[jarnopp]

I finally decided to get the Hugo 2, and then I saw these 2 less than enthusiastic reviews:

(He says he actually prefers the Mojo, which I already own)


(Says the H2 is lacking in the low end)


Can someone please cheer me up?

The top review from Tristan is of the black USA tour unit. I also reviewed it just prior to him. My review (on this page:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/chord-hugo-2.22209/reviews?order=likes&direction=asc&page=2) specifically focused on Mojo to Hugo2 comparison. I also found 8 preferred the Mojo sound for some very specific reasons. If that doesn’t match your experince, it’s possible there may have been an issue with that particular unit, or just varied preferences. I’m sure you will enjoy your Hugo2!

 

[tekkster]

Thanks guys, you did cheer me up
I guess I'm expecting the H2 to not only sound better than the Mojo, but to sound a whole lot better than it. Not sure if that's a realistic expectation, since the Mojo is already very good.
Is it enough to justify such a high price when I'm only going to use it at home? We'll see.

Like many, i have both and my 50 year old ears are pretty weak, being unable to hear below 22hz or above 15khz. Even for me, the h2 outperforms the mojo, but not for all music and not for all conditions. Hiphop, rock, rap, house, pop, i can’t tell the difference using most headphones. For some reason, with the t1’s, my fav headphone, i can’t really tell the diff between mojo and h2.

Folk/acoustic, ensemble, jazz, some classical, and using the hd800’s or the cheap fostex tr80/250, i can tell the diff between h2 and mojo, as long as source is flac. No filter on the h2, of course.

 

[514077]

Thanks guys, you did cheer me up
I guess I'm expecting the H2 to not only sound better than the Mojo, but to sound a whole lot better than it. Not sure if that's a realistic expectation, since the Mojo is already very good.
Is it enough to justify such a high price when I'm only going to use it at home? We'll see.

I think so. I thought the Hugo1 was far superior to the Mojo in terms of timbral definition and clarity. The Hugo2 is a major step up from the H1 in stage depth. The treble response is extended but not strident as the Hugo1 could be at times. I only use my H2 at home, and think it worth the money. But, judge for yourself.

 

[tekkster]

Looked at iOS music player apps and wasn't pleased with results. Nice to use larger screen after staring at iPhone most of the day. Can only imagine the eye problems younger people will have in future from decades of smartphone screens. Ophthalmologists are going to thrive. For home music file play use JRiver for Mac on Macbook Pro. Tried Roon free trial but subscription app's don't do it for me. Admittedly bias having used JRiver for over a decade. My JRiver setup is awesome after all the years tweaking it. Over 2300 albums (forty percent of albums 96/24+ resolution) with high quality cover art jpg's and refined meta data. Aeon Flow > Hugo 2 > USB > Macbook Pro w/JRiver. Battery or desktop mode(AC). Outstanding sound quality.

I agree, the larger screen and more organized and easy to follow UI of Mac/OSX players are nice. I like JRiver, though I prefer Swinsian right now.

Still, iPads aren't bad, It allows me to take my music to the living room or dining table using headphones or bedroom. And the screen on an iPad is reasonable. I'm trying out different FLAC players, the one in the photo below being Flacbox.

 

[Chikolad]

The Hugo2 is a major step up from the H1 in stage depth

See, Hans Beekhuyzen on YouTube said in his review that there's no difference in stage depth, only in height and width. So I guess there's not a single truth.

 

[514077]

See, Hans Beekhuyzen on YouTube said in his review that there's no difference in stage depth, only in height and width. So I guess there's not a single truth.

Hmmmm! Interesting. And I generally find his videos educational, even if I don't always agree with him. I liked his MQA Pt 1 video when he gives a-what I think is-a reasonable explanation as to why 24/192 is the way to go. Part 2 was another matter, of course. But, I'm surprised to hea-secon hand, mind you-his take on the diferences between the Hugos. And I trust my ears more than any other ears I've used. (Titter).

 

[Chikolad]

Hmmmm! Interesting. And I generally find his videos educational, even if I don't always agree with him. I liked his MQA Pt 1 video when he gives a-what I think is-a reasonable explanation as to why 24/192 is the way to go. Part 2 was another matter, of course. But, I'm surprised to hea-secon hand, mind you-his take on the diferences between the Hugos. And I trust my ears more than any other ears I've used. (Titter).

OK, I watched his video again to try and find where he said that about the soundstage depth, and I couldn't. So maybe I was hallucinating or maybe someone else said that...

 

[ray-dude]

See, Hans Beekhuyzen on YouTube said in his review that there's no difference in stage depth, only in height and width. So I guess there's not a single truth.

FWIW, I've found depth and depth resolution to be one of the more amazing and perhaps the most ethereal aspects of Chord DACs; anything in the chain can cause that amazing sense of depth to go away. Hans reporting this wouldn't surprise me, but the bottleneck may not be the Hugo vs Hugo2, but his headphones/speakers/amp/etc. For soundstage and transparency related cues, the entire system *really* matters.

I found depth and depth resolution to *dramatically* go up from Mojo to Hugo2 to DAVE to BluDAVE/BluHugo2 (scary high with Blu2 in the mix), but I have not had an opportunity to compare Hugo and Hugo2 directly.

 

[Satir]

n/a

 

[Rob Watts]

Hugo 1 and Mojo both have similar depth performance - not surprising, as depth is down to small signal amplitude linearity, and Hugo 1 and Mojo have exactly the same 4e pulse array, noise shapers and internal truncators - and it is these items that determines small signal linearity and hence depth perception.

 

[ray-dude]

Hugo 1 and Mojo both have similar depth performance - not surprising, as depth is down to small signal amplitude linearity, and Hugo 1 and Mojo have exactly the same 4e pulse array, noise shapers and internal truncators - and it is these items that determines small signal linearity and hence depth perception.

Fascinating, thank you for sharing Rob. That sense of infinite depth is intoxicating. Understanding where it comes from is not only very interesting, but also very helpful.

 

[tekkster]

Common issue with iPad/iOS apps - no DSD support. Understand most running file player apps on their iPhones, iPads could care less about DSD. A dedicated Chord file player app would be sweet. Won't hold my breath for that one though.

My DSD library is limited, but does KaiserTone and uRa (ios apps) not do DSD correctly?

 

[Hooster]

Nice to use larger screen after staring at iPhone most of the day. Can only imagine the eye problems younger people will have in future from decades of smartphone screens. Ophthalmologists are going to thrive.

Wear glasses that block harmful wavelengths of light when using computer screens and phones. You will not be sorry.

 

[Hooster]

Thanks guys, you did cheer me up
I guess I'm expecting the H2 to not only sound better than the Mojo, but to sound a whole lot better than it. Not sure if that's a realistic expectation, since the Mojo is already very good.
Is it enough to justify such a high price when I'm only going to use it at home? We'll see.

The H2 wold be pointless and grossly overpriced if it did not sound much better than a Mojo. I have had a Mojo so I know what it sounds like. I have never heard the H2, but I assume it must sound a whole lot better than a Mojo. It would be kind of ridiculous if it did not.

 

[Audio-Mark]

Also, ordering some Meze 99's just for kicks, as I'm really curious how the sound of those headphones pair with the Hugo2.

The Meze 99 is a great Headphone but the match with the Hugo 2 is terrible. I found the combination unlistenable. Way too much bass.