[endre83]

This is a topic that gets debated with every Chord product. Rob Watts designs these units with key principle of signal purity: every component in the chain will degrade transmission to some extent. So, Chord products use a pulse array for their D/A conversion, which allows them to skip the normal analog stage used in other DACs (R2R, SD). This is the closest you will come to getting a direct tap on the D/A chip of any DAC. Part of this Chord ”magic” is undone if you then add all the components of an external amplifier after the Hugo2 output.

Now, there are good reasons for needing to do this: high impedance phones, electrostatic or ribbon transducer phones. There are valid reasons for wanting to do this: you value the coloration of your favorite amp, or the largest possible soundstage.

If these are trades you need or want to make, you have to go with what you enjoy! Don’t let anyone tell you different. However, what they are telling you is true: the most transparent, natural, accurate sound will always come from the direct output.

Thanks!

 

[Markhallapple]

Where should i Attach a ground wire to my Hugo 2 ? .. i have found that the lug connection for the 2 go unit works .. is there another point that would be more suitable .. also what would i use as a long term reliable solution ..? What is the size of the lug ? Or a source for one .. that i can ..attach a ground wire .. using the actual locking allen wrench to secure it .. that holds the hugo 2 go in place .
Help
Thank You for any suggestions and fixes

 

[GreenBow]

You know how sometimes folk ask, does music sound different when you are ill, (or maybe tired).

I was just thinking, that apart from music sounding different to me under those circumstances, it also feels different. I think the best example to give is how even the best film can be unbearable to watch when we are exhausted. Or another example, I may be binging a series on Amazon, and wanting to know what comes next. However I often then I hit a point of tiredness when, I simply don't care any more what happens next. I may even have just started a new episode, sit back and think ''sod it no - wait until tomorrow".

Music is the same to me, if I am poorly or tired. Like sometimes I can recall knowing some music is good, but I literally can not listen to one more drum beat. My mind has heard enough and can't be battered any more. Yet put the same music on next day fresh after sleep, and I can't get enough of it.

I found also some time back, that classical musical is easier to listen to under illness or headache. I think it's because it doesn't have a heavy beat, and the melody flows often gently. (Collection by Tracy Chapman, is another for me that for some reason goes very well with low mood or tiredness. When I am emotionally beat, she is a perfect vocalist. She's great at other times too - I have four of her albums.)

 

[gryffe]

If you don't bi-amp and don't have other analog sources, yes?
It took me about 6 months after connecting my Chord DAC directly into my amp before I came around to selling my already very transparent and expensive preamp. I simply found significantly more transparency, microdynamics and detail with a deeper soundstage through direct connection.
It also took me a while to come to terms with the fact that any sonic deficits through this direct connection was due to my source or my amp or my speakers (or room acoustics) and not the absence of my old preamp. (Back in the day, I had a very bad USB source that was injecting too much noise into my Chord DAC causing excess harshness and my older amp was also a little harsh and bright so the preamp softened the sound a little. Fixing the USB source made the music sound much better and led me to selling the preamp. Upgrading the amp eventually made the music is even better.)

Ultimately, it's your system so you should connect it in a way that sounds best to you. But if you do find out that you enjoy connecting your Hugo2 directly to your Arcam power amp more, you can get some money back by selling your old integrated amp or maybe put it in a different system.

If you really want to hear what your Hugo 2 can do, you should try directly connecting the Hugo 2 into the Arcam Power amp (obviously not in DAC mode). You might be surprised by how much more you hear through the Hugo 2 when you use Hugo 2 digital volume control.

So I took the plunge and fed the Hugo 2 to the power amp. First impressions are it definitely sounds good, possibly a bit more controlled - eg with bass heavy tracks. Posisbly hearing a bit more detail too. Sometimes it's hard to know if something sounds better or just different though, and I was very happy with the sound from my bi-amped set up, so will give it a few days to bed in and see what happens.
The only drawback if I do keep this Hugo/power amp setup is that when I want to play vinyl it's not just as simple as changing the source on the integrated amp as was the case previously, now I'll have re-instate the pre amp RCA connectors between the integrated and power amp, remove the terminal links from the back of my speakers, and then re-introduce the speaker cable from the integrated amp that aren't used when using the Hugo/power amp set up. And then reverse all that when I want to go digital again with Hugo!!

Oh well, Hifi truly is a labour of love at times!!

 

[robo24]

Part of this Chord ”magic” is undone if you then add all the components of an external amplifier after the Hugo2 output.

Would one say the same about the Qutest outputting at 3V just like the CH2 does when using just as a DAC in that mode? Using RCA out, aren't the 2 essentially the same?

 

[NovaFlyer]

You know how sometimes folk ask, does music sound different when you are ill, (or maybe tired).

I was just thinking, that apart from music sounding different to me under those circumstances, it also feels different. I think the best example to give is how even the best film can be unbearable to watch when we are exhausted. Or another example, I may be binging a series on Amazon, and wanting to know what comes next. However I often then I hit a point of tiredness when, I simply don't care any more what happens next. I may even have just started a new episode, sit back and think ''sod it no - wait until tomorrow".

Music is the same to me, if I am poorly or tired. Like sometimes I can recall knowing some music is good, but I literally can not listen to one more drum beat. My mind has heard enough and can't be battered any more. Yet put the same music on next day fresh after sleep, and I can't get enough of it.

I found also some time back, that classical musical is easier to listen to under illness or headache. I think it's because it doesn't have a heavy beat, and the melody flows often gently. (Collection by Tracy Chapman, is another for me that for some reason goes very well with low mood or tiredness. When I am emotionally beat, she is a perfect vocalist. She's great at other times too - I have four of her albums.)

It's fact that lack of sleep, alcohol, caffeine, etc can affect color vision. So a reasonable assumption is that similar factors can affect how we hear, to include mood as you highlight. Additionally, give how our brain is a critical link, anything that affects our brain, again lack of sleep, mood, etc would impact how we hear.

 

[6RS]

I got another question: I got frustrated with making a double BNC -> 3.5 mm cable to connect the Hugo2 to the M Scaler. So I just bought a Qutest instead.
However, Qutest has no volume control, Hugo2 has. Now, I am using the volume control of Amarra. I wonder, is the volume control of Hugo2 superior to the one used in Amarra? Any thoughts or experiences?
Anyway, the new kid on the block is the Leedh algorithm, that operates to avoid rounding (by choosing from volume attenuation steps that do not involve rounding, works only with 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, apparently). I wonder whether the hype about Leedh is justified.

 

[ecwl]

I got another question: I got frustrated with making a double BNC -> 3.5 mm cable to connect the Hugo2 to the M Scaler. So I just bought a Qutest instead.
However, Qutest has no volume control, Hugo2 has. Now, I am using the volume control of Amarra. I wonder, is the volume control of Hugo2 superior to the one used in Amarra? Any thoughts or experiences?
Anyway, the new kid on the block is the Leedh algorithm, that operates to avoid rounding (by choosing from volume attenuation steps that do not involve rounding, works only with 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, apparently). I wonder whether the hype about Leedh is justified.

Yes. Hugo 2 digital volume control is superior to Amarra because it is done internally at 705.6/768kHz and at 56 bits. Because if you take the music from Amarra, the best you can do is to have Amarra take the 44.1kHz music and maybe get to 32-bits (but probably only 24-bits) with TPDF dithering before sending it to M-Scaler Before upsampling to 705.6/768kHz.
That said, there are always many, many “sub-optimal” ways of using Chord DACs but sometimes reality and circumstances forces us to make do with what we can. If you already sold the Hugo 2, I would probably just live with the Amarra volume control if I were in your shoes. Unless you have money lying around to upgrade to Hugo TT2. Then maybe you can just get rid of your power amp and drive the speakers directly from TT2.

 

[uzi2]

It's fact that lack of sleep, alcohol, caffeine, etc can affect color vision. So a reasonable assumption is that similar factors can affect how we hear, to include mood as you highlight. Additionally, give how our brain is a critical link, anything that affects our brain, again lack of sleep, mood, etc would impact how we hear.

Maybe try a passive analogue pre-amp?
Edit: Strange I thought I had responded to the post after yours... maybe it affects us in other ways too?

 

[6RS]

Yes. Hugo 2 digital volume control is superior to Amarra because it is done internally at 705.6/768kHz and at 56 bits. Because if you take the music from Amarra, the best you can do is to have Amarra take the 44.1kHz music and maybe get to 32-bits (but probably only 24-bits) with TPDF dithering before sending it to M-Scaler Before upsampling to 705.6/768kHz.
That said, there are always many, many “sub-optimal” ways of using Chord DACs but sometimes reality and circumstances forces us to make do with what we can. If you already sold the Hugo 2, I would probably just live with the Amarra volume control if I were in your shoes. Unless you have money lying around to upgrade to Hugo TT2. Then maybe you can just get rid of your power amp and drive the speakers directly from TT2.

I do still have the Hugo2. But I cannot use my WAVE clone cables with it, but apparently, the ferrites are not required with Hugo2? But then I read the Qutest sounds better than Hugo2. I will compare soon.

 

[Widell]

I do still have the Hugo2. But I cannot use my WAVE clone cables with it, but apparently, the ferrites are not required with Hugo2? But then I read the Qutest sounds better than Hugo2. I will compare soon.

Hmmn, unless you are a travelling salesman, why not sell qutest and H2 and get a TT2....?

 

[GreenBow]

I got another question: I got frustrated with making a double BNC -> 3.5 mm cable to connect the Hugo2 to the M Scaler. So I just bought a Qutest instead.
However, Qutest has no volume control, Hugo2 has. Now, I am using the volume control of Amarra. I wonder, is the volume control of Hugo2 superior to the one used in Amarra? Any thoughts or experiences?
Anyway, the new kid on the block is the Leedh algorithm, that operates to avoid rounding (by choosing from volume attenuation steps that do not involve rounding, works only with 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, apparently). I wonder whether the hype about Leedh is justified.

I know in JRiver that I can unlock the volume control, so could use that with Qutest. Maybe think about getting a media-centre on your mac-mini, which has a remote control too. Then you can control the volume from your player.

Jriver has a remote control. Or rather you can buy one from it. …. Worth noting that I am not sure if JRiver unlocking volume control, removes bit perfect playback.

I have a regular Windows remote control, and paired with a PC infra-red receiver, can control JRiver. Play, stop, pause, next track ffd, rrw. I control volume on my amplifier or TT2.

 

[6RS]

I know in JRiver that I can unlock the volume control, so could use that with Qutest. Maybe think about getting a media-centre on your mac-mini, which has a remote control too. Then you can control the volume from your player.

Jriver has a remote control. Or rather you can buy one from it. …. Worth noting that I am not sure if JRiver unlocking volume control, removes bit perfect playback.

I have a regular Windows remote control, and paired with a PC infra-red receiver, can control JRiver. Play, stop, pause, next track ffd, rrw. I control volume on my amplifier or TT2.

I can use my iPhone as a remote for iTunes and/or Amarra, which includes volume control.

 

[Bill Chu]

May I ask anyone using charger for Hugo2 other than the original charger, and the performance is even better? Always thinking about cleaner power -> better audio performance for hifi / headfi world

 

[uzi2]

May I ask anyone using charger for Hugo2 other than the original charger, and the performance is even better? Always thinking about cleaner power -> better audio performance for hifi / headfi world

The Hugo2 is battery powered. It may well sound better if you replace the battery with super capacitors, but that will take away its portability. It doesn't matter how the battery or super capacitors are charged.