[Hooster]

The popularity of external amps stems from the expectation of a real technical benefit in the sense of higher accuracy, better control and higher dynamics –

What a statement... The fact is that the popularity of external amps does not stem from any "expectation". It stems from the fact that people actually prefer the way they sound. There are people out there, believe it or not, that prioritize enjoyable sound.

 

[425455]

What a statement... The fact is that the popularity of external amps does not stem from any "expectation". It stems from the fact that people actually prefer the way they sound. There are people out there, believe it or not, that prioritize enjoyable sound.

You read all of that post? Kudos..

I'm no astrophysicist..

The $8,750,000 got me ...

 

[JaZZ]

What a statement... The fact is that the popularity of external amps does not stem from any "expectation". It stems from the fact that people actually prefer the way they sound. There are people out there, believe it or not, that prioritize enjoyable sound.

Actually I'm sure that they expect a real, technical benefit, not just sound effects. Otherwise amp emulators would be more popular.

And don't project your epectation that a sound as accurate and neutral as possible be unenjoyable before you try it! I guess your experiments so far are limited to «with amp and without amp». What about carefully linearizing your headphones in advance?

 

[surfgeorge]

Dear Hugo 2 owners - I need your advice, not really about the Hugo, but about a headphone.

I recently bought Focal Clears as my first serious headphone, after I have only bought IEMs in the past years. I am burning them in for a week now, listening to them for some time every day. Somehow I am a little disappointed, and after listening to the Clears through the H2, the Mojo and the HiBy R3 DAP which I usually only use as digital transport I am also confused.

Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
With the Mojo the sound is a bit smoother, vocals come through a little better as the bass lines are softer and not as forward, treble is also a bit smoother.
The HiBy R3 sounds quite a bit brighter, not as clean as the Mojo, but the brighter signature helps the vocals as well.
It's really not easy to describe, sometimes they sound really good, sometimes I really long for a more open and clear, lighter, airier sound.

The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue.

Now my reference are mostly IEMs and I understand that IEMs and headphones sound very different.
But I also listened to the HD800S a few weeks ago and found them to sound very open, detailed and clear with the H2, if a bit intense and sharp at times.
The soundstage was also really impressive, very big, good for classical!
Another reference I have is a quite good stereo system with the CHORD 2Qute DAC, a €5000 integrated amp and custom speakers. Sounds different again, but like the IEMs the stereo has a transparent and flowing sound, the Focal Clear a bit more focused and maybe compressed? A bit velvety, or slightly veiled?

I have a few days left to decide whether to keep or return them, and reading what I just wrote I think I should.
What headphones up to €1000 (also used) would you recommend if I am looking for a smooth, transparent, detailed and layered sound with very good soundstage?
Comfort and low weight would be additional requirements.
As a reference, my best IEMs are the Sony IER-M9 and I really like them. I listen to a lot of classical music, instrumental, vocal, some classic rock, pop, latin etc. No real hard stuff like rap ort metal.

Thanks!

 

[Hooster]

Dear Hugo 2 owners - I need your advice, not really about the Hugo, but about a headphone.

I recently bought Focal Clears as my first serious headphone, after I have only bought IEMs in the past years. I am burning them in for a week now, listening to them for some time every day. Somehow I am a little disappointed, and after listening to the Clears through the H2, the Mojo and the HiBy R3 DAP which I usually only use as digital transport I am also confused.

Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
With the Mojo the sound is a bit smoother, vocals come through a little better as the bass lines are softer and not as forward, treble is also a bit smoother.
The HiBy R3 sounds quite a bit brighter, not as clean as the Mojo, but the brighter signature helps the vocals as well.
It's really not easy to describe, sometimes they sound really good, sometimes I really long for a more open and clear, lighter, airier sound.

The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue.

Now my reference are mostly IEMs and I understand that IEMs and headphones sound very different.
But I also listened to the HD800S a few weeks ago and found them to sound very open, detailed and clear with the H2, if a bit intense and sharp at times.
The soundstage was also really impressive, very big, good for classical!
Another reference I have is a quite good stereo system with the CHORD 2Qute DAC, a €5000 integrated amp and custom speakers. Sounds different again, but like the IEMs the stereo has a transparent and flowing sound, the Focal Clear a bit more focused and maybe compressed? A bit velvety, or slightly veiled?

I have a few days left to decide whether to keep or return them, and reading what I just wrote I think I should.
What headphones up to €1000 (also used) would you recommend if I am looking for a smooth, transparent, detailed and layered sound with very good soundstage?
Comfort and low weight would be additional requirements.
As a reference, my best IEMs are the Sony IER-M9 and I really like them. I listen to a lot of classical music, instrumental, vocal, some classic rock, pop, latin etc. No real hard stuff like rap ort metal.

Thanks!

Dear George

I suspect all the issues you described can easily be rectified by using the H2 with an external headphone amplifier. If it is at all possible for you to hear your Clears through a high quality headphone amplifier and the H2, by all means give it a try before you return your headphones.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Dear Hugo 2 owners - I need your advice, not really about the Hugo, but about a headphone.

I recently bought Focal Clears as my first serious headphone, after I have only bought IEMs in the past years. I am burning them in for a week now, listening to them for some time every day. Somehow I am a little disappointed, and after listening to the Clears through the H2, the Mojo and the HiBy R3 DAP which I usually only use as digital transport I am also confused.

Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
With the Mojo the sound is a bit smoother, vocals come through a little better as the bass lines are softer and not as forward, treble is also a bit smoother.
The HiBy R3 sounds quite a bit brighter, not as clean as the Mojo, but the brighter signature helps the vocals as well.
It's really not easy to describe, sometimes they sound really good, sometimes I really long for a more open and clear, lighter, airier sound.

The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue.

Now my reference are mostly IEMs and I understand that IEMs and headphones sound very different.
But I also listened to the HD800S a few weeks ago and found them to sound very open, detailed and clear with the H2, if a bit intense and sharp at times.
The soundstage was also really impressive, very big, good for classical!
Another reference I have is a quite good stereo system with the CHORD 2Qute DAC, a €5000 integrated amp and custom speakers. Sounds different again, but like the IEMs the stereo has a transparent and flowing sound, the Focal Clear a bit more focused and maybe compressed? A bit velvety, or slightly veiled?

I have a few days left to decide whether to keep or return them, and reading what I just wrote I think I should.
What headphones up to €1000 (also used) would you recommend if I am looking for a smooth, transparent, detailed and layered sound with very good soundstage?
Comfort and low weight would be additional requirements.
As a reference, my best IEMs are the Sony IER-M9 and I really like them. I listen to a lot of classical music, instrumental, vocal, some classic rock, pop, latin etc. No real hard stuff like rap ort metal.

Thanks!

If you didn't like the pairings you listed I don't imagine you'll find a different pairing with the Clear you'll like better. Sounds like the Clear are probably just not for you.

 

[LCMusicLover]

...
Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
.
.
.
The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue...

Weird.

Are you using the same cable for all three sources?

If you swap your H2 in for your 2Qute how do things sound?

I don't have Clear, but I do own Utopia, and they sound great out of my H2go. Slightly different than from my DAPs, but in a good way. Utopia sounds a little smoother and a bit more coherent -- my only complaints about Utopia is that they can sound a bit agressive/sharp and the hyper-detail can cause some music to sound more like individual instruments played in isolation from each other, rather than a group playing together.

Note that Clear's impedance is 50 Ohms, while Utopia are 80 Ohms. But given H2's extremely low OI, that seems unlikely to be the cause of the problem.

So I guess I can't offer any useful assistance, sorry.

 

[118900]

Dear Hugo 2 owners - I need your advice, not really about the Hugo, but about a headphone.

I recently bought Focal Clears as my first serious headphone, after I have only bought IEMs in the past years. I am burning them in for a week now, listening to them for some time every day. Somehow I am a little disappointed, and after listening to the Clears through the H2, the Mojo and the HiBy R3 DAP which I usually only use as digital transport I am also confused.

Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
With the Mojo the sound is a bit smoother, vocals come through a little better as the bass lines are softer and not as forward, treble is also a bit smoother.
The HiBy R3 sounds quite a bit brighter, not as clean as the Mojo, but the brighter signature helps the vocals as well.
It's really not easy to describe, sometimes they sound really good, sometimes I really long for a more open and clear, lighter, airier sound.

The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue.

Now my reference are mostly IEMs and I understand that IEMs and headphones sound very different.
But I also listened to the HD800S a few weeks ago and found them to sound very open, detailed and clear with the H2, if a bit intense and sharp at times.
The soundstage was also really impressive, very big, good for classical!
Another reference I have is a quite good stereo system with the CHORD 2Qute DAC, a €5000 integrated amp and custom speakers. Sounds different again, but like the IEMs the stereo has a transparent and flowing sound, the Focal Clear a bit more focused and maybe compressed? A bit velvety, or slightly veiled?

I have a few days left to decide whether to keep or return them, and reading what I just wrote I think I should.
What headphones up to €1000 (also used) would you recommend if I am looking for a smooth, transparent, detailed and layered sound with very good soundstage?
Comfort and low weight would be additional requirements.
As a reference, my best IEMs are the Sony IER-M9 and I really like them. I listen to a lot of classical music, instrumental, vocal, some classic rock, pop, latin etc. No real hard stuff like rap ort metal.

Thanks!

Have you considered audeze LCD series?

considering there aren’t any impedance mismatch issues and the clears aren’t particularly hard to drive I would return them and look for something else, adding a further amp to the chain won’t help drive them (in that the hugo2 can drive them well enough) and just risks taking transparency away.
You could invest the money for a separate amp on better headphones but try and audition them first as the sound signature preference is very personal.

 

[Boldakov]

SP2000 > Hugo 2 > DHC Symbiote Silver > UE Live

Does it gives something?
I thought sp2000 is better than Hugo2..?

 

[Dragon Leader]

Does it gives something?
I thought sp2000 is better than Hugo2..?

That is something I would really like to know as well.
I am currently on the fence about either an AK SP2000 or a Hugo2 + 2Go combo and wonder if the SP2000 could keep up with the Hugo2. I will mainly use the EE Odin andIER-Z1R but have LCD-3 (Pre-Phazor) and Utopias as well.

 

[Hooster]

That is something I would really like to know as well.
I am currently on the fence about either an AK SP2000 or a Hugo2 + 2Go combo and wonder if the SP2000 could keep up with the Hugo2. I will mainly use the EE Odin andIER-Z1R but have LCD-3 (Pre-Phazor) and Utopias as well.

How important is portability to you? User interface? Design? Build quality? Give them a listen if you can. Up to you if you are spending that kind of cash...

 

[Dragon Leader]

How important is portability to you? User interface? Design? Build quality? Give them a listen if you can. Up to you if you are spending that kind of cash...

Hello, thank you for the quick reply.
Portability: I am mainly going to use it at home while sitting on my lazy chair or in the garden. So transportability is enough. However, with the Hugo solution, I would have at least two devices (Hugo2+2Go and iPhone) I need to carry around.
User interface: Currently I am using a Mojo+Poly combo with the Glider app as a portable solution which sounds great if it works. The app sometimes disconnects etc.
This is pretty annoying to me.
Design: Design is not as important as sound and practicality to me.
Build Quality: I like products that are well made. Is there a significant gap between the Chord and the AK?
Listen: Currently, it is rather difficult for me to extra drive to Osaka to give both a listen especially because the shop I usually go to does not have a 2Go as a mo unit yet.
In the end, would like to know if the sound quality Gap between the Hugo2 and the SP2000 is huge or not. I do know the Hugo and will borrow one from a friend soon again but I do not know the SP2000. Does the Hugo2's sound quality outweigh the improved practicality of the SP2000? Are they soundwise far apart?

 

[Hooster]

Hello, thank you for the quick reply.
Portability: I am mainly going to use it at home while sitting on my lazy chair or in the garden. So transportability is enough. However, with the Hugo solution, I would have at least two devices (Hugo2+2Go and iPhone) I need to carry around.
User interface: Currently I am using a Mojo+Poly combo with the Glider app as a portable solution which sounds great if it works. The app sometimes disconnects etc.
This is pretty annoying to me.
Design: Design is not as important as sound and practicality to me.
Build Quality: I like products that are well made. Is there a significant gap between the Chord and the AK?
Listen: Currently, it is rather difficult for me to extra drive to Osaka to give both a listen especially because the shop I usually go to does not have a 2Go as a mo unit yet.
In the end, would like to know if the sound quality Gap between the Hugo2 and the SP2000 is huge or not. I do know the Hugo and will borrow one from a friend soon again but I do not know the SP2000. Does the Hugo2's sound quality outweigh the improved practicality of the SP2000? Are they soundwise far apart?

Interesting choice. At the end of the day it is your's to make. Maybe if you could at least hold these in your hand and have a play with them. Given how expensive they are it seems risky to decide without at least seeing and touching them in person. That way you can answer the build quality question yourself.
Is the sound quality difference huge? I doubt that very much. Who knows, the AK may even sound better. According to these people:
https://www.whathifi.com/au/reviews/astell-and-kern-aandultima-sp2000
The AK is the "Best music player we’ve heard." They have heard a lot of players so that is a solid recommendation.

 

[118900]

Interesting choice. At the end of the day it is your's to make. Maybe if you could at least hold these in your hand and have a play with them. Given how expensive they are it seems risky to decide without at least seeing and touching them in person. That way you can answer the build quality question yourself.
Is the sound quality difference huge? I doubt that very much. Who knows, the AK may even sound better. According to these people:
https://www.whathifi.com/au/reviews/astell-and-kern-aandultima-sp2000
The AK is the "Best music player we’ve heard." They have heard a lot of players so that is a solid recommendation.

The what hifi article wasn’t comparing the AK to the Hugo2 though, just other DAPs, not to say they aren’t close but that last sentence isn’t necessarily applicable to the AK vs the Hugo2.
Having said that I agree that making an investment of that nature without hearing both is a real risk.

 

[vo_obgyn]

Dear Hugo 2 owners - I need your advice, not really about the Hugo, but about a headphone.

I recently bought Focal Clears as my first serious headphone, after I have only bought IEMs in the past years. I am burning them in for a week now, listening to them for some time every day. Somehow I am a little disappointed, and after listening to the Clears through the H2, the Mojo and the HiBy R3 DAP which I usually only use as digital transport I am also confused.

Hotel of California is a good example.
With the H2 the Clears sound a little muffled, especially vocals show it. They are pushed back, bass guitar is bleeding or overpowering them.
With the Mojo the sound is a bit smoother, vocals come through a little better as the bass lines are softer and not as forward, treble is also a bit smoother.
The HiBy R3 sounds quite a bit brighter, not as clean as the Mojo, but the brighter signature helps the vocals as well.
It's really not easy to describe, sometimes they sound really good, sometimes I really long for a more open and clear, lighter, airier sound.

The only explanation I can think of is that the Focal Clears are a bad pairing with the H2. Either because of their punchiness paired with the H2's energy and drive, making it too
intense. Or an impedance issue.

Now my reference are mostly IEMs and I understand that IEMs and headphones sound very different.
But I also listened to the HD800S a few weeks ago and found them to sound very open, detailed and clear with the H2, if a bit intense and sharp at times.
The soundstage was also really impressive, very big, good for classical!
Another reference I have is a quite good stereo system with the CHORD 2Qute DAC, a €5000 integrated amp and custom speakers. Sounds different again, but like the IEMs the stereo has a transparent and flowing sound, the Focal Clear a bit more focused and maybe compressed? A bit velvety, or slightly veiled?

I have a few days left to decide whether to keep or return them, and reading what I just wrote I think I should.
What headphones up to €1000 (also used) would you recommend if I am looking for a smooth, transparent, detailed and layered sound with very good soundstage?
Comfort and low weight would be additional requirements.
As a reference, my best IEMs are the Sony IER-M9 and I really like them. I listen to a lot of classical music, instrumental, vocal, some classic rock, pop, latin etc. No real hard stuff like rap ort metal.

Thanks!

I like the Focal line. I have both the Elears and the Clears and they sound really good to me with my Hugo2 - 2go setup. The Clears are dynamic cans but I also like the warmth of the Elears with the setup. I don't hear the muffled vocals in my system. Good look on your quest for some good cans!