on this thread to get the cleanest connectivity.

I know Chord genuinely believes in their products, with good reason, but no gear is truly immune to EMI/RFI.

For myself, I've "isolated" the H2 by using audio files from the 2Go SD Card exclusively. I'm quite happy, but we all hear things differently.

 

[InstantSilence]

You may be responding to additional noise and the graininess that brings. You may want to look at possible solutions people have used on this thread to get the cleanest connectivity.

I know Chord genuinely believes in their products, with good reason, but no gear is truly immune to EMI/RFI.

For myself, I've "isolated" the H2 by using audio files from the 2Go SD Card exclusively. I'm quite happy, but we all hear things differently.

Does connecting to it via Wi-Fi with 2go also gives it Rf ect? Is local SD card the safest way?

 

[MacedonianHero]

An objectively neutral amp would be a revolution. But I don't believe it. Moreover, there's no gain in adding gain if you don't need more power. The most direct signal path is the best, and Chord DACs are designed with this virtue. It would be a shame to give it up just for a coloration induced by harmonic distortion and interpreted as «better control» or higher dynamics. For tayloring the sound to your liking or compensating for your headphone's tonal flaws better use a good equalizer!

Thanks...I was going to respond, but you've covered it better than I could have.

 

[edwardsean]

Does connecting to it via Wi-Fi with 2go also gives it Rf ect? Is local SD card the safest way?

Many hold to the belief that as long as you have a bitperfect signal, as you do in Wifi, there is no difference. However, it's not so simple. I wish it were, and Wifi streaming will be degraded signal. These degradations can be subtly fatiguing.

 

[InstantSilence]

Many hold to the belief that as long as you have a bitperfect signal, as you do in Wifi, there is no difference. However, it's not so simple. I wish it were, and Wifi streaming will be degraded signal. These degradations can be subtly fatiguing.

So SD playback is best possible feed to H2?

 

[Progisus]

So SD playback is best possible feed to H2?

That’s true for mojo/poly so it is safe to assume that for H2.

 

[edwardsean]

An objectively neutral amp would be a revolution. But I don't believe it. Moreover, there's no gain in adding gain if you don't need more power. The most direct signal path is the best, and Chord DACs are designed with this virtue. It would be a shame to give it up just for a coloration induced by harmonic distortion and interpreted as «better control» or higher dynamics. For tayloring the sound to your liking or compensating for your headphone's tonal flaws better use a good equalizer!

Boy, we've been having this discussion for a long time, and, I'm not tired of it either. It's worth having, if for no other reason, newer Chord users.

I'm team Watts/team transparency/team "let's not confuse noise and distortion with better SQ." Artificially "excited" sound is not the same thing as naturally exciting sound. Give me the latter please.

However, an external amp is not total degradation. Apart from power, there is one thing an external amp can do and that is add soundstage. You can debate whether that is accurate soundstage, and also, the added soundstage is "permanently on." However, for phones that are closed in and narrow in width, a spacious balanced amp can open it up. Yes, you trade transparency, accuracy, resolution, detail, delicacy, etc. etc. But, there are some soundstage fanatics that make that trade. And, are they not human? Do they not bleed?

Again, please don't judge me, same side.

 

[edwardsean]

That’s true for mojo/poly so it is safe to assume that for H2.

Using H2, I'd say so too.

 

[Clemmaster]

An objectively neutral amp would be a revolution. But I don't believe it. Moreover, there's no gain in adding gain if you don't need more power. The most direct signal path is the best, and Chord DACs are designed with this virtue. It would be a shame to give it up just for a coloration induced by harmonic distortion and interpreted as «better control» or higher dynamics. For tayloring the sound to your liking or compensating for your headphone's tonal flaws better use a good equalizer!

That's the thing: Hugo 2 doesn't meet my preferred signature with any of the headphones I own, while other, lesser measuring amps do work better with many headphones. Not everybody wants to end up with a HD-650 as the only option, however great they are.

Also: don't Hugo TT2 and Hugo 2 have the same measured frequency response when measured? Yet the TT2 is said to be warmer and fuller sounding. Equalization can only get you so far.

 

[InstantSilence]

That's the thing: Hugo 2 doesn't meet my preferred signature with any of the headphones I own, while other, lesser measuring amps do work better with many headphones. Not everybody wants to end up with a HD-650 as the only option, however great they are.

Also: don't Hugo TT2 and Hugo 2 have the same measured frequency response when measured? Yet the TT2 is said to be warmer and fuller sounding. Equalization can only get you so far.

What is your preferred signature?
I enjoy the Hugo 2 transparency, detail and friends. But find it too forward at times. But I believe it's just due to the gobbs of detail...

 

[JaZZ]

Boy, we've been having this discussion for a long time, and, I'm not tired of it either. It's worth having, if for no other reason, newer Chord users.

I'm team Watts/team transparency/team "let's not confuse noise and distortion with better SQ." Artificially "excited" sound is not the same thing as naturally exciting sound. Give me the latter please.

However, an external amp is not total degradation. Apart from power, there is one thing an external amp can do and that is add soundstage. You can debate whether that is accurate soundstage, and also, the added soundstage is "permanently on." However, for phones that are closed in and narrow in width, a spacious balanced amp can open it up. Yes, you trade transparency, accuracy, resolution, detail, delicacy, etc. etc. But, there are some soundstage fanatics that make that trade. And, are they not human? Do they not bleed?

Again, please don't judge me, same side.

I don't agree on the soundstage: In my experience it is best reproduced with maximum transparency. That's why I would never use one of my headphone amps anymore. But maybe what you mean is opulence, phatness, sonic colors painted with a broader brush... This for I would rather recommend a sound enhancing plugin à la (tube) amp emulator and the like, which would offer higher flexibility (and creativity) than a $1500 one-trick sound enhancer. Of course I understand that it's not easy to free oneself from the inner conviction of an objective benefit from the added amplifier, so you may interpret my suggestion as sarcastic – which it isn't.

That's the thing: Hugo 2 doesn't meet my preferred signature with any of the headphones I own, while other, lesser measuring amps do work better with many headphones. Not everybody wants to end up with a HD-650 as the only option, however great they are.

Also: don't Hugo TT2 and Hugo 2 have the same measured frequency response when measured? Yet the TT2 is said to be warmer and fuller sounding. Equalization can only get you so far.

What are you talking about, my friend! Equalizing can bring you very far when it comes to tonal balance and characteristic, farther than euphonic harmonic distortion. And if you really need those, there are better, more flexible solutions than amplifiers (see above!). And yes, since neutral sounding electronics are just a theoretical ideal, even the objectively best representatives will show some individual colorations; that's why the different Chord DACs don't sound identical, despite quasi-perfect measurements. Now you can either choose the one with a tonal characteristic matching your headphone(s) or your personal preference or the one with the best price-performance ratio with the goal to adapt it to your needs via equalizing. Or via sound-enhancing plugin if need be.

 

[edwardsean]

I don't agree on the soundstage: In my experience it is best reproduced with maximum transparency. That's why I would never use one of my headphone amps anymore. But maybe what you mean is opulence, phatness, sonic colors painted with a broader brush... This for I would rather recommend a sound enhancing plugin à la (tube) amp emulator and the like, which would offer higher flexibility (and creativity) than a $1500 one-trick sound enhancer. Of course I understand that it's not easy to free oneself from the inner conviction of an objective benefit from the added amplifier, so you may interpret my suggestion as sarcastic – which it isn't.

I'm not sure if you quite understood where I was coming from. It's hard to disagree with me when I agree with you. I also think the best experience is "reproduced with maximum transparency." I think I said as much: "I'm team transparency." I go for maximum performance in hardware and I also use software, e.g., convolution, EQ, etc. to change sonic characteristics while maintaining that maximum transparency.

My point about soundstage was not that it's "better" with an amp, but that it can be "bigger." I think you do agree with that, right? My Moon Neo 430HAD had a bigger soundstage, again, not necessarily better, but definitely bigger than my Hugo2 alone.

But... I just sold it, because, I'm with you, I prefer H2 alone and to gain soundstage by other means, e.g., convolution and upsampling. And... by adding a Chord DAVE.

 

[JaZZ]

It's all good, Edward!

 

[edwardsean]

It's all good, Edward!

No. Say you agree with me. Say it....

Totally kidding (big fat grin).