[iAudio365]

Are you sure it was heat issues? Hugo 2 has an auto shut off feature that turns the unit off every 15 minutes if no signal is being sent.

This as well, I forgot about it, but he did say it cut of after listening to it for two hours so I guessed he was still listening to it when it cut due to heat issues or whatever? Maybe I miss read his post

 

[Chianti]

Are you sure it was heat issues? Hugo 2 has an auto shut off feature that turns the unit off every 15 minutes if no signal is being sent.

H2 was not turned off - all lights on - and I had been listening continuously. It disconnected in the middle of a track. It was also quite hot. Of course no way I can assert causation ... I turned H2 off and started to listen again 20 minutes later. The unit had been plugged in for several hours (but not in desktop mode) and was fully charged.

 

[iAudio365]

H2 was not turned off - all lights on - and I had been listening continuously. It disconnected in the middle of a track. It was also quite hot. Of course no way I can assert causation ... I turned H2 off and started to listen again 20 minutes later. The unit had been plugged in for several hours (but not in desktop mode) and was fully charged.

Return it

 

[Deftone]

The Mojo will be more expensive in the long run.

Chord gateway drug

 

[Deftone]

It's all just such utterly convincing. He makes my preference for the coloration of tubes almost feel dirty...

 

[Deftone]

So... it's been two hours since I started listening to Hugo 2 on my HD800S and so far, the clarity is wonderful, however, there is a distinct lack of bass. I was previously listening on a two-year old Pioneer AV receiver (don't flame me - I could only afford headphones first haha) and having gone back to it, it's definitely muddled in comparison but there's more depth to the bass. Not just bloated, the bass is almost palpable, as if the headphones deliver lower frequency. I tried playing stuff from my macbook, iPad ... hi res, spotify etc. and the feeling remains the same.

Does this mean I need to get an amp? I feel a bit down about it lol

A lot of people reporting these kind of impressions with chord DACs, so what could it be?

1. Distortion in "regular DACs" has fattened the bass and we got used to it but now with the distortions stripped away in chord DACs it's actually a lot leaner than we thought?

2. The bass in "regular DACs" is how it should be, chunky and shouting for attention so the leaner bass in chord DACs is a "side effect" of Rob watts technology.

3. None of the above, just a case gear matching or "synergy" because there's so many flavours.

?

I'm happy with the bass to be honest it doesn't bother me but I thought I'd throw this out there anyway seeing as it comes up so often.

 

[Martinrm]

I think it has to do with synergy more than anything. Using the H2 I think the quality of bass has improved with my ZMF Eikons, and there's no lack of it.

My favorite combos are
H2 (orange filter) -> Woo WA6 (sohpia) -> ZMF Eikons. Rich, organic, full bodied

H2 (White filter) -> Cavalli LC -> Eikon. Detailed, fast, dynamic

The filters on the H2 provide a unique opportunity to gear match with more granulaity. The Hugo 2 is the perfect canvas for an amp to shine.

 

[EndGameSearch]

Hi Jazz, I been eyeing the CA andromedas for a while now. I heard that they a quite sensitive. Have you experienced any hiss on them with the Hugo 2?

I'm using the Andromedas (along w/ LCDi4's and HD800S) on the Hugo2. There is absolutely no hiss with the Andromedas. They pair with the Hugo better than the Mojo which makes them too bass heavy. They still could benefit from a little EQ though but not 100% necessary. They sound wonderful and are a fantastic IEM's but a challenge to pair. Without EQ few would have complaints but it's a little softer sound than their ideal match. Adding an IEMatch set to high, not ultra helps brighten them back up.

 

[Chianti]

Quick video showing non-functional volume control on Hugo 2: https://d.pr/bOhnMJ
Not sure about the life expectancy given combination of "heat, rattle, and roll" (to abuse Canned Heat), or "rattle and hum" (U2 - see other post).
Keeping my fingers crossed for speedy RMA via Audio46.com.
Would strongly recommend to only buy Hugo 2 from a dealer who you trust to help you when needed.

 

[Chianti]

I'm using the Andromedas (along w/ LCDi4's and HD800S) on the Hugo2. There is absolutely no hiss with the Andromedas. They pair with the Hugo better than the Mojo which makes them too bass heavy. They still could benefit from a little EQ though but not 100% necessary. They sound wonderful and are a fantastic IEM's but a challenge to pair. Without EQ few would have complaints but it's a little softer sound than their ideal match. Adding an IEMatch set to high, not ultra helps brighten them back up.

+1 IEMatch solved the RF noise and hissing issues I had with most IEMs, to the point where I would say Hugo 2 un-amped has generally better synergies with IEMs vs. full size cans (IEMatch mandatory)

 

[EndGameSearch]

For my taste I do not feel the Hugo 2 is lacking bass. It's right where I like it filling in the gaps without distracting from the details or flooding the sound stage. That said, if you want to thicken up the tone a touch and bring the bass forward a few steps, the Hugo 2 pairs beautifully with tubes. I have it running through my WA8 and it is sensational. The WA8's DAC is not lacking in any way on it's own but this is a great combination for yet another wonderful tone.

 

[musickid]

I think i've found an ideal way to mange the battery on H2 avoiding all heating issues and also enabling you to switch off the unit and ensure the charger switches off too when not in use. i hope i'm right but will need further testing.

1) initially charge to full battery as close to 100 percent as possible as indicated.

2) once charged fully disconnect the charger and switch H2 off.

3) switch on H2 and connect charger and leave connected for 24 hours plus. does not matter if H2 is switched off during this period. if played should be okay as battery is full and connected to charger.

4) after 24 hours hugo 2 will show magenta light for intelligent desktop mode. autoshut down deactivated so need to worry about that at home.

5) when you play H2 now the battery neither charges or discharges and is effectively run off the charger directly. as the battery is redundant i have found no heat builds up at all on H2's case. cool to mild to the touch after playing for a few hours.

6) on switching H2 off with the charger connected you will notice the charge light is off. this is because H2 was initially charged to full and has remained full in desktop mode so as there is no more charging to be done so the charger just switches off. no more worries about leaving it plugged in and charging if you are out of your residence as an example. when you next switch on H2 you are still in desktop mode with a full battery.

 

[Currawong]

The other thing one can do is put it on it's side. Heat should dissipate faster. I used to put laptops that were running intensive video processing in an upside-down "V" so that they would cool better and it worked incredibly well.

 

[maxh22]

Quick video showing non-functional volume control on Hugo 2: https://d.pr/bOhnMJ
Not sure about the life expectancy given combination of "heat, rattle, and roll" (to abuse Canned Heat), or "rattle and hum" (U2 - see other post).
Keeping my fingers crossed for speedy RMA via Audio46.com.
Would strongly recommend to only buy Hugo 2 from a dealer who you trust to help you when needed.

The volume wheel on your unit is defective for sure, that is not at all how my unit scrolls. The volume wheel on my unit scrolls as smoothly as the wheel on my computer mouse.

 

[Hooster]

Quick video showing non-functional volume control on Hugo 2: https://d.pr/bOhnMJ
Not sure about the life expectancy given combination of "heat, rattle, and roll" (to abuse Canned Heat), or "rattle and hum" (U2 - see other post).
Keeping my fingers crossed for speedy RMA via Audio46.com.
Would strongly recommend to only buy Hugo 2 from a dealer who you trust to help you when needed.

You could put it on it's side and use a usb fan.
In all honesty, I think the Hugo2 is nice but IMHO Chord has over complicated it, making it more expensive than it needs to be, and perhaps less reliable than it could be.

Chord may wish to study the KISS principle:
"KISS is an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid" as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960.[1][2] The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson (1910–1990).[3] The term "KISS principle" was in popular use by 1970.[4] Variations on the phrase include "Keep it Simple, Silly", "keep it short and simple", "keep it simple and straightforward"[5] and "keep it small and simple".[6]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle