[Popeye32]

Can anyone advise what does one need to look at with IEM sensitivity that won't be a problem with the Hugo2 and the hissing I have heard about.

 

[Tanalasta]

What IEM are you pairing?

I use the PWA RCA -> 4.4mm adapter and have no issues with my Oriolus Trailli on the H2

 

[Ken G]

As long as you keep it plugged in, it will stay in desktop mode. You can turn the H2 on and off at will. The battery will stay charged/not actively charging at 80% until you unplug and plug it back in.

I’m pretty sure Rob Watts posted that isn’t the case and that once you turn the H2 off (even while plugged in with desktop mode) the battery will go up to 100% but while always on in DM it stays at 80%. Frequently teetering between 80% to 100% will have a long term impact on battery life.
Maybe @Rob Watts can weigh in and clarify.

Previous posts- https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-17188424

 

[Daniel Johnston]

I’m pretty sure Rob Watts posted that isn’t the case and that once you turn the H2 off (even while plugged in with desktop mode) the battery will go up to 100% but while always on in DM it stays at 80%. Frequently teetering between 80% to 100% will have a long term impact on battery life.
Maybe @Rob Watts can weigh in and clarify.

Previous posts- https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-17188424

Good point.
I misread that detail.

So two things:
1) You’ll still be in intelligent charging mode when you turn it off. It will charge to 100% and not overcharge. His statement is typically you’d leave it on in desktop mode since it uses 2W at idle. Why he just recommended to turn it off when not using it for a while is interesting. I don’t remember for sure if the unit is off that the intelligent charging will allow the battery to discharge to 80% or keep it at 100%. i would assume the latter since you’d know it is charged and ready to go for portable use.
2) When it is turned on and in desktop mode, the battery will drain to 80% and H2 will neither charge nor discharge the battery.

Regardless, it was designed to be plugged in constantly. Rob has stated that very clearly. Charging from 80%-100% is unlikely to wear out the battery. I don‘t know how many cycles the battery is rated for, but charging the battery 20% isn’t a full cycle and should have minimal long term impact.

 

[pkny]

Rob did a calculation back in 2020.
Battery capacity after 13 years between turn off and turn on all the time. They are 70% and 65% respectively.

No reason - I guess my advice changed after recently after giving advice about Mojo, which doesn't have a desktop mode, and should be turned off when the charger is connected all the time.

It's a very marginal call - continuous lower voltage stress (in the safe range that won't degrade life) against a top up charge then no low voltage stress plus lower temperatures. The reality is that the failure rate on Hugo 2 is extremely low however you do it! So I am guilty here of splitting hairs. Upon reflection I am gonna modify my advice - if you use it 8 or more hours a day every day, keep it on; if you use it less than that, say not over week-ends, then turn it off on Friday; if it's used for less than 8 hours a day then simply turn it off when not using it. As I say, this advice is splitting hairs as the failure rate in desktop mode has proven to be extremely low, and it's for sure not easy to be categorical about this as there are pros and cons. If it was me, I would keep it on all the time as I am too lazy to turn things off and the desktop mode works really well anyway.

For some fun I just calculated what the effect would be by turning it off every day whilst in desktop mode. It would mean the batteries would be at 70% capacity in 13 years time, from a charge/discharge perspective (ignoring the ravages of time on battery life which would be more significant). Then I estimated the effect of higher temperatures by keeping it on, and that gave similar numbers too - 65% capacity at 13 years. Again, this ignores all other effects on battery life. So the numbers suggest that it really is a close call, and supports the view that if you aren't going to use it for 24 hours then turn it off but leave it in desktop mode, as the lower temperature will offset the small loss in charge/discharge cycles.

Happy listening, Rob

 

[kajetanjazz]

As long as you keep it plugged in, it will stay in desktop mode. You can turn the H2 on and off at will. The battery will stay charged/not actively charging at 80% until you unplug and plug it back in.

The battery will charge from 80% to 100% when you turn the Hugo off, even while it’s still in desktop mode. For the battery to remain at 80%, hugo2 needs to be left on all the time. That’s the problem

 

[Boldakov]

What IEM are you pairing?

I use the PWA RCA -> 4.4mm adapter and have no issues with my Oriolus Trailli on the H2

I use Trailli with Hugo 2 too and just ordered PWaudio 1960s adapter RCA -> 4.4, so glad to hear great news there will be no hissing!

How do you compare 3.5 (I use ddHiFi 3.5>4.4 adapter DJ44C) vs 2xRCA sound? Will there be an improvement?

 

[Daniel Johnston]

The battery will charge from 80% to 100% when you turn the Hugo off, even while it’s still in desktop mode. For the battery to remain at 80%, hugo2 needs to be left on all the time. That’s the problem

Yes. I admitted in a following post. I missed that detail.

However, there still is no problem. Charging your battery up 20% each time you turn off the H2 is not stressful to the battery.

I understand the “battery nervosa”. But in reality, if you just use the H2 as designed, the usable life span of the battery will outlast most audiophiles length of ownership. And if the battery dies completely, replacements will be available.

I’m on my third iPod color battery in close to 19 years. The AliExpress replacement was a dud or else it would only be two batteries in 19 years.

 

[dontfeedphils]

The battery will charge from 80% to 100% when you turn the Hugo off, even while it’s still in desktop mode. For the battery to remain at 80%, hugo2 needs to be left on all the time. That’s the problem

I had mine for three years, most of those it was in desktop mode, and I always turned mine off after a listening session. Three years of that and I could still get 7-8 hours on a charge.

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

Apologies for how long my post may get, I'm attempting to be as detailed as possible in hopes that someone may be able to help me with my issue as I've sent in my Hugo 2 back for repair about 3 times for the same issue. So, I have a Hugo 2 that runs in desktop mode connected to a relatively powerful PC via one of the USB inputs, I then have the Hugo 2 connect to the back of my Rotel RA-1572 via Composite cables (so, the Hugo 2 is serving as the Preamp in my speaker system). I have an issue in which my Hugo 2 out of random will stop playing audio until I either switch towards another audio device via the windows options, play audio for a few seconds then switch back to the Hugo 2 or if I restart the Hugo 2. I have my mouse, keyboard, external storage drive, and Rotel hooked up to my computer. I was advised to buy a USB hub to see if it may help. I had only the Hugo 2 connected to this USB hub, but the audio cutoff still occurs like it did before. The Hugo 2 isn't overheating because it's barely if at all warm to the touch. Whenever the audio cuts out the device is still clearly on. As for drivers, I have the Hugo 2 drivers installed on my computer. I've tried reinstalling these drivers in the past, but it didn't fix my issue. I've sent my Hugo 2 in a couple times to have it worked on by a Chord certified technician. He couldn't figure out what was causing the issue in my device, specific parts were also limited so he put a new board inside my device. He tested the device, made sure all the voltage reads on the device were correct & said that on his end he couldn't replicate the issue I was having on my end. Prior to fixing my device my Hugo 2 would also have that loud static noise whenever it would cut audio out forcing me to restart the device. Other times I would get a weird sound output out of the device which was comparable to the dreaded farting noise when a driver is about to fail. I would notice it on the left channel whether it was through my speakers, or headphones. The right channel itself was fine. Initially I thought it was my speakers/Stellia only to realize it was the Hugo 2. Thankfully, the only issue the Hugo 2 has now is the audio cutout which occurs at random. Once it starts it happens again at random, just more frequently after I switch to another audio device, play audio for a few seconds then return back to the Hugo 2, This in turn forces me to restart the device all over again. Preliminary test have shown that when I run the device without plugging it in via the Charger that came with the Hugo 2 I don't seem to have the audio cutout, it only seems to happen when the device is plugged in. Please keep in mind that I don't run my device on low battery. Please feel free to ask any questions that may help. I just don't want to send my device in one more time only to have to report back that I'm still having the same issue with the device again. Steve Leckrone has been doing what he can, and I appreciate his service and understand it must get frustrating on his end too. If the entire board was replaced with a brand new board I'm not sure what else could be causing these issues. It can't be the battery since the device is plugged in either when this occurs. Any advice including from @Rob Watts would be greatly appreciated. I sincerely apologize if my post is a bother to anyone.

 

[Uberding]

Apologies for how long my post may get, I'm attempting to be as detailed as possible in hopes that someone may be able to help me with my issue as I've sent in my Hugo 2 back for repair about 3 times for the same issue. So, I have a Hugo 2 that runs in desktop mode connected to a relatively powerful PC via one of the USB inputs, I then have the Hugo 2 connect to the back of my Rotel RA-1572 via Composite cables (so, the Hugo 2 is serving as the Preamp in my speaker system). I have an issue in which my Hugo 2 out of random will stop playing audio until I either switch towards another audio device via the windows options, play audio for a few seconds then switch back to the Hugo 2 or if I restart the Hugo 2. I have my mouse, keyboard, external storage drive, and Rotel hooked up to my computer. I was advised to buy a USB hub to see if it may help. I had only the Hugo 2 connected to this USB hub, but the audio cutoff still occurs like it did before. The Hugo 2 isn't overheating because it's barely if at all warm to the touch. Whenever the audio cuts out the device is still clearly on. As for drivers, I have the Hugo 2 drivers installed on my computer. I've tried reinstalling these drivers in the past, but it didn't fix my issue. I've sent my Hugo 2 in a couple times to have it worked on by a Chord certified technician. He couldn't figure out what was causing the issue in my device, specific parts were also limited so he put a new board inside my device. He tested the device, made sure all the voltage reads on the device were correct & said that on his end he couldn't replicate the issue I was having on my end. Prior to fixing my device my Hugo 2 would also have that loud static noise whenever it would cut audio out forcing me to restart the device. Other times I would get a weird sound output out of the device which was comparable to the dreaded farting noise when a driver is about to fail. I would notice it on the left channel whether it was through my speakers, or headphones. The right channel itself was fine. Initially I thought it was my speakers/Stellia only to realize it was the Hugo 2. Thankfully, the only issue the Hugo 2 has now is the audio cutout which occurs at random. Once it starts it happens again at random, just more frequently after I switch to another audio device, play audio for a few seconds then return back to the Hugo 2, This in turn forces me to restart the device all over again. Preliminary test have shown that when I run the device without plugging it in via the Charger that came with the Hugo 2 I don't seem to have the audio cutout, it only seems to happen when the device is plugged in. Please keep in mind that I don't run my device on low battery. Please feel free to ask any questions that may help. I just don't want to send my device in one more time only to have to report back that I'm still having the same issue with the device again. Steve Leckrone has been doing what he can, and I appreciate his service and understand it must get frustrating on his end too. If the entire board was replaced with a brand new board I'm not sure what else could be causing these issues. It can't be the battery since the device is plugged in either when this occurs. Any advice including from @Rob Watts would be greatly appreciated. I sincerely apologize if my post is a bother to anyone.

Just guessing here but since the variable seems to be whether the Hugo2 is plugged into a charger or not could a ground loop be causing this?
And if I understand correctly this issue doesn’t occur when your tech is testing?
This could also point to an issue with your source USB output.
Are you able to test with a different computer?

And I suggested this before but can’t recall your answer: Have you tried completely removing the Rotel from the equation, and perhaps test listening to the Hugo2 with headphones?

One other thing, and I’m not sure this will help if the source USB is an issue, is to try a USB to SPDIF converter.
https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/788.html

 

[technobear]

Apologies for how long my post may get, I'm attempting to be as detailed as possible in hopes that someone may be able to help me with my issue as I've sent in my Hugo 2 etc.

If it is a ground loop problem, it may be responding to something like a refrigerator cutting in and out which is disrupting the digital signal enough for the Hugo 2 to lose lock. A mains suppressor on the guilty appliance or on the hifi may help.

Ordinarily I would say there is a high chance this is the USB cable. If its performance is borderline then it wouldn't take much to stop it working.

 

[Spawn300Z]

I just received my Hugo2/2Go . I currently have a mojo2/poly. It only shows up once in Bluetooth menu on phone. The Hugo2/2Go shows up twice. Do you have to add both for Bluetooth audio to play. Wondering if something going on.

 

[Droffen]

Hugo 2 has Bluetooth included, also without 2go

 

[Spawn300Z]

Ok so does that mean my 2Go isn’t playing the Bluetooth or does the 2Go Bluetooth only for the the 2YU.