[ahossam]

USB decrapifier for a portable system?

I am just adding some information that people told me to do since I am not into H2 sound sig.

 

[Hooster]

Just for the record, I am using the Hugo 2 in my main hi-fi system, I am not using it with cans, so using crossfeed is not an option.
Although my main DAC is a Metrum Acoustics R2R NOS DAC, I also extensively used the Mojo, which I really like, so I am somewhat familiar with the Chord sound at least to a certain degree.
I will give it some more time, although things are only getting worse instead of getting better. Maybe Hugo2's way of reproducing music is just not my thing, I don't know. I feel there is something unnatural about it, and I don't know what it is.
I am not so sure about "adjusting my brain to it". When you go to a live concert, you don't have to "adjust" your brain to it, do you?
Anyway, I don't want to insist too much on this issue, lots of people seem to enjoy the Hugo2 really much, so maybe the problem is me.

Wow, I have to say I am pretty blown away by this. I have had a Mojo so I have a reference. Just to understand from the perspective of a Mojo user, you prefer the sound of Mojo to Hugo2?

At the end of the day it does not matter what other people say. You have the Hugo2 and something good to compare it to and if you don't like it, then you don't like it. Your opinion is just as valid and valuable as the opinion of those who think otherwise and your input is much appreciated, thank you.

I have been fascinated by the Hugo2 since it arrived on the market but I have been troubled by the looks and ergonomics. To be really satisfied in Chord land I feel I would need the TT2 plus an Mscaler. Those are far out of my price range and I have a DAC that I am happy with, both in terms of sound and ergonomics. I am still waiting for a Chord product that suits me and my budget. I have a feeling that I will be waiting some time.

 

[EagleWings]

It is because people like musickid have achieved such amazing results. I just think it might be a good idea for people not to dismiss the sound immediately because they somehow fail to understand/comprehend it. They could be rewarded if they give it more time and perhaps look at upgrades elsewhere in their audio chain. Pre owned Mscalers are apparently becoming available so that might be a good place to start along with some premium grade headphones.

Well, its not like Musickid didn't like the standalone H2, but started liking it after he added the HMS. He was in love with his H2 even before adding the HMS to his chain. While the HMS improves on a ton of aspects and boosts the realism of the device, the tonality would very much still be that of the Hugo 2 (speaking based on my experience with the Blu2 and Dave). So if someone didn't like the H2 because of its "surgical" tonality, I doubt an HMS could help.

@Hooster , what Julien is saying is, he prefers the tonality of the Mojo over the Hugo 2, even though Hugo 2 performs better than the Mojo in the non-tonal aspects.

I dont think this is about knocking to Hugo2 and people coming out to defend it. What it looks like to me is that he is not used to this kind of sound and would be happy to let it go so soon, where as i would give this a good chance just as with anything from any company. Some of the very best enjoyable gear i've owned had a growing period where as the ones with the wow factor became tiring and disappointing in the long run.

Sure, if the device sounds slightly different from your preference, it makes sense to give it some time to see if grows on you. But in every case I have seen, where the sound was clearly not the person's cup of tea on day one, no amount of brain burn-in or device burn-in has helped. Advising the person to return the device, might actually at the least help him not skip the return window. Advising things such as brain burn-in is only delaying the inevitable.

I'm not here to police what one must and mustn't do on the forum. I have come to this thread numerous times in search of information. But it is so damn difficult to find the relevant posts, when most of the thread is filled with hyperbole or people talking about brain-burn-in or how HMS blew them away.

 

[ZappaMan]

That’s music kids fault.

 

[miketlse]

It’s not that I don’t believe in it. Infact I have experienced my brain play tricks on my perception quite a few times. But when things are black and white, like when Hugo2’s tonality is clearly not the listener’s preference, it probably might help to advise him to return/sell the unit and move on.

No, I will advise him in good faith, what I believe is right and truthful.

• Some things can be easily tested by a quick A/B test - does a power supply work = yes/no
• Other things take far longer to reliably test/validate.
  • when I first got my Hugo 2, I loved the amount of detail compared to Mojo, and stopped listening to Mojo. A few months later I tried using Mojo again, and found the sound seemed congested, so again stopped using it. A few months later during last summer, I used the Mojo whenever I was sitting outside on the patio, and enjoyed the sound again. - the moral is that whether you enjoy the Mojo or Hugo 2 sound, can change over a long period of time.
  • when I was first interested in the Beyer T8ie, I was warned that the bass can sound light at first, but don't make a snap judgement, because if you give your ears/brain enough time to get used to the new sound signature, you may well like these iems. That is exactly what I experienced, and I found that I liked those iems - the moral is that initial impressions of sound signature can deceive, and ones impressions can change if given enough time

Back to the case in question:

• You maintain that JulienS only needs his initial quick A/B test to identify which dac suits his preferences
• JulienS is enquiring if 4 days is enough time for him to make the absolute judgement about which dac he prefers - I believe he needs longer
• the posters here are not fanboys, but are merely suggesting that JulienS gives his ears/brain maybe a few weeks to get used to the hugo 2 sound signature. If he does that, and still finds that he prefers the Mojo, then no one will have any problem with him, because he has given his ears/brain a fair chance to make the correct choice for him. We are all just trying to help owners avoid making a snap judgement, that may not be the right one for them.

You can spot plenty of head-fiers on the headphone/iem threads, who post about each week ordering their next highly regarded headphone/iem, then listening to them for only a couple of minutes before deciding to return them.
Enthusiasts they may be, but they are doomed to never find their end goal iems, because they never give their ears/brain a fair chance - for them life will always be a hunt for perfection, but never reach the end goal.

 

[JM1979]

USB decrapifier for a portable system?

When I ran an iPhone>Dragonfly Red set up, I found that the Jitterbug helped a lot in creating a blacker background.

With the Hugo 2 and a mobile device, I don’t see a need for a decrapifier. Hugo 2 is pitch black for days and clear as can be. As you all well know.

 

[514077]

Just for the record, I am using the Hugo 2 in my main hi-fi system, I am not using it with cans, so using crossfeed is not an option.
Although my main DAC is a Metrum Acoustics R2R NOS DAC, I also extensively used the Mojo, which I really like, so I am somewhat familiar with the Chord sound at least to a certain degree.
I will give it some more time, although things are only getting worse instead of getting better. Maybe Hugo2's way of reproducing music is just not my thing, I don't know. I feel there is something unnatural about it, and I don't know what it is.
I am not so sure about "adjusting my brain to it". When you go to a live concert, you don't have to "adjust" your brain to it, do you?
Anyway, I don't want to insist too much on this issue, lots of people seem to enjoy the Hugo2 really much, so maybe the problem is me.

All of my kidding aside: Maybe it doesn't have the right synergy with your system. Nothing wrong with that. It works well for me with my cans, and has given me joy since my first moment with it. But, if it isn't right for you, by all means let it go. You could give it a bit more time as others have said. But, it's up to you, of course. Good luck improving your system.

 

[514077]

Well, its not like Musickid didn't like the standalone H2, but started liking it after he added the HMS. He was in love with his H2 even before adding the HMS to his chain. While the HMS improves on a ton of aspects and boosts the realism of the device, the tonality would very much still be that of the Hugo 2 (speaking based on my experience with the Blu2 and Dave). So if someone didn't like the H2 because of its "surgical" tonality, I doubt an HMS could help.

@Hooster , what Julien is saying is, he prefers the tonality of the Mojo over the Hugo 2, even though Hugo 2 performs better than the Mojo in the non-tonal aspects.



Sure, if the device sounds slightly different from your preference, it makes sense to give it some time to see if grows on you. But in every case I have seen, where the sound was clearly not the person's cup of tea on day one, no amount of brain burn-in or device burn-in has helped. Advising the person to return the device, might actually at the least help him not skip the return window. Advising things such as brain burn-in is only delaying the inevitable.

I'm not here to police what one must and mustn't do on the forum. I have come to this thread numerous times in search of information. But it is so damn difficult to find the relevant posts, when most of the thread is filled with hyperbole or people talking about brain-burn-in or how HMS blew them away.

I have to agree about giving things a chance. My experience with the LCD-X is a prime example of a piece of gear that disappointed me at first. Now I wouldn't part with them. But, as I said above: If it doesn't fit into his system...

 

[muski]

Anyway, I don't want to insist too much on this issue, lots of people seem to enjoy the Hugo2 really much, so maybe the problem is me.

How are you feeding your Hugo 2? USB? Curious if you've tried optical?

 

[JulienS]

How are you feeding your Hugo 2? USB? Curious if you've tried optical?

Tried them all. The USB being the worst and the optical one being the most acceptable among them.

 

[miketlse]

Tried them all. The USB being the worst and the optical one being the most acceptable among them.

I too find the optical to be best for both mojo and hugo 2.

 

[JulienS]

I too find the optical to be best for both mojo and hugo 2.

Yes, and I find the difference between filters to be more discernible when using optical.

Edit: Of course, this also has to do with the transport I am using: for USB I am using a notebook, while for optical I am using a streamer.

 

[miketlse]

Yes, and I find the difference between filters to be more discernible when using optical.

Edit: Of course, this also has to do with the transport I am using: for USB I am using a notebook, while for optical I am using a streamer.

I am lucky to have an optical output on my old PC.
On the other hand USB from the laptop can suffer from interference of some sort.

The effect of the filters is supposed to be most noticeable with hires files.
For CD quality, the filters are much more subtle. I use the white filter, because that produces a slightly better stop/start to piano notes etc, but I find it difficult to distinguish between the other filters.

 

[Law87]

anyone with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 1 can tell me if the red filter did significant to the treble spike?

 

[GreenBow]

Tried them all. The USB being the worst and the optical one being the most acceptable among them.

I too find the optical to be best for both mojo and hugo 2.

With Mojo, I found the Audioquest Jitterbug calmed the USB perfectly. I have left the Jitterbug on the cable, and that cable now feeds the Hugo 2. However the Hugo 2 is said to not need the Jitterbug because Rob Watts put some filtering in the USB input. I left the Jitterbug there by default though as it can not do any harm. The Jitterbug will filter noise from the PC. The Hugo 2 filtering can work on RFI noise caught by the USB cable.