[kyle1010]

Get a chord 2 qute mate far better although Rob Watts won't admit it publicly , I've got one in black in perfect condition, I'll swap your Hugo 2 for it and let's say 500 pound in cash from you when you come to mine to do the swap,I'll try and struggle to sell your Hugo 2 on line

Haha! Far better? Well if things don't improve to my liking soon I'll need some Hugo 2 vs. 2Qute impressions from a few sources, then I might take you up on that offer. Stay tuned buddy..

 

[paul2qute]

Haha! Far better? Well if things don't improve to my liking soon I'll need some Hugo 2 vs. 2Qute impressions from a few sources, then I might take you up on that offer. Stay tuned buddy..

Because you replied to me we can forget the 500 quid and do a straight swap, 2 qute is so smooth like a babies bottom,gets the hi-fi magazines out to learn the words to describe how good the 2 qute is.I'm weird I like the tinny and bright sound hence the mistake with the 2 qute

 

[kyle1010]

Because you replied to me we can forget the 500 quid and do a straight swap, 2 qute is so smooth like a babies bottom,gets the hi-fi magazines out to learn the words to describe how good the 2 qute is.I'm weird I like the tinny and bright sound hence the mistake with the 2 qute

Trolling levels impressively high right now. I respect it.

 

[guerph]

A couple observations. Listening to Hugo 2, AQ Nighthawks and MrSpeakers ÆONs, initially I found the "glare" to be a bit too much. It actually made the inside of my ear canals tingle...seriously. At first, I found it off-putting, but strangely appealing. A few weeks later I find myself wondering what happened to that original feeling I experienced. The sound has settled, but I don't think it has anything to do with burn-in. I can say that because I only noticed the glare and shimmer the first few days of listening to my first unit (which I returned after a couple of weeks). The replacement unit, out of the box, showed no signs of that original shine. It felt more relaxed and settled, like the one I had listened to for a couple weeks. My conclusion...it's all in my head. The second unit it also going back for replacement this week, so I'll have opportunity to test a third new unit (hooray for me) and will report back.

I have also spent a fair bit of time comparing the Hugo 2 with the 2Qute in my main system, fed by NUC running ROCK (powered by Sbooster LPS), to SOtM tx-USBultra (powered by W4S PS-1). The 2Qute holds up just fine against the Hugo 2. If you are looking for a straight, simple DAC with Chord flavor, skip the Hugo 2. When fed by a nice source, the 2Qute shines. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything in my main system using the 2Qute. So, for now at least, the Hugo 2 stays in my bag for office use.

I can also tell you that source matters, even with Chord products. SOtM has baked some serious black magic into their USB re-generator. Take the tx-USBultra out of the chain and things sound thin and digital in comparison. The tx-USBultra even brought the internal DAC on my Hegel H160 up to a level I never thought possible. For the first time a few days ago, I decided to bypass all the external DACs and and feed my H160 some SOtM magic. The last time I used the internal H160 DAC was the day I tested the 2Qute in my system. Hands down, the 2Qute blew away the H160. I never looked back. To my surprise, with the SOtM re-generator, the H160 sprung to life, bringing it much closer, not all the way, but closer to the 2Qute level of performance. My advice, taken for what it is, clean up your sources before you go spending big bucks on DACs. I bet you'll be surprised by the improvements.

 

[Hooster]

I can also tell you that source matters, even with Chord products. SOtM has baked some serious black magic into their USB re-generator. Take the tx-USBultra out of the chain and things sound thin and digital in comparison. The tx-USBultra even brought the internal DAC on my Hegel H160 up to a level I never thought possible. For the first time a few days ago, I decided to bypass all the external DACs and and feed my H160 some SOtM magic. The last time I used the internal H160 DAC was the day I tested the 2Qute in my system. Hands down, the 2Qute blew away the H160. I never looked back. To my surprise, with the SOtM re-generator, the H160 sprung to life, bringing it much closer, not all the way, but closer to the 2Qute level of performance. My advice, taken for what it is, clean up your sources before you go spending big bucks on DACs. I bet you'll be surprised by the improvements.

Thank you for your excellent post and analysis that I am sure will be useful for many. Bravo.

 

[Hooster]

so with two 600 ohm headphones plugged into hugo2 they are treated as if they are two 300 ohm headphones from each connector?

Treated is not the correct word. Seen is better. Two 600 Ohm headphones would be seen as one 300 Ohm headphone connected to the Hugo2. Not "two 300 ohm headphones from each connector".

I suggest you forget the electrical theory and concentrate on enjoying the Hugo2 and any upgrade paths you may wish to tread, with respect to source, cables and headphones. It can easily drive 2 pairs of most headphones out there. That is the issue, isn't it?

 

[highfell]

One more HUGO 2 up for sale on the same second hand site in Sweden this week again.
The first one was snapped up in less than a day!
But this time around I am not even tempted.
Considering the ridiculously high retail price here, I could buy one even cheaper than these so far ,only slighty reduced ones, new in Asia.
What I find both a bit worrying and puzzling , is the number of faulty units and QC reports popping up with alarming regularity here, and the fact that HUGO 2s are already up for sale on the exhange market.
The first second hand DAVEs took many months to surface, and are still few and far between as far as I know?

Regarding the number of second Hugo2 vs second hand Dave, this will be down to the number of Hugo2 being sold vs Dave, nothing more complicated than that.

 

[Liat]

Second day with Hugo 2. My unit definitely sounds different than Jude's at CanJam back in April. Idk if his was pre-production but mine sounds significantly brighter and less full and rich. So far it's an improvement over Mojo in detail retrieval, note decay, imaging, and overall clarity, but it has pretty strong upper midrange peakiness, some upper treble glare, and bass that's a little on the flat side for my tastes. The tonality doesn't sound natural to my ears at all..just bright and shouty on every filter..even through my top notch NOS tubes. So, fellow believers in burn in..does any of this improve over time? It's not my brain, I trust my ears. I know I'm probably gonna get flamed for posting this, but I waited forever for this thing and for it to sound as rich and organic as it did at CanJam and after 24hrs I'm contemplating selling it. Help??

It’s bright indeed that’s why it surprised me I’m using the green filter.

My ears are sensitive for harshness. About 70% of the DACs I’ve ever tried was too harsh for me, which means, I believe, there were bright in a bad way. The HD800 (without the S) also hurt my ears.

But I think I like bright sound when it’s not harsh as I was willing to pay several times more for a pair of MIT Shotgun MA interconnect cables which aren’t even long enough but made a few tracks sound the way they should sound compared to the rest of the cables (even other MIT cables).

Although the Hugo 2 is way brighter than the Hugo TT, I can use it for hours and enjoy every second. I believe I hear more details with the Hugo 2.

By the way, there is a difference between "more detailed" and "I hear more details".

When I was writing this reply, I did another quick comparison between the TT and the 2. In certain areas, the Hugo TT is more detailed. Probably the soundstage is better. The sounds may have more body and weight. I believe this is why I was disappointed with the Hugo 2 at first glance.

However, I think I prefer the Hugo 2. It’s more interesting to listen to it. Besides, the music becomes more coherent.

When I switched to Hugo TT, I had the impression the music fell apart. Maybe the individual sounds were more realistic, but they were less connected to each other than they are with the Hugo 2.

It may be due to a bad recording, but then my music collection consists of bad recordings. Note I listen to electronic music in which every single sound is unnatural. Thank God for that.

In the end, I find more and more tracks I didn’t like with the TT, but I like with the 2. I haven’t found an example of the opposite so far.

And here we are. That’s why "more detailed" and "I hear more details" differ. I might be listening better when I like what I hear. The "brain burn-in" mentioned by many (and agreed by me as well) might be related to these.

Another difference is I enjoy and use the Hugo 2 with lower volume than I needed for the TT. In general, I listen to music at low volume, but this didn’t always work out with the TT. It does with the Hugo 2. And that’s why it’s so comfortable.

Now it may look like I’m bashing the TT. I’m not. It’s a wonderful device.

I can imagine I would prefer the TT with speakers. I can’t make the comparison now as it’s 2:04 am, and I have neighbors, which wouldn’t be a problem alone, but I also have a heart.

So, after I wrote all of this, I switched back to the TT one more time.

The music is fuller with the TT than it’s with the Hugo 2. But it’s less enjoyable with the current track.

It was psytrance. I wanted to write "maybe it’s the opposite with classical". So I switched to "12 Etudes, Op.10 No.12 in C minor Revolutionary" from Valentina Lisitsa. 24 bit, 96kHz, FLAC, Audirvana.

I can tell you the same. The TT might be more realistic. And the instruments, for me, fall apart. I prefer the Hugo 2 with classical as well. If I had to choose between the two, and the prices would be the same, I would pick the Hugo 2.



Update: OMG, it seems I like classical music

Update #2: Dear Lord, Valentina is so great

 

[Liat]

Haha, if you had listened to Dave it would have been Deja vu all over again for you. if you had the funds and the will you would be walking out of the store having just purchased the Dave. Financially speaking you made the right choice getting Hugo 2 since you intended using it on the go from what I recall.

PS: My question regarding which unit you find yourself gravitating towards was aimed at the Hugo 2 and TT. To rephrase it, if you had both Hugo 2 and TT sitting on your desk hooked up to a source, which do you think you would find yourself using most often? Do you prefer one over another sound signature wise?

I could have tried the Dave on the day when I bought the TT. It’s not that the Dave was out of the budget. The TT was out of the budget. Let’s not talk about the Sennheiser. Yes, I had a credit card with me.

It was the Hugo 2 I ordered from the same store without testing it. I didn’t expect it to sound better than the TT. I expected it to be smaller and lighter than the TT. I wanted to carry it around.

You can read the rest of the story in my reply, above this one.

In the end, I don’t carry it around. Together with my iPad, it’s too heavy in the backpack. I used it with an iPad since I don’t have two iPhones, and the one I have, I tend to check for mail or miracle in every five minutes. (Most of the time I find only mail)

The extra weight isn’t worth it only because the SE846 doesn’t present most of the difference. Yes, it’s better, but it’s not day and night. The mystery is why people keep comparing the Shures to headphones.

Today is the second day I’m using the Hugo 2 on the desk instead of the Hugo TT. The question is what I should do to the TT.

Considering my Shotgun interconnects aren’t long enough, removing then reconnecting them each day isn’t practical, so I might keep the TT for the speakers. I mean, I don’t carry around the Hugo 2 in the city, but I bring it to the bed, and I will bring it to the garden when I’m working there.

The Bluetooth is horrible, but it’s horrible with both devices, and as far as I know, the iPhone doesn’t support the fake "cd quality" Bluetooth standard, which, by the way, is not "cd quality".

In the past, I always found classical music disturbing for work. I thought I could listen to 4/4 only while working.

Now I’m still on Valentina Lisitsa with the Hugo 2, and it’s awesome, and it doesn’t distract me at all.

 

[Liat]

Okay, I figured it out why the TT costs two times more, why I was disappointed with the Hugo 2 in the beginning, and why no one should choose between the two based on the reviews even if the review is unbiased.

I listen to music at low volume. The TT doesn’t work well at low volume, at least not for me, and with the HD800S. Besides, I had the same impression with the speakers, which was sad as they are already too strong for this room.

When I turn on the volume, the TT gets better.

At the volume level where the TT sounds great on its own, the Hugo 2 loses most of its advantages. The music becomes flat.

However, I don’t prefer the volume level at which this happens.

At the volume level I enjoy for hours in a silent room with headphones, the music from the TT falls apart. I can’t hear half of it.

The Hugo 2 excels at low volume. Right now the piano is crystal clear. It sounds magnitudes better than the TT.

I don’t know what would happen if would use an external amp. Maybe the Hugo 2 would win, maybe not. For me, it’s more interesting what would happen with headphones easier the drive. I’ll try the Focal Utopia but only at the end of September.

This might sound crazy but it explains everything from the beginning, why I didn’t like it first, and why I fell in love with the Hugo 2 later and spent hours with it while lying on the bed, doing nothing but listening to music, which I haven’t had with the TT the same way. It also explains why I thought I would prefer the TT for mixing music.

I know this is not psychological because before I had the Hugo 2, I already learned the Hugo TT didn’t work well on low volume. This was my only concern with it, but it was a huge one.

It seems I can’t escape comparing the two devices with the active speakers. (I don’t have an external headphone amp, at least not one I would use to compare the Hugos).

In the end, I would still pick the Hugo 2 for my general music listening conditions: no headphone amp, low volume, fun.

I would have a way harder time to choose between the two for mixing or creating music. (I don’t do the latter but I might want.)

At least it’s justified to keep both.

 

[musickid]

Treated is not the correct word. Seen is better. Two 600 Ohm headphones would be seen as one 300 Ohm headphone connected to the Hugo2. Not "two 300 ohm headphones from each connector".

I suggest you forget the electrical theory and concentrate on enjoying the Hugo2 and any upgrade paths you may wish to tread, with respect to source, cables and headphones. It can easily drive 2 pairs of most headphones out there. That is the issue, isn't it?

a little electrical theory never did any harm now did it?.................

 

[Liat]

a little electrical theory never did any harm now did it?.................

Okay everyone, "little electronic knowledge" says you are talking about what happens when one connects wires or other resistors to zero frequency, constant, direct current.

This is one of the few things on Earth doesn’t happen during a music listening session.

Most of the music I’ve heard was more like alternating current. Once or maybe twice I tried listening to constant and direct current. It sounded somewhere between deep space and dead silence.

Moreover, headphones tend to have electromagnets. Different models have different magnets otherwise they would be the same model under the same name, and such sites as Head-Fi would have no reason to exist.

Electromagnets in alternating current aren’t described by resistance but impedance. Impedance is why I stopped liking physics. But I can tell you it depends on the frequency as well.

Other headphones, such as electrostatic headphones contain a limited amount of electromagnets (which is usually zero), but they also have an impedance.

The only thing which will never happen when you connect two 600 Ohm headphones to a device is getting one or two 300 Ohm headphones.

An arbitrary amount of other things may happen.

The most precise way to describe what happens when you connect two 600 Ohm headphones to a single device is:

"Something"

The difference between the resistance and the impedance is why the Hugo TT has supercapacitors. That’s why I’m saying the power output tells little about whether a device can drive a particular headphone.

In case your assumption would be correct, or even close, the TT would have no supercapacitors. They would have no effect at all.

They are there for a reason, and the reason is when the current changes the electromagnetic field collapses and rebuilds.

 

[musickid]

yes i prefer alternating current to direct current any day of the week. but to be honest this really isn't my field so i'll leave it to the headfi physicists to do the rest.......i was upset to learn different headphones contain different magnets though. i thought they were all using the same one. oh well...

 

[Hooster]

Since this has gone off topic and seems to be degenerating into speculation I will leave this. If anyone wishes to study it further there are plenty of resources online and in books. I am not here to give anyone an education. That tends to be a thankless task, especially on internet forums.

http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/302l/lectures/node58.html

If you simply wish to use the Hugo2 with 2 headphones at the same time, then go ahead and try it. No physical knowledge needed. If you like it, success!

 

[musickid]

thanking you for your help. (B.O.T.) back on topic...

listening to Ahmad Jamal Trio and the extended version of Poinciana on electric piano was absolutely stunning. that's why i'm here at least. to capture those moments.