[zniper2984]

You might have a faulty unit,mine doesnt do that.as you turn the knob it gradualy turn the volume up.there is no "gain mod" with hugo.

 

[deadie]

Yeah, unfortunately the unit is sounding faulty.  My volume is pretty linear through the dial range, doesn't jump suddenly.

 

[dallan]

Never heard a hiss with JH13 either.

 

[uzi2]

  Wow, so I guess this isn't a common problem.  Maybe I'll have to get my unit looked at by Chord.  The hiss is quite loud with my UERMs, I don't have to strain to hear it at all.  The background is definitely nowhere near as black as my M8s were. 
 
With my UERMs. I also don't have much of a range between a "too soft" volume and a "too loud" volume when using my AK120 as a transport - there is one one volume level where a slight turn of the knob makes the volume jump quite a bit.
 
Is a low gain mod of the Hugo even possible?

It sounds like you need to have it looked at. Whilst the default (green) volume will be way too high for sensitive IEMs, there is a great degree of fine control below red to acheive low listening volumes.

 

[dj nellie]

I don't hear any hiss with my Beyer DT1350s, but that's the only other headphone I currently have with me to try.  Kind of makes me think I'm crazy to be the only one who has had either hiss or a short usable volume range issue with so many portable DACs/DAPs and amps.  Even though Jude did mention this issue with the Hugo in his review of the Flow, I'm surprised hardly anyone else seems to notice it.  
 
One of the things I love about the AK120 is that it has a black background with my IEMs and plenty of fine gradations in volume, so I can get a comfortable volume even with music whose baseline volume was ripped (or mastered?) at a high level.
 
For anyone who does hear a little hiss out of the Hugo, does using the lineout to an amp with low gain (like the Leckerton) prevent hiss?  I would try that, but I don't have an RCA-to-mini cable with me.  That might be the only fix for this issue, but it obviously detracts from the Hugo's portability.

 

[MT0227]

My Hugo is completely dark with music paused via AK120/Toslink listening through my K10Us, Roxys and HD800s
 
I also have the TTVJ Slim w/5.1 iPod connected; it's completely dark as well listening through my Westone 4R's, UM3Xs and Beyer 1350s

 

[Mython]

@ dj nellie:
 
 
Have you contacted Chord USA (or your retailer) about this issue yet?

 

[dj nellie]

I did contact Chord, and here was their reply:

"There is a small amount of background noise from Hugo when using very sensitive IEM's. In order to have a product that can also drive insensitive high impedance headphones we have had to design an output stage with a high current driver and also a high voltage swing. Unfortunately we don't have a way of changing the gain to suit every type of IEM or headphone."

So I'm not crazy and Jude's review was spot on. But, it's possible that my IEMs (UERMs) are unusually sensitive. I guess I'll just stick to using full-size cans with my Hugo, and use the lineout to a low gain amp whenever I want to plug in my IEMs.

Still, it's hard to believe that so many other IEMs don't have this problem...I guess this is a good excuse to get another pair of IEMs, maybe Roxannes, since nobody seems to be reporting noise with those?

 

[ALRAINBOW]

the roxanns are dead silent. As I do feel bad for you , I do have many other Amos both protible and desk top. There are some I em,s That just make noise while others do not. An example is the my Mytek it drives most ciems, I won crazy until music starts.
Al

 

[Sam Edwards]

I don't hear background noise from the Hugo with the UERM using the HiRes USB from a macbook pro. The best way to test the device is to pause it the music and play with the volume control. If you hear anything the device is noisy. Otherwise it's just tape hiss that's in the recording, that of course no device will remove.
Just to double check I created some digital silence in Audacity and turned the volume all the way up to fully test this theory. Nothing. My UERM's are not as sensitive as yours or my Hugo doesn't exhibit the same behavior. Would you like me to share my digital silence file?
My Hugo is from the very first batch. 

 

[Sam Edwards]

The UERM's are not the most sensitive IEM's out there. But do you hear this noise in pause? Or is it only on recordings?

 

[scorp32]

OH MAN......
 
I have bought a CHORD HUGO two days ago... I haven't received the piece yet, but I just found out that I won't be able to use it with my Rockboxed iPod Classic 7th gen.... I also have a RWAK-120S, but that only has analog outputs as well... 
 
Is there any way I can listen to my iPod Classic or RWAK-120S WITH the Hugo????  IF there is, please inform me how... DETAILS, please!
 
Thanks guys..

 

[AnakChan]

  OH MAN......
 
I have bought a CHORD HUGO two days ago... I haven't received the piece yet, but I just found out that I won't be able to use it with my Rockboxed iPod Classic 7th gen.... I also have a RWAK-120S, but that only has analog outputs as well... 
 
Is there any way I can listen to my iPod Classic or RWAK-120S WITH the Hugo????  IF there is, please inform me how... DETAILS, please!
 
Thanks guys..

 
Isn't a Rockboxed iPod Classic "unRockboxable"?

 

[wsilvio]

Will it work with Algorithm CLAS

 

[wsilvio]

You could go for CLAS coax out to hugo