[Fairwell]

Hehe, I've been searching for the exact dimensions as well and couldn't find them. But when I saw the picture with the Hugo in his hands I was satisfied that this device is small enough for what I'm looking for.

 

[nOtEcH]

I'm curious if this product works well together with CIEMs (e.g. Heir Audio 8.a) due to output impedance etc or is only a good match for headphones. I'd be interested to for usage when I'm not at home where I have my audio setups but on business trips/holiday etc in addition to a good DAP for using CIEMs. I couldn't find any information about this on their website or this thread yet. Maybe someone has heard about anything regarding this direction.

They claim that the noice to signal ratio is about 140dB, and that the closest competitors are at 95dB, so I guess that even the most sensitive IEMs/CIEMs will be without any hiss, and have the blackest black you ever heard.

The volume control is stated as a "state of the art" volume control so I would guess that there are not any channel imbalance even at low volumes.
What I do know very little about (nothing actually) is output impedances and how that influences sound in headphones / IEMs / CIEMs.

I guess that Jude will help us out soon, as he has stated that he will say more about this DAC/AMP (and I hope soon!).

 

[Fairwell]

They claim that the noice to signal ratio is about 140dB, and that the closest competitors are at 95dB, so I guess that even the most sensitive IEMs/CIEMs will be without any hiss, and have the blackest black you ever heard.

The volume control is stated as a "state of the art" volume control so I would guess that there are not any channel imbalance even at low volumes.
What I do know very little about (nothing actually) is output impedances and how that influences sound in headphones / IEMs / CIEMs.

I guess that Jude will help us out soon, as he has stated that he will say more about this DAC/AMP (and I hope soon!).

You make me feel very positive about Hugo.

 

[MuppetFace]

Yeah, I'd really love to know more about the gain settings this thing will have. There's a rather unfortunate emphasis (IMHO) among manufacturers these days on making portables that can drive inefficient full sized gear but don't pair well with IEMs due to noise and lack of room for attenuation.

 

[nOtEcH]

You make me feel very positive about Hugo. :wink_face:

Hehe.. I am still trying to convince myself that preordering this thing does not make me an idiot.

Jokes aside.. the Hugo as it has been presented by Chord, and the way that it has been described by others that have tried it describes it as close as it gets to the DAC/AMP in my dreams for years now.

I have high hopes for this little fellow..

 

[bmichels]

Hehe.. I am still trying to convince myself that preordering this thing does not make me an idiot.

Jokes aside.. the Hugo as it has been presented by Chord, and the way that it has been described by others that have tried it describes it as close as it gets to the DAC/AMP in my dreams for years now.

I have high hopes for this little fellow..

and, can you tell us  what portable source will you be using with that DAC/AMP ? 

 

[bmichels]

For those that think the HUGO is too big, look at Line Magnetic 41.2 212 Single Ended mono amplifier :
 

 
or more reasonable... the "smaller" Line Magnetic LM-219 IA (2 x 24w) : 
 

 

[nOtEcH]

What I do know very little about (nothing actually) is output impedances and how that influences sound in headphones / IEMs / CIEMs.

Chords strategy is to make Hugo succeed in the Asian market, and I would guess that they have done the research and at least googled output impedance for headphone amps..
I would guess that they have 2 ohms or less.. but then again I do not know.. :rolleyes:

 

[MuppetFace]

  For those that think the HUGO is too big, look at Line Magnetic 41.2 212 Single Ended mono amplifier :
 

 
If someone tells me their apartment is a bit too cramped to be used as an art studio, I could show them pictures of a cat condo to make them feel better, but I suspect I'd be met with a cold stare.
 
In all seriousness, I think concerns about size are perfectly reasonable given that the Hugo is being marketed as a portable device (unlike those behemoths above). Different target markets require different considerations in design.
 
Either way though it doesn't bother me much, as I'll most likely use the Hugo on my desk at work as a nice all-in-one replacement and only occasionally on the go.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Which portable source can send digital output up to dsd128? I mean except laptop

 

[AmberOzL]

Which portable source can send digital output up to dsd128? I mean except laptop

Calyx M to me knowledge only PLAYs it, too bad there is no digital output feature. Apart from that, I really can't find any name Cosmic, sorry, couldn't be helpful.

 

[pekingduck]

Which portable source can send digital output up to dsd128? I mean except laptop

iDevices w/iOS 7 + Camera Connection Kit + "Onkyo HF Player" (an app) can do that.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Thanks, guys. Interesting that onkyo player doesnt have android version...

 

[AmberOzL]

  iDevices w/iOS 7 + Camera Connection Kit + "Onkyo HF Player" (an app) can do that.

When the hell they gonna release some big storage options on those iDevices (like iPod Touch). Otherwise there is no point of getting them, high res. files takes huge space.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

I recall OK-Guy sent in his Sony ZX-1 to Chord for checking (USB out) compatibility. Is it a yay or nay?