[Uberding]

Try a raspberry PI charger. Most deliver 3A

True.
I have one and it works but it’s USB-C and with a USB-C to micro USB adapter the connection is wonky as it seems to put stress on the input jack

 

[ErikV55]

You want the Hugo 2 power button LED to be white if 2 Go is connected.
It can take a minute or so for it to go from blue to white.
Blue indicates a 1 amp charge. White is 2 amp.
Before I had this figured out and only had blue it would eventually charge if idle but if I used it while charging it would drain the battery.
I can’t show you a pic cause mine is currently in desktop mode.

Edit to add: If you connect the new charger to just Hugo 2 do you see a white LED?

This isnt the combo you recommended btw. That will be here tomorrow. Tried with a different charger/cable I had. Charger is 45w so probably the cable. Got nothing on the actual power button marble other than its current level of charge color. So assuming same as before. 2go is fully charged, but hugo2 not charging at all.

Yes cable charging hugo2 directly I get the classic white charging led on power marble.

 

[technobear]

This isnt the combo you recommended btw. That will be here tomorrow. Tried with a different charger/cable I had. Charger is 45w so probably the cable. Got nothing on the actual power button marble other than its current level of charge color. So assuming same as before. 2go is fully charged, but hugo2 not charging at all.

Yes cable charging hugo2 directly I get the classic white charging led on power marble.

This sounds to me like 2Go is not making a good contact with Hugo2 at the charging port.

I may be wrong but I seem to remember that Hugo2 is supposed to charge first and then 2Go charges after. I don't have a 2Go so can't verify that.

 

[Uberding]

This sounds to me like 2Go is not making a good contact with Hugo2 at the charging port.

I thought this too.
Since Hugo 2 charges on it’s own I wonder if the output connector on 2Go is loose, dirty or worn?

 

[Tanalasta]

You can use almost any charger. I often use a GAN multi-port charger and the Hugo2 / 2Go will draw what it needs. My understanding is if there is enough power, the 2Go will pass 2A onto the Hugo2 (white LED). Usually I just charge overnight. The leather 2Go/Hugo2 case works well to keep the two together.

It doesn't take long to get used to the coloured orbs and if it bothers you, there is the remote control.

Whilst we all agree the internals and sound are stellar ; 4.4mm and USB-C as well as updated bluetooth/wi-fi implementation are where most of us expect the Hugo 3 to be. And hopefully with the technical DAC aspects of the TT2. Whether we will see it is soon another question. The Hugo 2 performance has and always been exactly what it has always been. The unmistakable Chord signature and a DAC that is better than the vast majority of the market.

I use mine as a Roon Ready 2Go/Hugo2 transportable at home for IEM's and for that purpose it is very, very capable.

 

[ErikV55]

I thought this too.
Since Hugo 2 charges on it’s own I wonder if the output connector on 2Go is loose, dirty or worn?

Well i'm dumb. Seems I wasn't ensuring the USB for power was pushed in all the way? When I was pushing the set up back into my case I heard almost a click. I then plugged it into my charger and hugo2 is charging as expected through 2go.

 

[584585]

Update:

The supply chains for the large Super Capacitors have dried up so I'm done until Summer Project 2025. I have to pace myself as I don't have the energy for this hobby anymore. But the good news is the Hugo₂ runs fine with the Large Super Capacitors. I just have to scale so I'm hoping 2 X (8 Large Super Capacitors) for Summer Project 2025. It will be costly tho, but @ 30 times lower impedance than the Hugo TT₂ it should be a worthwhile endeavor.

So for now, I'm running 2 X (4 18650) with re-terminated Solid Core Silver Wiring.



I cannot justify the time and money to go Hybrid (Extra Batteries + Super Caps (Aerogels)). That's going backwards, so I want to focus on the Large Super Caps.

So the extra batteries will help lower the PSU impedance for now over a single pair of batteries.

Previous Desktop Hugos were mentioned to increase SQ by 20%, but I'm not expecting much as Tech has improved and / or inherited from the legacy Hugos.

So my goal of creating a Hugo₂TT is concept proven. I just have to implement the Large Super Caps over time.

1. Done. I have Galvanic Isolation. Music is smooth as straight buttah with Soundstage Depth.
2. Not relevant as Balanced Output stage not needed in modern Chord DACs.
3. Beefed up with Extra Batteries until I can implement Super Caps.
4. I assuming the Hugo₂ has inherited this tech.
5. Not relevant.
6. Balanced OP not needed. Remote standard.
7. Not relevant.
8. Not relevant.
9. I assuming the Hugo₂ has inherited this tech or improved upon.

So I can prematurely label my desktop Hugo₂ a Hugo₂TT. The only thing left is to enable the Warm (Mojo) filter to truly emulate a HugoTT.

More good news in that I'm powering the USB decoding via Super Caps. Explained in next cross post.

 

[584585]

This is a cross post from another Chord Thread. Rob Watts commented on powering USB decoding significantly improving SQ. Lots of Toslink talk, so I made an opposing argument.

Indeed, how the USB decoding is powered makes substantial differences to sound quality.

Note: A bit off-topic as I'm applying this to other Chord DACs not the HMS.

Thank you for sharing this snippet. I'm assuming this applies across the board to the DACs and not just the HMS. I can't recall the manufacturer # for the USB chipset ATM for my Chord DAC to compare against the HMS USB chipset manufacturer #.

I H8ed USB for Audio with a passion, but now I quite enjoy because it sounds like Toslink after powering USB decoding with Off Mains Super Capacitors (Native 5V, no regulators, 30 times lower impedance than the TT₂ Super Caps, almost zero impedance and ~6000 Farads).

Initially, I pointed the SQ improvements at powering the length of the USB cable (10M/33 Feet). By giving it Nuclear Power Plant Clean Power (Super Capacitors), I thought it smoothed out the power over a long distance. But now with your comment, I believe I'm actually directly powering the USB chipset with sufficient power so that the USB chipset can do it's job optimally with a substantial increase in SQ. It's been in the back of my head of what is going on since beginning of 2024 so it makes sense now it's about directly powering USB decoding that made substantial difference in SQ and not smoothing out power over a long distance which was my previous theory.

So Many Thanks. I was stumped why I got USB to sound so good similar to Toslink that I'm seriously considering moving away from Toslink. I like to follow Strict Sound Fundamentals so sometimes it inadvertently pays off like in this case. I didn't plan on powering USB decoding. I didn't plan on having the purest Galvanic Isolation possible. I didn't plan on unlocking the "Soundstage Depth" feature in my transportable Chord DAC. It just inadvertently happened by staying Sound Fundamentally.

I tried this recently too as I'm scaling Super Caps ATM so I had to discharge all my Super Caps to 0V. It takes a good week to discharge. The USB was not bearable in this time. Once I scaled (double the time, 1/2 the already super, super low impedance), I was back in USB heaven. My production Super Caps are usually 24/7/365 so it was a painful downtime to discharge. Progress.

I've been very Pro-Toslink my entire Chord Life, but now I'm leaning Pro-USB given I'm properly powering the USB decoding. My Chord Philosophy is less is more. Give the Chord DAC a clean low latency signal integrity with clean Off Mains power and let the Chord DAC do it's magic. Get out of it's way. I see so many that add "more" such as software upsampling that would skew the graphs below. Less is More. Keep it Clean, get out of the Chord DACs way. The wrong algorithm with software upsampling and LPS will skew the Graphs below. One by adding small errors (software upsampling) and one by noise floor modulation (LPS). It's not even a Rob Watt's DAC anymore after software upsampling, it's a hybrid with tons of small errors by not using a Chord algorithm.



That's how I was able to unlock Soundstage Depth. By keeping the graphs above super tight and super clean so no small non-linearity signal errors. When you add "More", your just tricking your own Brain. My chain is completely 100% free of the tiniest of small non-linearity signal errors. The brain adapts. It took 6 weeks to unlock Soundstage Depth, so at that time I knew small non-linearity signal errors were no longer a factor. That's why I want to stick with USB and move away from Toslink. Toslink is just a complication.



Software upsampling, LPS, etc., your just tricking your brain with a plethora of small signal errors. The brain is a quantum computer, your just confusing it so it won't compute. The trick I learned over the years is to stop confusing the Brain by eliminating small signal errors by downsizing and letting the DAC do it's job.

-- RW comments --



--

Toslink for now is just more. If I can clean power the whole chain from end-2-end and keep it simple with USB, I think that is the optimal route. At least in my case, that's Plan A. With the facts and powering USB decoder is now an official thing, I think I'll stick to Plan A. Toslink will likely be a relic by the EOY. I'm the only one running Modern Toslink, not legacy Toslink too so it will be difficult to let go and move on but to stay fundamentally "Less is More" sound it should be the right thing to do.

Focus on 3/3. Once you add "More", your lucky to to get 1/3 or 2/3:


In conclusion, I get all the benefits of Toslink while maintaining all the benefits of USB. All Pros, No Cons. I also get the benefit of "Less Is More" and to keep things clean and tight. I decouple from the complication which is Toslink. A Zero variance Off Mains Chord chain. I wouldn't be able to unlock Soundstage Depth if there was a leak in the chain or if I induced small signal errors.

I'm glad too that the HMS₂ will apply across the board to other production Chord DACs and not just to the modern flagship.

EDIT: Oh, don't worry about the RF Thing-a-ma-jig. RF doesn't apply in my case because it is a certified USB Fibre Optic Cable which 100% decouples. My source is also powered by Off Mains Super Capacitors which 100% decouples so Off Mains Source doesn't apply either. Unfortunately, the Super Capacitor Supply Chain has dried up for at least the Summer, so I have to delay further projects for Summer 2025. Last time, the Supply Chain dried up for five years. Those EU Public Transportation Projects seem to be taking off as the demand is ridiculously high for Super Caps. Clean power tho is good for the environment. As a consumer, I can't compete against Industry for procuring Super Caps. But my Super Cap foundation is already solid, I just want to scale going forward. I'm looking to scale from 4 Large Super Caps to 8 Large Super Caps in 2025. Mission already accomplished by scaling 2 Large Super Caps to 4 Large Super Caps this Summer 2024. BTW, Music is super buttery smooth with this USB setup. Enough that it will melt. It's so smooth, I can loop a single track all day without flinching. What is surprising is I can play 384k over USB Fibre Optic while Toslink Fibre Optic maxes out at 192k with a Lifatec. I have yet to try 768k as it is a low priority.

 

[Infoseeker]

What's the best adopter 4.4mm in Hugo 2 for iem?

If you don't mind Aliexpress sellers, I've been using this guy's stuff.

Advertises as using Mundorf solder. But this is only important if you are picky about such things.

AkLIAM C1 Handmade 4.4mm to 6.35mm Balanced Male To Female Audio Adapter L Type Earphone Jack Converter
https://a.aliexpress.com/_oCoGqbG

Another's I use is the GuCraftsman stuff, because they advertise as using pure-copper (but plated over) plugs:
GUCraftsman 3.5mm Stereo Male to 4.4mm Balanced Female Portable Headphone Adapter Cable 6N Single Crystal Silver Headphone Jack Convert Cable for Audio Players with 3.5mm Ports https://a.co/d/hmCAszt
(Other companies use brass plugs that are plated)

 

[Boldakov]

What's the best adopter 4.4mm in Hugo 2 for iem?

PWaudio 1960s 4.4mm Hugo 2 adapter

 

[mbirand]

This is a cross post from another Chord Thread. Rob Watts commented on powering USB decoding significantly improving SQ. Lots of Toslink talk, so I made an opposing argument.



Note: A bit off-topic as I'm applying this to other Chord DACs not the HMS.

Thank you for sharing this snippet. I'm assuming this applies across the board to the DACs and not just the HMS. I can't recall the manufacturer # for the USB chipset ATM for my Chord DAC to compare against the HMS USB chipset manufacturer #.

I H8ed USB for Audio with a passion, but now I quite enjoy because it sounds like Toslink after powering USB decoding with Off Mains Super Capacitors (Native 5V, no regulators, 30 times lower impedance than the TT₂ Super Caps, almost zero impedance and ~6000 Farads).

Initially, I pointed the SQ improvements at powering the length of the USB cable (10M/33 Feet). By giving it Nuclear Power Plant Clean Power (Super Capacitors), I thought it smoothed out the power over a long distance. But now with your comment, I believe I'm actually directly powering the USB chipset with sufficient power so that the USB chipset can do it's job optimally with a substantial increase in SQ. It's been in the back of my head of what is going on since beginning of 2024 so it makes sense now it's about directly powering USB decoding that made substantial difference in SQ and not smoothing out power over a long distance which was my previous theory.

So Many Thanks. I was stumped why I got USB to sound so good similar to Toslink that I'm seriously considering moving away from Toslink. I like to follow Strict Sound Fundamentals so sometimes it inadvertently pays off like in this case. I didn't plan on powering USB decoding. I didn't plan on having the purest Galvanic Isolation possible. I didn't plan on unlocking the "Soundstage Depth" feature in my transportable Chord DAC. It just inadvertently happened by staying Sound Fundamentally.

I tried this recently too as I'm scaling Super Caps ATM so I had to discharge all my Super Caps to 0V. It takes a good week to discharge. The USB was not bearable in this time. Once I scaled (double the time, 1/2 the already super, super low impedance), I was back in USB heaven. My production Super Caps are usually 24/7/365 so it was a painful downtime to discharge. Progress.

I've been very Pro-Toslink my entire Chord Life, but now I'm leaning Pro-USB given I'm properly powering the USB decoding. My Chord Philosophy is less is more. Give the Chord DAC a clean low latency signal integrity with clean Off Mains power and let the Chord DAC do it's magic. Get out of it's way. I see so many that add "more" such as software upsampling that would skew the graphs below. Less is More. Keep it Clean, get out of the Chord DACs way. The wrong algorithm with software upsampling and LPS will skew the Graphs below. One by adding small errors (software upsampling) and one by noise floor modulation (LPS). It's not even a Rob Watt's DAC anymore after software upsampling, it's a hybrid with tons of small errors by not using a Chord algorithm.



That's how I was able to unlock Soundstage Depth. By keeping the graphs above super tight and super clean so no small non-linearity signal errors. When you add "More", your just tricking your own Brain. My chain is completely 100% free of the tiniest of small non-linearity signal errors. The brain adapts. It took 6 weeks to unlock Soundstage Depth, so at that time I knew small non-linearity signal errors were no longer a factor. That's why I want to stick with USB and move away from Toslink. Toslink is just a complication.



Software upsampling, LPS, etc., your just tricking your brain with a plethora of small signal errors. The brain is a quantum computer, your just confusing it so it won't compute. The trick I learned over the years is to stop confusing the Brain by eliminating small signal errors by downsizing and letting the DAC do it's job.

-- RW comments --



--

Toslink for now is just more. If I can clean power the whole chain from end-2-end and keep it simple with USB, I think that is the optimal route. At least in my case, that's Plan A. With the facts and powering USB decoder is now an official thing, I think I'll stick to Plan A. Toslink will likely be a relic by the EOY. I'm the only one running Modern Toslink, not legacy Toslink too so it will be difficult to let go and move on but to stay fundamentally "Less is More" sound it should be the right thing to do.

Focus on 3/3. Once you add "More", your lucky to to get 1/3 or 2/3:


In conclusion, I get all the benefits of Toslink while maintaining all the benefits of USB. All Pros, No Cons. I also get the benefit of "Less Is More" and to keep things clean and tight. I decouple from the complication which is Toslink. A Zero variance Off Mains Chord chain. I wouldn't be able to unlock Soundstage Depth if there was a leak in the chain or if I induced small signal errors.

I'm glad too that the HMS₂ will apply across the board to other production Chord DACs and not just to the modern flagship.

EDIT: Oh, don't worry about the RF Thing-a-ma-jig. RF doesn't apply in my case because it is a certified USB Fibre Optic Cable which 100% decouples. My source is also powered by Off Mains Super Capacitors which 100% decouples so Off Mains Source doesn't apply either. Unfortunately, the Super Capacitor Supply Chain has dried up for at least the Summer, so I have to delay further projects for Summer 2025. Last time, the Supply Chain dried up for five years. Those EU Public Transportation Projects seem to be taking off as the demand is ridiculously high for Super Caps. Clean power tho is good for the environment. As a consumer, I can't compete against Industry for procuring Super Caps. But my Super Cap foundation is already solid, I just want to scale going forward. I'm looking to scale from 4 Large Super Caps to 8 Large Super Caps in 2025. Mission already accomplished by scaling 2 Large Super Caps to 4 Large Super Caps this Summer 2024. BTW, Music is super buttery smooth with this USB setup. Enough that it will melt. It's so smooth, I can loop a single track all day without flinching. What is surprising is I can play 384k over USB Fibre Optic while Toslink Fibre Optic maxes out at 192k with a Lifatec. I have yet to try 768k as it is a low priority.

man, i cant 100% follow what youre saying due to my lack of knowledge. but your decriptions make me almost drool over the idea of having my Hugo2 modded…

 

[Kentajalli]

man, i cant 100% follow what youre saying due to my lack of knowledge. but your decriptions make me almost drool over the idea of having my Hugo2 modded…

And I just drop mine into my headphone case and carry it with me on the plain or the train, to listen to some music, killing the time.
It was made to be transportable/mobile headphone DAC-Amp with added possibility of using it as a home DAC, I reckon it was an attempt to justify its relatively high price, by Chord.
If I was to weigh it down with bazookas for table top usage, I just buy a TT2!
But ofcourse, I do relate to the fun of "making it myself" / DIY aspect of the endeavour. This is more than HIFI, this is having fun with one's hobby.
Heaven knows I have been guilty of the same many times, however, one should not lose sight of practicality.

 

[DeepGroove]

The development cycle of Hugo is puzzling. Seems like the issue is Rob Watts having no bandwidth due to high-end projects. I've heard a dealer complain about collapsing entry-level Chord sales due to the lack of new models.

One would think there would be a middle point between releasing a new model every year, and every 10 years. Is Chord really dependent on one man?

 

[captblaze]

The development cycle of Hugo is puzzling. Seems like the issue is Rob Watts having no bandwidth due to high-end projects. I've heard a dealer complain about collapsing entry-level Chord sales due to the lack of new models.

One would think there would be a middle point between releasing a new model every year, and every 10 years. Is Chord really dependent on one man?

There was a progression from Mojo to Mojo2 and a similar progression in Hugo. Both pushed the product forward. Perhaps there is nothing left to gain and aside from some cosmetic changes adds nothing to the sonic ability of each device.

 

[DeepGroove]

There was a progression from Mojo to Mojo2 and a similar progression in Hugo. Both pushed the product forward. Perhaps there is nothing left to gain and aside from some cosmetic changes adds nothing to the sonic ability of each device.

It's possible. Perhaps I am fantasizing too much about the TT2 sound packaged in a Hugo form factor.
But have we in 2024 already reached a technological plateau in compact DAC design?