Posted this on the DAVE thread since I went to audition the DAVE. But the conclusions regarding the TT may be of interest to those following the Hugo TT, so posting again here. Hope no-one minds. No need to read again if you also follow the DAVE thread!
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Recently I had the chance to do an extended audition of the Chord range, Mojo, Hugo, TT and Dave, courtesy of Hi-Fi Lounge in Bedford, UK. Been meaning to share some notes here as a thank you to the many posters who have helped me with their comments.
To go straight to the conclusion -- my conclusion, at least -- the pick of the range is actually the Hugo TT, the somewhat overlooked second child in the family. I had read somewhere on Head-Fi Rob Watts saying the difference from the TT to DAVE is such "you do not even need to A/B, it is immediately apparent". So I went to the audition expecting to hear an obvious difference when, actually, the difference was quite subtle and most of the time I had to strain to hear any difference at all. It was only apparent in some parts of some tracks and even then a minimal improvement at best.
On the other hand, the improvement of the TT over the original Hugo I found quite noticeable. As if the TT was what the Hugo would have been if the restrictions on size etc. had been removed (which is the point, I guess). More of the same lovely Hugo characteristics, just better in every dimension. Compared to the Hugo I found the Mojo sounding similarly detailed, but comparatively thinner with a narrower sound stage.
Obviously these comments ignore cost and value for money. Each product is a very strong competitor in its price category (at least based on UK prices, which tend to be relatively lower than the price of imports from the US and elsewhere). I could be happy with the Mojo or the Hugo as a portable solution that easily outperforms others I have heard, I could be completely happy with the TT. It had absolutely no vices and continued to delight with every kind of source material I threw at it.
As to source material, it ranged from complex, large scale orchestral and choral works (think Mahler's 8th), to intimate recordings of acoustic instruments (violin, piano, guitar) and voice, highly engineered pop tracks (think Fleetwood Mac) and some HD audiophile tracks (e.g. Chesky). Devices were driven from a Macbook Air using Pure Music/iTunes signal generation. All the listening was done with my own Sennheiser HD800 headphones. The USB interconnect was Chord's own for the DAVE and TT, and a simple, short interconnect provided by the store for Hugo and Mojo (I did wonder if the simpler cable hampered the performance of the Hugo and the Mojo but did not get a chance to experiment further).
There are many reasons why I might revise these judgements under different circumstances: if I had days of familiarity rather than hours, being more relaxed than I can normally be as a visitor to a hi-fi store (although Paul and Wendy were most hospitable), listening via speakers or other headphones, or just on a different day in a different mood. So I offer these comments for what can be learned from one intensive session.
I am not in the market to buy DAVE but if I were I would be comparing it against tougher challengers. As part of my search for a new DAC I heard several strong competitors, the best of which was the TAD DA-1000 (
http://www.whathifi.com/tad/da1000/review). The TAD is 50% dearer again than the DAVE (in the UK) and IMHO was in a higher class again. Of course, I would need to spend a proportionate amount on speakers, amps, etc. to do it justice. Yes, the result would be amazing if I could afford all that, which I can't.
But somehow, regardless of money, the TT is one of those hi-fi products that just hits the sweet spot -- able and assured with any kind of source material, revealing and engaging without ever being harsh, musical & forgiving without being over-smooth, rhythmic, fast, and crisp (as DaveRedRef remarks re the DAVE) -- I found myself repeatedly toe-tapping and humming along -- distracted from listening to the equipment by listening to the music, before I could stop myself. The Hugo TT is a very complete and self-confident performer and a massive credit to its designer.
I look forward to seeing the responses others have as the DAVE becomes more widely available for audition. Thanks for taking the time to read.
I'm currently running a v281/v850 stack with the Beyer T1 v2 combo which is great. Would you happen to have heard this combo and be able to comment on how it compares to the TT? Should I be selling stuff and upgrading?
