[x RELIC x]

I first listened to Boz Scaggs “Thanks to you” I leek this song well.. when listening to this on my now sold HDVD800 the song surrounded me, it’s so musical.. the bass rumbles, not deep base but mid bass...

When I listen to this song using H2 it’s really resolving, clear but not as musical and the bass impact isn’t there. I then listened to Dr. Dre Chronic and still not hitting like I’m used to hearing...

Just a guess here as I haven’t heard the HDV800, but I reckon you are used to the extra mid bass of the HDV800 that is tuned for the somewhat bright HD800 headphone. From what I’ve read it’s a rather warm amp and in comparison the Hugo2 will no doubt sound thin after being accustomed to the HDV800.

Personally, I’ve found the Chord gear plays to the character of the headphones as they are. For example I didn’t like my bright upper-mid/lower treble emphasized LCD-XC from the Hugo2 but loved the Utopia. Of course my frame of reference is different from yours.

 

[supervisor]

Thanks guys above, I'll try 4 clicks.

First impressions, sounds so analogue compared to my M-DAC+. Sounds like vinyl but without the drawbacks and everything sounds just right and non-fatiguing.

Dunno if anyone listens to Purity Ring here but it sounds so euphoric with Hugo 2! It's like I'm being transported to another dimension lol.

i was actually in the mastering studio when their first record was being mastered. the mastering engineer was saying how he was blown away by the sound design and spatial quality of Corin's production.

 

[Whazzzup]

They lost me after shrines. fineshrine, obedear,loftcries are my favs on that album

 

[ubs28]

yes, I posted something to that effect in the Poly thread

Good to hear that I'm not the only one. Maybe I will use it as a DAC to use in hotels I guess. But it's quite an expensive machine for that kind of purpose

 

[Mojo ideas]

Dear Mr Franks, I really don't understand.

You wrote:
"Has [Rob Watts] on a daily basis to submit his life’s work for an equal peer review by the likes of Statler and Waldorf from a famous old U.K. TV puppet show sitting in their theatre box."

Here is picture of Statler and Waldorf. They are funny. They wear hearing aids and they often make jokes about it to each other.

Is this the message that you wish to convey? That those who do not appreciate your sound or understand your pricing are like those two puppets?

Also you write:

"Last week it seemed to be that one of the old codgers was chipping away at our prices this week it’s our sound and it’s always so insistently negative and consistently denigrating that if it were more suptle it might be taken more seriously"

This is the Oxford dictionary definition on the word "codger" you used: (fifth edition 1995).
"A man especially an old one who has strange habits".

I really don't understand. I am new to this thread but this is the first time I see someone let alone a brand representative using these words and these analogies to characterize others in disagreement. How often have you heard your peers or say accomplished musicians to refer to others that don't appreciate their music as old codgers with hearing aids?

I understand you are at a disadvantage. All of us use pseudonyms to post anonymously whatever we want but you always reply with your name. However all of us including Rob Watts, regardless of accomplishments, submit our life's work and skills to others on a daily basis. Is it always positive?

Without any doubt I appreciate Rob Watts willingness to participate and explain the engineering behind your products. It is one of the things that sets you apart and develops a different relationship with your audience. I have a mojo and I am expecting a Hugo 2 to arrive. Personally I think this thread is positive and laudatory to you 95% of the time. I happen to disagree with the posts you mention but I do respect them and I do hope that this thread does not become a Chord fun club. You don't need this.

Overall, I don't think this response of yours does you justice Sir.

Human lives totally devoid of humour do not serve humanity at all. We British know that very well. Just how do you think we cope and have survived and thrived in the world the way it is where there are so many fools bereft and devoid of laughter, have taken and still are taking their pittyful existences far too seriously after all said and done we British voted for Brexit and have the “President” of The USA coming to town soon, now do you think we’d have organised all that if we were short on humour!

 

[Rob Watts]

It doesn't sound overloaded as such, I just feel it sounds better (slightly) than when set below 3 volts. I just want to know what's closest to 2.2 volts, as that's what most intergrated amps are tuned for. I will eventually be upgrading to a power amp (using Hugo 2 as pre), but until then I want to get the best out of my A39.

Three clicks down will set it to 2.12V. Use the remote to click it down...

 

[Rob Watts]

Just a guess here as I haven’t heard the HDV800, but I reckon you are used to the extra mid bass of the HDV800 that is tuned for the somewhat bright HD800 headphone. From what I’ve read it’s a rather warm amp and in comparison the Hugo2 will no doubt sound thin after being accustomed to the HDV800.

Personally, I’ve found the Chord gear plays to the character of the headphones as they are. For example I didn’t like my bright upper-mid/lower treble emphasized LCD-XC from the Hugo2 but loved the Utopia. Of course my frame of reference is different from yours.

Very much agree with you about this; when I first started taking Dave out on the road, and plugging lots of different headphones in, I was initially shocked about changes to my perceptions of headphones; bright headphones tended to sound brighter, and warm ones sound warmer. Moreover, some headphones I did not like became pretty good; and some that I did like became not so good - relative to other devices. If you have a headphone that compress or harden up with crescendos, it will become immediately apparent. Moreover, there are some headphones that have a high end reputation but actually are not very good, with significant distortion at high levels with bass. And with Dave, it becomes very obvious.

Now Hugo 2 has the same quality as Dave in this regard; all headphones and IEM will benefit from using it; but you may find your preference on HP will change markedly.

 

[ChisChas]

what are you listening to?

H2's sound signature might be not for you. We all hear differently...
I love my H2 + Utopia's. I understand why it might be "bright" to some people though.
All the details, nom nom.

I can't comment on the Utopia + Hugo 2 pairing, I only listened to the Utopia's with the Questyle QP2R at The Indulgence Show and then due to lack of balanced cable, it was using the SE output (SE 1.8 Vrms, Balanced 3.6 Vrms). But I will be borrowing a dem pair of Utopia's shortly for a 5 day audition and will report my views of Utopia + Hugo 2. What I can say, without any doubt at all, that my Hugo 2 sounds glorious with my AKG K812's and it has scaled up the sound, including the bass, enormously well compared to my AQ Dragonfly Red (and so the Hugo 2 should when £170 compares with £1,800).

I am listening to the fantastic David Gilmour Live at Pompeii via Spotify Free and I keep thinking that maybe Spotify have given me Premium by mistake, the music sounds so good. I'm an older person with older ears so perhaps I might find the Hugo 2 brought a 'bright' sound to the table if I was much younger? I also know that it's taken me decades to 'learn' how to improve my listening skills and that has particularly included learning to like and appreciate a balanced sound (I started 4 decades ago using the loudness button and enjoying a poor quality sound dominated by a flabby uncontrolled bass) but thanks to changes in my main hi-fi system, I now love a much more transparent & cleaner sound in my headphone music.

Just bought the CD, the concert highlights are on BBC2 iPlayer at the moment, well worth looking at, great quality sound and picture. Might get wi-fi to buy me the BluRay for my birthday.

 

[Bob9520]

With all the discussions about Chord prices, I think we all sometimes forget why we are on this site and others like it and that is passion. Not passion for products (although that follows) but passion for music. Any music. I have friends who would genuinely not hear the difference between a cheap pair of headphones and a £2-£300 pair. I am convinced that this is because, although they like or even love music, they never listen to it. They only 'have it on'. Since my first 'upgrade' in the early 70's from a philips cassette recorder to a fully fledged Amstrad 'hi-fi', Sony stereo cassette deck and (I think) a Technics record deck, I have strived to hear more from the music that I love. Apart from some dalliances with some very expensive speaker cable (not with the Amstrad!) which try as I might, I could not hear the difference, most upgrades have taken me a step forward. In recent years, it's been DACS. Mostly Arcam, through to a valve based Audionote Dac One which was a revelation.....for a while! Then I heard the Hugo 1 and wow! Tracks that I had known for years suddenly revealed new nuances. And it lasted! To the point that I was convinced that I had found my musical nirvana and I would ever spend another penny on hi-fi again. And then I heard the Hugo 2. It truly made me smile and revealed a whole new musical collection. After nearly 6 months it still is!
So thank you John & Rob for allowing me to still be passionate about music because of your passion for your products. You allow me to still hear new things in my music (although now at my age it may simply be memory problems ) and to (unfortunately) realise that nirvana may never be found.

Frankly, you cannot put a price on that.

 

[kubig123]

Dignis just introduced a case for the Hugo2, it looks amazing, very well made, unfortunately it's not cheap.

It comes in 2 colors, black and blue, it has an aluminum plate on the back, it will definitely help top dissipate the heat.

http://shop2.dignis.cafe24.com/prod...ugo2-amp-case/182/?cate_no=85&display_group=1

 

[musickid]

+1 for bob

 

[Whazzzup]

+1 for the customer

 

[Triode User]

+1 for bob

Who is bob? or are you on very friendly terms with Rob?

 

[musickid]

"With all the discussions about Chord prices, I think we all sometimes forget why we are on this site and others like it and that is passion. Not passion for products (although that follows) but passion for music. Any music".

a newcomer to headfi struck a chord with me with his simple one line statement and managed to hit the nail right on the head expressing how i've always felt. (bob9520).

for Triode i auditioned blu2/dave over a 5 hour period at sonority design in stourbridge. it was absolutely fantastic through headphones and 80K speakers powered by chord amps. i'm now completing my MA studies and looking forward to 5 months of miserable hard labour in order to accumulate the funds necessary for a chord dave. if i make it into the PHD trainees camp and attract sufficient funding i hope the blu2 will arrive as quickly as a pigeon evading rush hour traffic...

listening to the Dvorak album by Yo Yo Ma via roon

 

[Triode User]

"With all the discussions about Chord prices, I think we all sometimes forget why we are on this site and others like it and that is passion. Not passion for products (although that follows) but passion for music. Any music".

a newcomer to headfi struck a chord with me with his simple one line statement and managed to hit the nail right on the head expressing how i've always felt. (bob9520).

for Triode i auditioned blu2/dave over a 5 hour period at sonority design in stourbridge. it was absolutely fantastic through headphones and 80K speakers powered by chord amps. i'm now completing my MA studies and looking forward to 5 months of miserable hard labour in order to accumulate the funds necessary for a chord dave. if i make it into the PHD trainees camp and attract sufficient funding i hope the blu2 will arrive as quickly as a pigeon evading rush hour traffic...

listening to the Dvorak album by Yo Yo Ma via roon

musickid, good luck with all your endeavors. The invitation to you is still open to come and listen to Blu2Dave with my valves and Spendor SP200 speakers if you can get out here.