Indeed I saw you were very active on the thread on ASR defending the Hugo2, I'm honestly not trying to reproduce that content of that thread over here so its probably best for me to leave this here as my last reply, but you did ask.
I was defending the truth!
It just seemed odd, that Hugo2 should test with elevated noise on USB input, while going through the review, and then,
not have elevated noise (incidentally the very same device), when on another review, it was used to show that a certain USB cable wasn't doing anything!!
As they say on ASR, time and time again, if a certain test result can not be repeated, then it is false.
Hugo2 has miniscule distortion. A tiny 2nd harmonic ONLY, at -120dB, this is as good as any desktop DAC/amp at any price or make, including Chords.
Its noise performance is fantastic, not good!, but fantastic for a portable device, indeed for any device.
Jitter? what jitter?
There is an issue though, not just with Hugo2 or Mojo's, but with just about any portable DAC that works off batteries.
That is, lack of a galvanic USB isolation, simply because such a device is an unnecessary burden on batteries. So if used carelessly,
as a desktop DAC, ground loop noise may occur.
Use optical, and you are golden! (or use a £50, tiny Topping HS-01 USB isolator)
With portable, use the USB, don't worry about your cables picking up stray RFI noise from PC's or such, it won't happen!
Remember a 2Go, has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi blasting from it, yet nothing adverse happens on Hugo2.
I don't disagree, as I said the noise floor, distortion, jitter etc etc of the Hugo2 and M Scaler is well below the range of human hearing but going by the measurements does it really offer value for money, how many of the DAC's that beat it are cheaper?
Show me a portable device, made by anyone, that beats Hugo2 on objective rest results?
Perhaps a Diablo??
https://www-l7audiolab-com.translate.goog/f/ifi-idsd-diablo/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en
Expensive, yes it is, I agree wholeheartedly.
Yet you got one, I got one, and I do believe that a good number of guru's at ASR have one too .