[highfell]

I can also recommend the Wyrd. Perhaps Chord should incorporate Wyrd technology in the next iteration of Hugo.
I don't see how BT can possibly sound very good. It is not a high fidelity means of conveying audio signals. Why Chord decided to incorporate BT in a device of the caliber of Hugo2 is a mystery, since the money people pay for the Hugo2 goes to waste if they use BT.

I find BT useful, when I Spotify music through my Hugo2 to tube amp to stereo speaker and I control the music from my arm chair. I don’t do that as a preferred option but there are times when it’s practical and who needs to worry about having music sounding “perfect” all the time

 

[GU1DO]

Maybe you should get someone else to make the cable for you. They clearly have no idea how a digital cable works. A digital cable is not mono or stereo in the way an analog cable is. It just transmits a digital signal using one cable. The signal is mono or stereo depending on the data contained in the digital signal.
Anyway, why not just use an off the shelf cable?

i think the problem is in the 3.5 end ,, not sure , confirmation request came through the local dealer
i saw in one post that the 4 poles is not working , it should be mono , so i asked the dealer to hold the order until i get a clear idea

Any recommendations are welcome , it just that i liked this company RCA cable , its is very good

 

[Hooster]

i think the problem is in the 3.5 end ,, not sure , confirmation request came through the local dealer
i saw in one post that the 4 poles is not working , it should be mono , so i asked the dealer to hold the order until i get a clear idea

Any recommendations are welcome , it just that i liked this company RCA cable , its is very good

I wonder, would it be a huge inconvenience for Chord, just to put a normal coaxial RCA digital input on their gear? Even manufacturers of very cheap products manage to do this, so why not Chord? It would make life much simpler for users.

This https://tinyurl.com/ybza7bka should work just fine

 

[highfell]

I read a lot of reviews with the Hugo 2 that have it paired with LCD4/2, HD800, HD800s, Nighthawk, a few IEMs. I've even read a couple of comments about using them with M50x.

No one seems to be talking about the T1s. In fact, I rarely see reviews of DACs or DAPs or amps using the T1s anymore. Maybe they're too old.

So, just for the sake of mentioning it somewhere, I'll just say that though I have the HD800, HD800s, M50x, M70x, TH900, TR80 (250), and a few others, so far, the T1s (1st gen) are my favorite pairing with the H2, sourcing via USB dongle from an iPad12 running Golden Ear app for FLAC files.

The T1, at least to my weak, old man ears,

- Same detail from the H2 as the HD800 and M70x (I dunno why, but the HD800s and M50x sees, I dunno, "less", maybe it's my imagination)
- The lower frequencies of the T1 on the H2 feel just right to me. The HD800s is too much bass still (but less on the H2 than when the HD800s are connected to the Jot)
- The highs of the T1 on the H2 also feel right. For the HD800 on the H2, higher frequencies sometimes make me wince a bit, though it really depends on the song. On the Jot, the HD800 always feels perfect.
- The mids of the T1 on the H2, again feels spot on. Not too prominent or too muted or drowned out.
- Across the entire range, the T1 feels so clean. With some headphones, sometimes the vibration of the voices of Sara Bareilles, Michael Jackson, Suzanne Vega, Il Divo, Andrea Bocelli, seems to smooth out, but never with the T1.
- "strength" Strangely, most of the headphones seem either a tad soft or a tad pounding. The M50 or M70 seem to have almost too much punch to me. Unexpectedly, the TR80 really felt great. Not too pounding and not too soft. The T1 is also perfect.

So far, the T1 is my favorite pairing with the H2.

Maybe not too relevant anymore...just some thoughts in case there are any T1 users left out there, hahaha.

I have the t90s and they really let you hear the detail of Hugo2, so I guess the T1s are a step up, Great cans - I got mine at a knock down price as an end of line piece of equipment. Like you I love them

 

[lcasadonte]

It is a digital cable, right?

At the risk of being flamed I just used an analog rca y splitter with a 3.5mm end. I plug the 3.5 in where it says coax and it works just fine. This was indicated in some other threads and was how the h2 was linked with the Blu2 in some of the writeups. Just fyi.

 

[Currawong]

Indeed, a regular 3.5mm to RCA cable will work, if not the most ideally.

If you want a cable maker to make a custom cable, have them make a 3.5mm to RCA cable using two lengths of 75 Ohm cable.

The other thing you can do is get a 3.5mm to RCA socket adaptor and then either socket becomes a digital input.

 

[tekkster]

At the risk of being flamed I just used an analog rca y splitter with a 3.5mm end. I plug the 3.5 in where it says coax and it works just fine. This was indicated in some other threads and was how the h2 was linked with the Blu2 in some of the writeups. Just fyi.

Wait, what? The coax 3.5mm port is BOTH analog AND digital?

I am confused. I thought the coax 3.5mm was digital.

Or...is that why the input colors have two for coax, because it can be either?

But, then, that means the Chord Hugo 2 can also function as just an amp?

Or is it analog input converting to digital, run through the dac, and then output again as analog?

Such a key piece I'm not understanding....

 

[514077]

Wait, what? The coax 3.5mm port is BOTH analog AND digital?

I am confused. I thought the coax 3.5mm was digital.

Or...is that why the input colors have two for coax, because it can be either?

But, then, that means the Chord Hugo 2 can also function as just an amp?

Or is it analog input converting to digital, run through the dac, and then output again as analog?

Such a key piece I'm not understanding....

The coax port on the H2 is for digital information. There are two ports, one from the tip of the plug, and the other from the ring, grounding with the sleeve. Although that kind of plug can be used in analog or digital duties, it's a digital S/PDIF connector. You cannot use it for an amp from that plug. He was just saying he could use a Y-splitter to use diferent RCA connectors for a blu2 or some other S/PDIF device. Some use the port to plug in a DAP to feed digital signal to the H2. The two RCA connections are to plug it into an external amp. Hope this clears up your confusion.

 

[x RELIC x]

Wait, what? The coax 3.5mm port is BOTH analog AND digital?

I am confused. I thought the coax 3.5mm was digital.

Or...is that why the input colors have two for coax, because it can be either?

But, then, that means the Chord Hugo 2 can also function as just an amp?

Or is it analog input converting to digital, run through the dac, and then output again as analog?

Such a key piece I'm not understanding....

It’s just a copper wire and won’t determine if it’s digital or analogue, that’s up to the signal sent through the wire. Hugo2 only accepts a digital input.

 

[Currawong]

Wait, what? The coax 3.5mm port is BOTH analog AND digital?

No, there are two ports. One is a 3.5mm port for headphones, and the other is a 3.5mm port for coaxial digital. Confusingly they accept the same plug. Digital coax is supposed to use 75 Ohm BNC but manufacturers way back began using RCA sockets for convenience, and now are using 3.5mm sockets in portable gear. This, of course, becomes very confusing, especially if a socket can do both analog and digital through different pins, or through an optical transmitter at the bottom of the socket. The problem is that there isn't a standard, so we have different manufacturers doing different things.

I guess Rob was clever here though. The TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) of a 3.5mm analog plug corresponds to: Left positive, Right Positive, Ground.

The unique coaxial digital socket of the Hugo 2 corresponds its TRS socket to: Coax 1 positive, Coax 2 positive, ground. That means if you use a regular RCA-to-TS (tip-sleeve, or "mono" 3.5mm plug) it will work for coax 1. If you use something with the same pinout as an analog 3.5mm to stereo converter in the digital input socket, it will effect a pair of RCA sockets or plugs to coax digital inputs. That means you don't need a custom cable which you do with, say, FiiO's players.

 

[GreenBow]

Why is this important? There are good arguments that "galvanic isolation" is nonsense. In other words, it's like saying "This device isn't buzzword-compliant! Therefore it's no good."

I keep thinking about all this. I noticed on a post your pictures of your iFi gear. Looks like you have galvanic isolation, but I can't recall.

I'm not sure it matters too much, but I think galvanic isolation stops ground loops which matters. Not that I think I have a ground loop from my PC. Am just saying.

I bought the iFi Nano USB 3.0 mainly for two reasons, and hoped it was galvanically isolated.

I wanted it for clean power supply. I am not totally sure I needed it, and I think Rob W says not. Other folk disagree with him. Same in the 2Qute thread. Personally I don't know because I still didn't try it out yet.
Secondly for a USB cleaner, since I like the Audioquest Jitterbug. I need two USB cleaners because I have two DACs attached to my PC.

I don't see it as wasted money, because I can use it for my Hugo 2. Or I can take advantage of the clean power supply for my Meridian Explorer.

 

[Currawong]

My experience suggests that having low-noise USB is important. Electrically isolated USB that uses a transformer, which is what I think is being sold as “galvanic isolation” may have possible benefits but I think that my rant was against suggesting it as necessary because it has come out as a buzzword. The iUSB 3.0 isn’t isolated.

 

[miketlse]

Wait, what? The coax 3.5mm port is BOTH analog AND digital?

I am confused. I thought the coax 3.5mm was digital.

Or...is that why the input colors have two for coax, because it can be either?

But, then, that means the Chord Hugo 2 can also function as just an amp?

Or is it analog input converting to digital, run through the dac, and then output again as analog?

Such a key piece I'm not understanding....

Edited

 

[Rob Watts]

The headphone 3.5mm is stereo headphone output only. The 3.5mm SPDIF digital inputs are two channel SPDIF inputs only.

 

[GU1DO]

Indeed, a regular 3.5mm to RCA cable will work, if not the most ideally.

If you want a cable maker to make a custom cable, have them make a 3.5mm to RCA cable using two lengths of 75 Ohm cable.

The other thing you can do is get a 3.5mm to RCA socket adaptor and then either socket becomes a digital input.

interesting that you liked regular RCA cable
i know that regular RCA cable are not made to the SPDIF specifications 75 Ohm / shielding

Your next post answered all my questions , Thanks

I guess Rob was clever here though. The TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) of a 3.5mm analog plug corresponds to: Left positive, Right Positive, Ground.