[BunnyNamedCraig]

Thanks currawong I appreciate the knowledge. Just went to your website and read the updated Dave review and it felt as if I were writing it as we both connect with the chords sounds ability. While I have heard the Dave I’ve not heard it with the utopia. However I had a similar experience with the Hugo2 and the Elear. At canjam I’d had the mojo with the Elear and the aeon. While I love and appreciate the mojo, it’s the same presentation most of the equipment we’ve used for some time presents us. Just the mojo is ridiculously good at the classic sound. It’s got great low distortion characteristics, textures, super black back ground and great resolution. That’s exactly what I heard with the Elear and the aeon paired to the mojo. Next I’d switched to the Hugo2 and the Elear. The presentation was just about the same. Not much had changed. However the Aeon morphed to the Hugo2 sound and became what I know as the chord sound. No longer was I searching for blacker backgrounds. It’s as if there weren’t any an in fact every amount of space was filled with distinct layers and little micro details and dynamics where caressing my brain. It’s been some time since I’ve heard the combo but truly hoping my visit to Craig in Pittsburg in March will result in the same experience. This time I’m hoping to try a plethora of different headphones especially some of the mid tier headphones. I’m a sucker for multiple headphones that do certain things exceptionally well. I’ve been urging to see what happens to them paired with the Hugo2.
Has anyone tried the clear with it? Does it it grasps onto to its normal sound as the Elear and utopia do?

Wow I was browing and uncovered this ha. Come by for sure! I’ll make sure the Hugo 2 is warmed up for ya

So far it’s been difficult for me to take
the Focal Clear off my head running out of the Hugo 2. Tough to get any subjective listening done since I have been just enjoying that combo so much.

Interested to hear your thoughts whenever you swing by.

 

[GreenBow]

Wow I was browing and uncovered this ha. Come by for sure! I’ll make sure the Hugo 2 is warmed up for ya

So far it’s been difficult for me to take
the Focal Clear off my head running out of the Hugo 2. Tough to get any subjective listening done since I have been just enjoying that combo so much.

Interested to hear your thoughts whenever you swing by.

I have a question to ask about headphones. I want to buy some to use with the Hugo 2.

Why is it that almost all headphones dip in frequency response around 6KHz to 7KHz, then peak again at around 10KHz. Like I just put three random headphones into build a graph. http://graphs.headphone.com/

The AKG K550, Audeze LDC X, and the Denon AH-D7000. All of the dip around 6.5KHz. How are we supposed to know what to buy for mixing music? We buy our flat response Hugo (or Hugo 2), then are faced with stupid headphone responses. Even the Focal Utopia does it. Funnily though it still gets referred to as the best headphone in the world.

 

[flyte3333]

Hi @Rob Watts

I know the Hugo2 up-samples (PCM?) to 2048 x the original sample rate.

But what happens to a DSD256 file, in terms of Hugo2's internal up-sampling?

Cheers in advance

 

[Rob Watts]

Hi @Rob Watts

I know the Hugo2 up-samples (PCM?) to 2048 x the original sample rate.

But what happens to a DSD256 file, in terms of Hugo2's internal up-sampling?

Cheers in advance

It gets filtered by an improved DSD filter to 705.6 kHz PCM. Then Hugo 2 treats it exactly the same as regular PCM.

I am actually very pleased by the sound of the new filter; but to do this I needed over 200 dB of attenuation, to ensure zero aliasing. I get identical measured performance on the analogue compared to the original DSD64 test tones measured digitally; so performance is totally limited by the DSD itself, not the analogue conversion.

 

[flyte3333]

It gets filtered by an improved DSD filter to 705.6 kHz PCM. Then Hugo 2 treats it exactly the same as regular PCM.

I am actually very pleased by the sound of the new filter; but to do this I needed over 200 dB of attenuation, to ensure zero aliasing. I get identical measured performance on the analogue compared to the original DSD64 test tones measured digitally; so performance is totally limited by the DSD itself, not the analogue conversion.

Nice, cheers Rob. DSD purists reading this will gasp that DSD is being converted to PCM705kHz... but I agree with you, it sounds fantastic ! And that's coming from someone (me) who has a DirectStream DAC too.

Does DAVE do the same as Hugo2 too, with DSD files?

 

[Rob Watts]

Dave has a DSD+ mode - where the DSD is filtered, but maintained at the original sample rate, so it is just digitally filtered. I wanted the same sound quality performance of this, but still running at 705.6k - and the problem was the quality of the filter - the filter on Hugo 1 had some aliasing issues; you could see stuff at -150dB, and this was surprisingly audible. So the better filter has aliasing at better than -240dB; and this is the reason for the much better performance. I invested a lot of effort in this, and this was so I could see how important aliasing is when you decimate - and this is crucial knowledge for the Davina ADC project. In short, aliasing is a major issue - and current ADC's have huge levels built into the ADC performance, as designer have the expectation that aliasing (particularly outside the audio bandwidth) is not important subjectively; Davina will be the first ADC ever to have all aliasing guaranteed to be negligible.

 

[flyte3333]

Davina will be the first ADC ever to have all aliasing guaranteed to be negligible.

Wowza!

And yep I agree you nailed Hugo2's performance with DSD files

Thanks for the info.

 

[KristianFaksvag]

Hi!

I was just wondering if the Hugo 2 will work as a part in my speaker setup. Currently I have the Bang and Olufsen Beolab 8000 connected to a preamp (Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp) like this: Usb from my mac-->usb input Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp-->RCA output Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp-->Beolab 8000.

Does anyone know if the hugo 2 will be a better choice as a dac in my setup? In other words: will I get a better sound quality if I play through a usb-cable from my mac-->Hugo´s usb input-->Hugo´s RCA output-->Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp´s RCA input-->Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp´s RCA output-->Beolab 8000?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jarnopp]

I have a question to ask about headphones. I want to buy some to use with the Hugo 2.

Why is it that almost all headphones dip in frequency response around 6KHz to 7KHz, then peak again at around 10KHz. Like I just put three random headphones into build a graph. http://graphs.headphone.com/

The AKG K550, Audeze LDC X, and the Denon AH-D7000. All of the dip around 6.5KHz. How are we supposed to know what to buy for mixing music? We buy our flat response Hugo (or Hugo 2), then are faced with stupid headphone responses. Even the Focal Utopia does it. Funnily though it still gets referred to as the best headphone in the world.

I’m seeing it differently from your peaks and dips, but in any case, this may help you with why:
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/acoustic-basis-harman-listener-target-curve

 

[TKpurple]

Hi!

I was just wondering if the Hugo 2 will work as a part in my speaker setup. Currently I have the Bang and Olufsen Beolab 8000 connected to a preamp (Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp) like this: Usb from my mac-->usb input Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp-->RCA output Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp-->Beolab 8000.

Does anyone know if the hugo 2 will be a better choice as a dac in my setup? In other words: will I get a better sound quality if I play through a usb-cable from my mac-->Hugo´s usb input-->Hugo´s RCA output-->Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp´s RCA input-->Pro-Ject MaiA Preamp´s RCA output-->Beolab 8000?

Thanks in advance!

I Do NOT know if it will sound better then pro ject biur if you are using only digital source you can use hugo 2 both as dac or dac/pre amp straight into active speakers. I am using both hugo 2 and Mojo/poly straight into power amp and both sounds much better then my naim Unitilite all in one even if attached to the same external amp.

 

[dmance]

In thinking about what Chord should build that combines Hugo2 level WTA with Rob's new digital amp technology ...and then I saw this:
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/home-audio/products/acro-l1000
All for $900 USD. Its perfect - and I wish it had Chord guts instead of AKM ...and for the same price.

 

[musicday]

In thinking about what Chord should build that combines Hugo2 level WTA with Rob's new digital amp technology ...and then I saw this:
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/home-audio/products/acro-l1000
All for $900 USD. Its perfect - and I wish it had Chord guts instead of AKM ...and for the same price.

There is nothing wrong with Hugo 2, and i take it any day over that or other similar sized amplifier. Bonus are very, very low distortion and transparent powerful sound.

 

[Mython]

In thinking about what Chord should build that combines Hugo2 level WTA with Rob's new digital amp technology ...and then I saw this:
https://us.astellnkern.com/collections/home-audio/products/acro-l1000
All for $900 USD. Its perfect - and I wish it had Chord guts instead of AKM ...and for the same price.

LOL - if I'm understanding you correctly, you want a more advanced version of Hugo 2 for half the price of the existing Hugo 2, and with a big fat zero reward to Rob for his efforts researching and designing the digital amp.

I hope you're good at holding your breath for a long, l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g time, buddy!

 

[DoctaCosmos]

Don’t think he’s necessarily thinking anything’s wrong rather just suggesting how awesome it would be to have a chord equivalent of that product. I mean it is pretty cool and admittedly I’d jump all over it too if it was a Hugo2 with 15w speaker outputs too. And he’ll yeah it’d be amazing if it was only $900 lol but let’s be real here...about pointless other than for a laugh to even suggest.

 

[AndrewOld]

Just noticed that new 2Qutes are being sold with a sizeable £200 discount in the UK. Does this mean Chord have a successor product shortly to be released at CES?? Or is it end of life?

https://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/hi-fi-separates/dacs/chord-electronics-2qute-dac/