Pls advice me to select one of : Hugo2 - Ak380 - (A&K)Sp1000.
I want to choose a best one suit for multi purpose of use with current device : Shure Kse1500, Ak120ii, HD800S and HDVD800 amp, HD650 and a desktop tube amp.
If tend to transportation Ak380 or SP1000 will pair better with kse1500?
If tend to desktop use, will Hugo2 kills those AK when use as a dac? If it makes a difference as day and night, I will go for Hugo2.
Btw how big change between Hugo and Hugo2? Hugo is much cheaper than Hugo2 in my location.
Thanks for reading
Let me try to answer some of your questions. My Hugo 2 just arrived only two days ago. I bought it from a guy who just upgraded and bought the Chord Dave (much too expensive for my liking). I also own the AK380Cu (+Cu amp) and I have listenend extensively to the SP1000 SS. I also owned a used Hugo 1 for a short period of time. Up to now, I listened to the Hugo 2 only with Utopia and HD800S. I do not own any IEMs any more, so my experience with the Hugo 2 is limited to full-size headphones.
Imho, the SP1000SS is a very small improvement compared to the AK380Cu soundwise. However, it offers a larger screen, a faster UI, USB 3.0 and better Bluetooth capability. On the other hand, there is a matching amp for the AK380, while there is none for the SP1000 at the moment. Still, the SP1000 offers enough power for the HD800S (only in balanced mode!), but not enough for most Planars. Both are brilliant DAPs. The sound quality of a (used) Hugo 1 is very good for its price, but below AK380Cu and SP1000. This was the reason for selling my Hugo 1 a few months ago. Hugo 1 offers a good bass quantity, but it is slightly less resolving over the whole frequency spectrum compared to the two A&K flagships.
Hugo 2, on the other hand, is simply great as far as I can tell up to now. Compared to the A&K flaghips, the Hugo 2 is more resolving without being bright. Soundstaging is great, with very good width and depth. With some tracks the Hugo 2 really seems to open up a third dimension, it gives a very good impression of height. With the HD800S it is simply brilliant, with the Utopia it is good too. In comparison, the soundstage of the AKs is smaller, much more intimate, but imaging is very good as well. Treble is good with both the AKs and Hugo 2. The mids of the Hugo 2 are to die for, simply better compared to the AK DAPs, where the mids are a bit recessed. On the other hand, the AK380Cu offers the best kick-bass and both AKs offer slightly better dynamics. Both AKs as well as the Hugo 2 pair quite well with the Utopia (well, every good gear drives the Utopia well), but I clearly prefer the Hugo 2 for the HD800S (even though the AKs sound quite good with it too).
So, to summarize, I would say that they rank like this (to me):
Hugo 2 > SP1000SS >= AK380Cu > AK380 > Hugo (>= means that the difference is rather small)
To answer one of your questions: I like the Hugo 2 MUCH more than Hugo.
For desktop use, I would prefer the Hugo 2, because it simply offers a bit more for its price compared to the AK flagships. I do not use additional desktop amps, but if you want/need to do so, I would expect the Hugo 2 to sound better. For mobile use I would prefer the AK DAPs for sure, because they are a bit smaller and you do not Need a separate transport.
I hope that helps a bit.
Cheers,
Bernie