Chord Electronics - Hugo 2 - The Official Thread

[NickT23]

This sound quality is unacceptable to me. Sorry, but I can't help you.

Fair enough. But it would be interesting because I want to see your impression, the testing only last about 5 minutes in fact. Especially with the Hugo2 + Ananda. So please !
Are you using RCA out amp or just the Hugo2 ?

 

[Dalmonegrig]

Fair enough. But it would be interesting because I want to see your impression, the testing only last about 5 minutes in fact. Especially with the Hugo2 + Ananda. So please !
Are you using RCA out amp or just the Hugo2 ?

Sorry Spotify and Youtube require registration, I won't.
I am using the 6.35 headphone output.
Onkyo Granbeat DP-CMX1 + USB Audio Player Pro (TIDAL) => HiFiMAN Ananda kit, also suitable for listening to music.

 

[miketlse]

Do you listen to your Ananda and Hugo2 to poor quality music as well like me on platform such as Spotify and Youtube ?

I am still going through the exercise for you, of comparing my DT 770 250 ohms and Aeon Flow Closed for you.

Preliminary results are:

			Comments​
Source	Cable	Music/Artist	DT 770 250 ohms	Aeon Flow closed
	usb
internet radio	optical		Both listenable, with not a lot to choose between them
spotify
youtube	optical		Having already heard tracks from the album, several times on internet radio during recent weeks, there was something missing with this performance. Initially I thought that it was the large velvet curtain, deadening and veiling the sound signature.	Switching to these headphones, the 'veiling' was gone, but maybe the faintest deadening from the curtain remained. Overall I prefer these headphones.
	optical	Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz

I haven't tried spotify yet, but certainly there is no problem with the quality of well recorded music on Youtube.
After feeling that there was 'something missing' when using the beyers, I read this post to try and get some clues. There are plenty of mentions of the DT 770 V shaped sound signature, and bloated bass.
That has set me wondering whether the 'something missing', was the recessed midrange frequencies.

I know that Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz is well recorded, and there are some of the drum sections that 'stop me in my tracks' because they sound so good, regardless of whether I am using internet radio or CD, and the Aeon flow Closed or floorstanding speakers. This album will be a good test of that V shaped sound signature, plus the bloated bass.

At least the above will give me a baseline, using well recorded music, from multiple sources.
Then I can revisit some of the music using spotify.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Decided to bring my Hugo 2/Utopia setup with me to work yesterday, knowing I'd be stuck in front of my PC all day. My setup has spent 98% of its life (3 years at this point) at home and on a charger in desktop mode (I also always shut the Hugo 2 off when not in use).

I was pretty impressed when it was still going after a little over 7 hours of driving the Utopia at decent volume. Desktop mode really seems to preserve the battery life.

 

[NickT23]

Sorry Spotify and Youtube require registration, I won't.
I am using the 6.35 headphone output.
Onkyo Granbeat DP-CMX1 + USB Audio Player Pro (TIDAL) => HiFiMAN Ananda kit, also suitable for listening to music.

Both dont need registration, cant remember for spotify. And when I say youtube, I dont mean Youtube Music. Just go to youtube and listen to random music track.

 

[NickT23]

Decided to bring my Hugo 2/Utopia setup with me to work yesterday, knowing I'd be stuck in front of my PC all day. My setup has spent 98% of its life (3 years at this point) at home and on a charger in desktop mode (I also always shut the Hugo 2 off when not in use).

I was pretty impressed when it was still going after a little over 7 hours of driving the Utopia at decent volume. Desktop mode really seems to preserve the battery life.

What do you listen on your desktop in office ? Spotify ?

 

[dontfeedphils]

What do you listen on your desktop in office ? Spotify ?

A combination of Tidal and local files via Roon.

 

[NickT23]

I am still going through the exercise for you, of comparing my DT 770 250 ohms and Aeon Flow Closed for you.

Preliminary results are:

			Comments​
Source	Cable	Music/Artist	DT 770 250 ohms	Aeon Flow closed
	usb
internet radio	optical		Both listenable, with not a lot to choose between them
spotify
youtube	optical		Having already heard tracks from the album, several times on internet radio during recent weeks, there was something missing with this performance. Initially I thought that it was the large velvet curtain, deadening and veiling the sound signature.	Switching to these headphones, the 'veiling' was gone, but maybe the faintest deadening from the curtain remained. Overall I prefer these headphones.
	optical	Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz

I haven't tried spotify yet, but certainly there is no problem with the quality of well recorded music on Youtube.
After feeling that there was 'something missing' when using the beyers, I read this post to try and get some clues. There are plenty of mentions of the DT 770 V shaped sound signature, and bloated bass.
That has set me wondering whether the 'something missing', was the recessed midrange frequencies.

I know that Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz is well recorded, and there are some of the drum sections that 'stop me in my tracks' because they sound so good, regardless of whether I am using internet radio or CD, and the Aeon flow Closed or floorstanding speakers. This album will be a good test of that V shaped sound signature, plus the bloated bass.

At least the above will give me a baseline, using well recorded music, from multiple sources.
Then I can revisit some of the music using spotify.

Ok noted. Much appreciated. All of those using the Hugo 2 without any RCA out right ? Am more interested in your usage from micro usb to type A and make sure your testing are stock cables. Your impression does not need to be 100% truth. I would like to give my impression as well. We pm together !

 

[NickT23]

A combination of Tidal and local files via Roon.

Do you mind if you test Youtube and Spotify with your Hugo2 and Utopia ? Want to see your impression.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Do you mind if you test Youtube and Spotify with your Hugo2 and Utopia ? Want to see your impression.

I don't quite understand why you're so interested in this? It sounds worse, you lose out on may things including resolution, imaging, and staging properties. It sounds congested and compressed.

If one is investing > $2k in a fancy DAC/Amp why feed it data that is less than?

 

[NickT23]

I don't quite understand why you're so interested in this? It sounds worse, you lose out on may things including resolution, imaging, and staging properties. It sounds congested and compressed.

If one is investing > $2k in a fancy DAC/Amp why feed it data that is less than?

To see the difference with cheaper DAC/Amp with different scalability of headphones. Because with certain headphones it sounds similar with cheap and expensive DAC/Amp and with other possible combination of variables. Also, some tracks are decent and some are high quality for youtube and spotify. Also these two platform are the best when it comes to interface and wide range of music as well as rare music/soundtrack taken from video games, TV shows, movies and random soundtrack while not necessary music.

 

[dontfeedphils]

To see the difference with cheaper DAC/Amp with different scalability of headphones. Because with certain headphones it sounds similar with cheap and expensive DAC/Amp and with other possible combination of variables. Also, some tracks are decent and some are high quality for youtube and spotify. Also these two platform are the best when it comes to interface and wide range of music as well as rare music/soundtrack taken from video games, TV shows, movies and random soundtrack while not necessary music.

The more revealing the system the starker the difference will be between quality sources like Tidal/Qobuz/red-book and up local files and less than sources like Spotify and especially YouTube.

 

[NickT23]

The more revealing the system the starker the difference will be between quality sources like Tidal/Qobuz/red-book and up local files and less than sources like Spotify and especially YouTube.

Yes I know that. But am very interested in high end headphone such as the Utopia with Hugo 2 on low quality music through Spotify and Youtube.

Also another thing and this is because I have HD6XX and with both higher end amp/dac and lower end amp/dac sound similar on both Spotify and Youtube somewhat to the point its not worth noting which one sound better over the other. And to me they dont sound good. However, I am yet to compare and contrast if they do make a difference on Tidal and other higher quality tracks. My Hugo2 dont make any difference to the O2 O dac even on higher quality tracks from Spotify and Youtube. Not good enough but some are pretty decent and somewhat high quality.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Yes I know that. But am very interested in high end headphone such as the Utopia with Hugo 2 on low quality music through Spotify and Youtube.

Also another thing and this is because I have HD6XX and with both higher end amp/dac and lower end amp/dac sound similar on both Spotify and Youtube somewhat to the point its not worth noting which one sound better over the other. And to me they dont sound good. However, I am yet to compare and contrast if they do make a difference on Tidal and other higher quality tracks. My Hugo2 dont make any difference to the O2 O dac even on higher quality tracks from Spotify and Youtube. Not good enough but some are pretty decent and somewhat high quality.

HD6XX are great cans for the money, and they tend to "scale" well, but they're far from the most revealing pair of headphones.

Utopia tend to be source microscopes IME and the difference between quality source gear/material is typically stark. That's why I feed my system quality files via Roon and a quality digital transport.

 

[NickT23]

HD6XX are great cans for the money, and they tend to "scale" well, but they're far from the most revealing pair of headphones.

Utopia tend to be source microscopes IME and the difference between quality source gear/material is typically stark. That's why I feed my system quality files via Roon and a quality digital transport.

Thats why am curious and I want to know your impression for Utopia and Hugo2 on Spotify and Youtube. Please... The HD6XX to me sound exactly the same with the Hugo2 just as cheaper O2 Odac with the most probable factor of me listening to Youtube and Spotify. However as stated before, I am yet to compare and contrast with Tidal FLAC and other higher quality recorded music.