[ALRAINBOW]

Lol that's my setup.
Feed the hugo froma good cpu setup. If it's laptop please desable antivirus and any else you can enable full power even if on batteries and don't allow for hardisk turn off. Only monitor to conserve power.
The Hugo will sound a bit better than with the hdvd800. Why cause the hdvd 800 is more neutral and the Hugo is a tad Brite
It's a great combo and I use the hdvd800 /hd800 as a reference amp headphone setup.
The hugo adds air around the music almost to the point of seeming Brite but with the hdvd800 it takes away this. At first it seems you are missing the air but soon you will hear it's more realistic then with the Hugo alone. Now some here will say different but it is this for me.
Enjoy it and please post your thoughts in this thread and the hdvd800 thread as well. The internal dac is far below the Hugo but still can be listened too Ina pinch
Al

 

[Sam Edwards]

  I took the plunge and advantage of the discount. I have a Hugo on the way along with a few other goodies.
 
I will be setting it up as follows: PC>Hugo (DAC only)>HDVD800(Amp only)>HD800 (balanced).
 
I'll post some first impressions next weekend, assuming i take delivery mid week 

.

That's your PORTABLE rig?

 

[Jon773]

 
That's your PORTABLE rig?

 
Lol no, that's my desktop.
 
Portable is currently: Pono>SE535s (with ACS Custom tips and Forza Audio Works cables).
 
This will change in a few days to: AK120ii>JH Audio Angie (universals)
 
I don't intend to use the Hugo as a portable initially, its for DAC duty in my desktop setup, replacing the internal DAC in the HDVD800.
 
I will be experimenting with AK120ii>Hugo>Angie's. But one step at a time

 

[Sam Edwards]

   
Lol no, that's my desktop.
 
Portable is currently: Pono>SE535s (with ACS Custom tips and Forza Audio Works cables).
 
This will change in a few days to: AK120ii>JH Audio Angie (universals)
 
I don't intend to use the Hugo as a portable initially, its for DAC duty in my desktop setup, replacing the internal DAC in the HDVD800.
 
I will be experimenting with AK120ii>Hugo>Angie's. But one step at a time

I just point it out because this is the portable hugo thread. Congrats on your purchase.

 

[FortisFlyer75]

Had a good busy day at the Metropolis studios today, and just to see the Hugo TT was worth the visit and have to say I thought having a Hugo would cure my need for anything else for a long time but did not see the Hugo TT coming alongside on the outside lane and now feel the need for sound.  
 
Was good to meet John, Colin and unfortunately did not get around to talking to the "dac man" Rob who was busy educating in the lecture theatre which if I had time would of love to attended but just to many things there to listen to in so short space of time by time you take two fifths of the day for just chatter to people.  Wish now I had attended both days to cover everything there and could of gone to Robs lecture and another one by Recording Engineer Xavier Stephenson as well as use the extra time to cover everything there! 
 
Anyway the Hugo TT is not horrible as I wanted it to be as I now want one as much as when i wanted the original hugo, like Jon773 mentioned (sure I saw you there without knowing it!) there was a lot of Hugos there and they seem to be quite inspirational in the portable world of Hi-Fi as quite a few other stands were using them to show of their kit as well as other actual hugo owners who took theirs along like I did but almost felt I needed bother with so many there to listen to.  The Hugo TT has been executed well in design and has the usual solid build and eye catching design.  I listened to the TT with the Audeze LCD3 & LCD-XC and the Hugo pairs really well with them but then saying that the Hugo seems to pair well with anything you throw at the silver box it seems.  I still have a soft spot for the Grado PS1000's though which sound heavenly with my Hugo and now wished I had tried them with the TT.  
 
Just a few shots I took from today:
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dallan]

Well it replaced my $2500. Home dac that is a couple of years old and waaay huge. I guess if I could drop ten grand on a home dac i would hope it could trump the Hugo but if I had that kind of money I'd own a house first.

 

[Sam Edwards]

The Hugo TT runs on batteries? Is anybody going to schlepp it around?

 

[scook94]

  The Hugo TT runs on batteries? Is anybody going to schlepp it around?

 
I may be wrong (probably am, as I haven't looked into it) but I think the idea is that it draws it's power from the batteries as a way of decoupling from mains and associated mains noise. I believe it still needs to be plugged in. Hopefully someone better informed can enlighten us both.

 

[RubenV]

  The Hugo TT runs on batteries? Is anybody going to schlepp it around?

I thought about it, but it is to big unfortunately. If it was twice the size of the normal Hugo I might consider it.

 

[FortisFlyer75]

  The Hugo TT runs on batteries? Is anybody going to schlepp it around?

Yes, Chord are making a leather case for it just like the Hugo case but will have additional shoulder straps for backpack carrying.  This will cost £250.  

 

[audionewbi]

This is probably has been said before over and over again but I cannot believe how good the 16/44.1 quality wav sound out of HUGO. I think the point that the new hires failed to address is that it is not that 16/44.1 files are bad but there are few devices capable of playing them properly. 

 

[Rob Watts]

  This is probably has been said before over and over again but I cannot believe how good the 16/44.1 quality wav sound out of HUGO. I think the point that the new hires failed to address is that it is not that 16/44.1 files are bad but there are few devices capable of playing them properly. 

Absolutely agreed. As a DAC designer I broadly have 3 areas of concern when designing with digital audio - timing, resolution of small signals, and distortion/noise modulation.
 
The timing issue is due to time domain errors from the interpolation filters - transients have a timing uncertainty with sampling. From a math point of view, this issue is fixable by using an infinite tap length FIR filter - then you will recover all of the bandwidth limited signal without any error whatsoever. It would not matter if it was sampled at 44.1 or 1 GHZ, you would end up with the identical signal. Now the key is bandwidth limiting - it the signal must have zero energy at 22.05 kHz and above for this to work. Personally, I have no objection to bandwidth limiting - we can't hear above 22.05 kHz (we certainly can hear a signal that is timed inaccurately though). So if we have long enough tap length filters, I can't see higher sampling rates as being important (I will know for certain soon when I get further into the ADC project and listen to bandwidth limiting). The benefit that Hugo has is a tap length way orders of magnitude greater than any other production DAC, and that's why red book works so well with Hugo.  So the timing issue is solely an ADC/DAC issue, not the format.
 
The second issue is low level resolution, which is absolutely key, particularly to the perception of sound-stage depth (something I have a very keen interest in - depth perception in audio is appalling compared to real life sounds). 44.1 16 bit is capable of infinite small signal accuracy (if properly dithered) - it just adds a fixed low level noise, which has zero bearing on musicality and the ability of the brain to process the data from the ears. Again, low level resolution is solely an ADC/DAC issue not the format.
 
On distortion, 44.1/16 bit is capable of zero distortion and noise floor modulation. So again, its an ADC/DAC issue, not the format.
 
So 44.1/16 bit is capable of amazing performance - we just need the right engineering on the DAC.
 
Rob   

 

[Mython]

  This is probably has been said before over and over again but I cannot believe how good the 16/44.1 quality wav sound out of HUGO. I think the point that the new hires failed to address is that it is not that 16/44.1 files are bad but there are few devices capable of playing them properly. 

 
 
I agree
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/713735/x7-the-flagship-dap-from-fiio-updated-on-15-12-2014/2595#post_11276951
 
 
With Redbook files, Hugo had me tapping my feet and immersing me in the music like nothing I've ever experienced before, be it portable or fullsize.
 
 
Whatever you're doing, with your algorithms, Rob, I'm already impressed but I suspect you've only barely begun to hit your stride. I look forward to seeing where this approach takes you, and the performance of your DACs, in the relatively near future.
 
That you're also applying this approach to ADC is interesting. I agree that 2-channel stereo reproduction of 3D spatial cues is not as good as it could be. Meitner and dCS DACs have quite a good reputation for projecting a fairly broad and convincing soundstage (relatively-speaking), but if the Hugo is anything to go by, at it's price-point, I am optimistic that you may soon be able to match or (who knows?

) even, perhaps, eclipse their performance, before too long, and at a price which brings such performance within the realms of moderate-affordability for mere mortals (I'm thinking QBD territory).
 
In light of your above explanation (and I know you've explained the same, in a post many months ago, I think perhaps in the original Hugo thread), I'd be fascinated to hear the playback of material that has been ADC recorded using the same algorithm approach as it is being DAC'd in the playback system.

 

[jwbrent]

  This is probably has been said before over and over again but I cannot believe how good the 16/44.1 quality wav sound out of HUGO. I think the point that the new hires failed to address is that it is not that 16/44.1 files are bad but there are few devices capable of playing them properly. 

agreed.

 

[Mython]

Some related links worth reading:
 
=702787&advanced=1]http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch/?search=infinite&resultSortingPreference=recency&byuser=Rob+Watts&output=posts&sdate=0&newer=1&type=all&containingthread[0]=702787&advanced=1
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/702787/chord-hugo/3015#post_10551640
 
 
 
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