[lithiumnk]

I concurr about KMann. To clarify; are you using the groundhog for your H2 power supply, or on your Mac?

I am using groundhog with iMac, macbook pro (while charging). The noise is absent when using with a DAP as source & when the macbook is not charging.The hum increases only when i touch the outer housing of the lcdi4... also
its better to connect the groundhog directly to a wall switch coz when i connected it with the extension cord (multiple connections) there was no improvement in the noise...ifi people have clearly specified on the product that groundhog may not work in case of multiple earth/ plugs...

 

[x RELIC x]

you didnt even check the actual track dynamic range , and you assumed its bad !
and even didnt hear anything .... sure i will pass on the argument ,
if you don't mind sharing a link or name for good track to test hugo2 amp ability
for me and other members to understand you better . thanks ..

Obviously you didn’t read my post. I said no conclusion can be made because there is no info for that album, BUT the other albums from La La Land suck so it’s a possibility. I don’t own the album but if you could measure the dynamic range it would be helpful just to get some perspective on the source.

Nothing hard to understand. Measurably the Hugo2 is fantastic and can drive a wide range of headphones from a power perspective. Simple really. Many like it as is. If you like an amp added and that’s great for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hooster]

Leaving the Hugo₂ on all the time will shorten the lifetime of the electronics components. It's not just about the battery!

Well, there are two sides to that story. Constantly turning electronics on and off will also shorten the lifetime. I assume the Hugo2 is well designed with components that can easily cope with the temperatures inside it. That being the case, then you should be able to keep the Hugo2 on all the time with no worries at all.

There was a PC at my workplace that was permanently used for a simple task. It was turned on 24/7. It was retired after about 20 years and at that point it still worked fine. I doubt it would have lasted much more than 10 years if it had been turned on and off on a daily basis.

 

[miketlse]

I just saw this comment on the bottom https://www.headphone-earphone.reviews/2018/01/12/chord-2go-hugo-2/ where he says "hugo 3 this year"

Anyone who follows that link will see that he actually says"Maybe Hugo 3 this year", which does rather change the meaning of that short group of words.

 

[JaZZ]

Well, there are two sides to that story. Constantly turning electronics on and off will also shorten the lifetime. I assume the Hugo2 is well designed with components that can easily cope with the temperatures inside it. That being the case, then you should be able to keep the Hugo2 on all the time with no worries at all.

There was a PC at my workplace that was permanently used for a simple task. It was turned on 24/7. It was retired after about 20 years and at that point it still worked fine. I doubt it would have lasted much more than 10 years if it had been turned on and off on a daily basis.

That's indeed a valid point. So no clear advantage or disadvantage of leaving it on or turning it off from the lifetime perspective. But one thing that will defnitely keep me from leaving it on is the power consumption.

 

[Jawed]

So no clear advantage or disadvantage of leaving it on or turning it off from the lifetime perspective.

The battery will last longer if left on all the time. That's specifically why Rob implemented desktop mode.

Now playing: The Sugar Cubes - Birthday

 

[JaZZ]

The battery will last longer if left on all the time. That's specifically why Rob implemented desktop mode.

Now playing: The Sugar Cubes - Birthday

I was speaking of the electronics, not the battery.

[Edit: auto-shut-off disabled during desktop mode]

 

[Stu79]

That's indeed a valid point. So no clear advantage or disadvantage of leaving it on or turning it off from the lifetime perspective. But one thing that will defnitely keep me from leaving it on is the power consumption.

Well, my Hugo 1 recently had battery failure, so I'm now turning it off any time I don't expect to be using it again the next day.

Regarding the debate on life of other components, I think this is purely subjective as I've never seen any results of a controlled experiment. I can see the sense of keeping it temperature stable, but there is a camp that argues this is no longer relevant with modern manufacturing techniques - we don't need to worry about cracking the solder joints etc any more. Given that these are fine tolerance audio components, is it reasonable to assume that they will drift over time anyway regardless of whether we subject them to cycles or constant heat, ergo the sound will change over the years no matter what? I'm not sure where I stand on that one!

If I'd bought a Hugo2, I would be going back to leaving it on for sure, as I'm confident Rob has nailed the solution to battery life with the desktop mode.

 

[Stu79]

Anyone who follows that link will see that he actually says"Maybe Hugo 3 this year", which does rather change the meaning of that short group of words.

Hugo 2 is a significant and welcome improvement after 3 years development. The only reason I didn't buy was because I felt the the size of the purchase warranted going the extra and stepping up the ladder to the next TT (which I'm hoping IS forthcoming).

I sincerely hope Chord aren't thinking of joining the same bandwagon as the smartphone market, trotting out minor improvements every 12 months. That would be very disheartening for consumers such as myself, who have to dig deep just to be able to buy such a device every several years.

 

[miketlse]

Hugo 2 is a significant and welcome improvement after 3 years development. The only reason I didn't buy was because I felt the the size of the purchase warranted going the extra and stepping up the ladder to the next TT (which I'm hoping IS forthcoming).

I sincerely hope Chord aren't thinking of joining the same bandwagon as the smartphone market, trotting out minor improvements every 12 months. That would be very disheartening for consumers such as myself, who have to dig deep just to be able to buy such a device every several years.

Chord do not have the resources available (essentially enough skilled analogue and digital design experts) to design, and then develop large updates to all their product range each year.
They seem to be adopting the product line engineering philosophy, with each particular product receiving an update every few years.

• last year was the hugo update
• this year was the 2Qute update
• some people are predicting the TT update for this autumn/next year
• that would leave the mojo update for the year after

The mojo probably has the most uncertainty about when the Mojo 2 appears, mainly because Rob Watts had to 'compromise a bit' by running the FPGA at half speed - otherwise the Mojo would have needed a larger battery, plus more internal space to allow the heat generated by the processing to disippate. With the current technology, any upgrade to the Mojo that for example brings it up to the Hugo2 number of taps, is going to require a larger case, which would effectively push the Mojo outside of its 'mobile sized' category. Overall mojo2 is reliant on the next generation of more efficient chips, being available at a price that enables Chord to develop the mojo2, for a price that aligns with its current market sector. Because the current mojo crams so much performance into such a small case, it will probably prove the most difficult dac to update.

 

[JaZZ]

If you read what I wrote I did say all of this is subjective of course. It isn't a universal preference just like yours isn't either. Clearly there are folks here that feel the same way I do. To my ears, the headphone out in the H2 did NOT drive even my low impedance phones to the level I've heard from my other systems. It was thin and a bit analytical in comparison lacking body. There are a lot of things I do love about the H2 as a dac so I'm not trying to thrash the product. But if someone tells me this is the end game setup at this price point and everything else is subjective and colored, they are out of touch with reality. Lets please put the marketing and fanboism aside. I for one trust my ears more than marketing datasheets and numbers. As a sidenote, I did not listen to any of the tracks above with the H2. Used my reference tracks I use with all my gear.

You're repeating the same old litany. Of course your ears decide what it's best for you. And of course you're entitled to prefer a certain sound. I'm an absolute advocate of tayloring the sound to one's liking, maybe more consequentially than most others. But you simply draw the wrong conclusions. Fault number one is the notion that a headphone (or your headphone) has to sound perfect with a perfect source and amp. In fact no headphone sounds perfect, so how can it sound perfect with perfect gear? It's always a matter of synergy – which means (passably) compensating flaws. Like so many posters with your mindset you keep ignoring the essential points brought up from the «no-amp» camp...

You can have your ideal tonal balance without an additional (sound-degrading) amp between the Hugo₂ and your HD 800 S. An equalizer is a better (and much more versatile/calculable) equalizer than a headphone amplifier.

So what does that mean if your headphone sounds too thin with no weight in the bass? EQ - or more importantly - get better headphones. There are many headphones IMHO that actually are not very good, even though they are very highly regarded in the Head-Fi community... If you plug a distorting headphone into Hugo 2 or Dave, it becomes very apparent and very easy to perceive headphone deficiencies.

It's not about postulating a single tonal balance and sonic characteristic as the only true way to listen to music for a real audiophile, it's about proposing the best way to acheive the best sound possible, independent of the individual perception and sonic ideal. You may know that the Hugos' integrated «headphone amp» can't be bypassed. So how can you seriously expect a signal «improvement» from reamplifying it? The only scenario where an extra amp would be beneficial is if the Hugo would be driven near clipping, hence to massively increased harmonic distortion. I think meanwhile you realize that this is – usually – not the case. Therefore it is really not helpful if people continue to spread the misinformation of the «underpowered headphone output» solely based on a sound that's too thin for their taste. The best remedy against thin sound is a bit of a bass increase, and it's absurd to delegate this task to an amp with its arbitrary coloration – and (as you may slowly be realizing) its bad habit to degrade transparency and transient response. Unfortunately the kind of colorations produced by an amp can absolutely be perceived as an improvement, the more so as it usually introduces a general forgivingness to tonal flaws (from the headphone's inevitably flawed frequency response).

Note that even the Hugo₂ isn't really neutral – no hi-fi component is! –, therefore the wish to get tonal perfection with plug and play is an illusion.

 

[GU1DO]

Obviously you didn’t read my post. I said no conclusion can be made because there is no info for that album, BUT the other albums from La La Land suck so it’s a possibility. I don’t own the album but if you could measure the dynamic range it would be helpful just to get some perspective on the source.

Nothing hard to understand. Measurably the Hugo2 is fantastic and can drive a wide range of headphones from a power perspective. Simple really. Many like it as is. If you like an amp added and that’s great for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good grief.

Leave that track and forget it ,, it was an example from my side which was intentionally not heavy in bass
give me any track or album you recognize as a good source so that i can understand your point with my ears
maybe all my sources are very bad ,, i am not deep with the term small or large dynamic , i never checked it before in my music
but i never heard my Hugo or any other portable amp as good as you say VS a desktop amp , and now i am doubting all my music library
i hope you got me ..

 

[Pappadave]

This has been one of the more pleasant benefits of having the Chord kit: wonderful albums that weren't so wonderfully captured just open up, and become that much more real. The kit can't recreate something that isn't there obviously, but whatever is hiding in there can be recovered and presented as well as it possibly can be.

A favorite example for me that I've mentioned before here is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Shamas-Ud-Doha Bader-Ud-Doja". Incredible transcendent performance by one of the historical greats, captured in a pretty "eh" recording that I've always had a love-hate relationship with. My my detailed notes last fall of Mojo vs Hugo2 vs DAVE, I wrote

With Mojo, claps are almost physical, drums not even close, voices are bad recordings; With Hugo2 drums are tangible (finally) and voices are people (and together something larger...I'm hearing hints of the angels); With DAVE, I hear the room and stage (drums right there as are people clapping); Passages overwhelm me with emotion (the angels are here); There is more in this recording, I know it. Can't wait to hear it and be a part of it​

When I got my Blu2, this was the first track I fired up through my Omega SAMs, and it completely overwhelmed me. Ustad Ali Khan was in my living room. It was one of the joyful musical experiences I've ever had.

The amazing thing for me is how it is possible to continue to elevate and reveal emotional truths that have been hidden in the plastic and bits for so so long. Last week I had the pleasure to spend ~6 hours auditioning the Voxativ 9.87's (another high efficiency wide band speaker, like the Omegas) driven directly from BluDAVE (103dB efficiency, so Hugo2's would be able to drive them direct as well...alas, I had to run back to the airport and wasn't able to run BluHugo2 into these beauties). There was much that was stunning in that session (to say the least), but this particular track was particularly stunning: any remanent of "poor recording" was gone. Any effort that was required to reach out and make the emotional connection to the performance was gone: the connection was simply and plainly and matter of factly there, effortless and at a level I hadn't experienced before. Incredible.

Key lesson? As the transducer gets faster and cleaner and more responsive, the magic of the Chord stack just keeps going up and up and up. I can't wait for matching innovation on the analog capture transducer (eg, microphone) and Rob's Davina analog to digital converter. If mScaler + ultra fast/efficient single driver can create this sort of emotional landscape from decidedly "eh" recordings, I can't wait to hear what it is able to do with a near perfect digital recording from Davina.

How do Voxatives compare to Omegas straight from Dave?

 

[ray-dude]

How do Voxatives compare to Omegas straight from Dave?

I will be doing a proper write up once I receive my 9.87's (although the fact that I phrased it that way should tell you something about what my answer was

In another forum, someone asked the same. Below is my response (and to try to stay on topic here, I'm sure the Hugo2 would be able to drive the 4D drivers to amazing levels, but I haven't had a chance to try that configuration yet)

(tl;dr - Omega : Voxativs == Mojo : DAVE)

Completely different level of sound. I adore my Omega SAMs. The Omegas opened my eyes to what was always there in the music, but that I never had the kit to hear. It was like the character in Flatland that is lifted out of the 2D space, and can see 3D for the first time. Once you hear it, it is impossible to go back.

The Omega direct was one of several "Red Pill" experiences for me over the past year (review links below). One of the other Red Pill moments was when I first heard the Chord Mojo. Absolutely stunning, dollar for dollar the finest DAC on the planet. Blew me away. Based on what I heard, I ordered a Chord DAVE unheard, and right after I heard the DAVE, the Chord Blu2 unheard.

I'd say the Voxativ 4D drivers ($15k for the pair, then you have a variety of cabinet choices to drop them in) are the DAVE to the Omega Super Alnico being the Mojo: takes what is transformational in the Omega alnico's and makes it effortless and vast, with stunning new detail and speed, tonal balance, and virtually no distortion. The price of the Mojo to DAVE is also roughly the price of the Omega driver to the Voxativ 4D driver. I suspect some of the Voxativ hybrid field coil drivers may have Blu-level impact, but I'm not willing (yet

to drop $65k a pair(!) to see what they can do.

I was hearing things through the Voxativ's and BluDAVE that I hadn't heard before. The Voxativ 4D drivers were 103dB sensitivity, so the DAVE drove them with pretty unambiguous authority. I was enjoying the BluDAVE too much to drop in BluHugo2 to see how it would drive the units, but based on the room shaking levels we got to, I'm sure even the Hugo2 could hold its own with these speakers.

I also had a chance to spend a couple hours with the incredibly impressive Voxativ T211 tube amp ($20k). As amazing as the Voxativ T211 tube amp was (by far the finest synergy between tube amp and transducer I've ever heard), as I and others have discussed here and elsewhere, no amp on the planet can hold a candle to the DAVE (or Hugo2) driving high efficiency speakers direct. That being said, the Voxativ T211/4D combo was the smallest gap to DAVE direct I have ever heard, which says a lot about the engineering prowess of the Voxativ team.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Hugo 2 is limited to the 8.2v battery voltage - Dave is not voltage limited by a battery.
Pretty much all of the posts I have seen where amps are used are not because of power delivery from Hugo 2 or Dave. If Hugo 2 had 20W output some people would still be connecting external headphone amps....

Thank you for the answer. I understand limitations of Hugo`s battery, but I assume there was a reason why Dave got more power. Being honest, I must admit that external amp do not make a night and day difference with Hugo (only for some extraordinary headphones). But still there is some weight, dynamics and extra space, which makes an external amp totally justified for me. Could it be added distortion? I don`t think so, but I can`t be 100% sure. Anyway, I`m glad you have made Qutest and I would be able to use it with any amp I like.

By the way, I want to thank you for answers at this forum. It`s great to have a possibility to talk with a person who made it. Very few engineers would waste so much time talking to users.