[Tony1110]

Pricey AND ugly as hell.... I just don't understand the fascination of Chord products.

HARTMANN. You once told me that a headphone system doesn't have to look nice

 

[AManAnd88Keys]

HARTMANN. You once told me that a headphone system doesn't have to look nice

Let me correct my statement: it doesn't have to look nice when sound is great and the price alright

that price increase just seems so wrong to me... It's like they want to say "Hey guys, we know our stuff is expensive.. you know what? WE DON'T CARE. AT ALL. Previews are favorable, so pay more if you want a Hugo!" 

 

[Clemmaster]

Pricey AND ugly as hell.... I just don't understand the fascination of Chord products.

Because they sound great!
The Hugo (and the QuteHD) are rather cheap by Chord's standard.
I preferred the QuteHD to the Eximus DP1, which is 2x the price despite being made in Korea.

 

[ThELiZ]

This is such a crappy thing to do. I was saving for this one, but now it is going to shoot up £200, which I would hazard a guess at being because it has been very well received, I'm not going to bother. I'll wait for a 2nd hand one now.

 

[Tony1110]

Let me correct my statement: it doesn't have to look nice when sound is great and the price alright that price increase just seems so wrong to me... It's like they want to say "Hey guys, we know our stuff is expensive.. you know what? WE DON'T CARE. AT ALL. Previews are favorable, so pay more if you want a Hugo!" 

Oh yeah, I think the price increase is wrong, but, if it is what people say it is - a DAC worthy of competing with the very best and a top portable amp to boot - then I'm surprised it was so cheap (relatively speaking) to begin with.

I'll remain on the fence about the aesthetics until I receive mine. I have to say, the pictures do nothing for me.

 

[TwoEars]

The thing that's wrong with this in general is that when I'm traveling I have a much more care free attitude towards audio. I'm perfectly happy to listen to the lastest pop songs on the radio and not care about or even think about sound quality.
 
A £1200 portable DAC? No way I'm going to hear the difference when I'm traveling or sitting in a coffee shop. Seem kinds of pointless to me personally.

 

[Surfski]

Don't panic. 1400 Pounds (including VAT) = $2346.12.
This may represent an increase in the UK but this seems to be in line with the US price. 
I'm enjoying Hugo so far. Will follow up when I have more to say.

 

[DefQon]

$2.3k?

 

[Holdmyown83]

BOOOO

 

[bhjazz]

Lots of whining and complaints.  That's just how business works.  Name one company that does any of this essentially for free.
 
If all we have to reach for is cheap, mediocre products then why bother?  Bring it on, Chord.  And Krell.  Any any other high end designer.  

 

[JamieMcC]

I quiet like the styling but for that sort of money I would rather have quality of sound than looks. The new Bottlehead dac is due to be released soon there have been some prototype previews which have gone down very well with those who have heard it. So waiting to see what develops there as its been in the works for a long time pricing is expected to be around the $1000 mark.

 

[Fairwell]

I ordered my Chord Hugo yesterday for the old price. I've had an eye on this baby for a while now and it's the perfect utility to listen to music when I am at the office.

 

[Mach-X]

  Lots of whining and complaints.  That's just how business works.  Name one company that does any of this essentially for free.

Sandisk?

 

[bhjazz]

LOL.  Ok, I'll give you that.  Maybe I should have said "audio company", but now I'm backpedaling.  

 

[Mach-X]

Well, I was being half a smartass. But when I found out A&K will be selling their new player for $2499, I asked myself, will that player _really_ sound 500 times better than a clip+, which has a flat fr, low distortion, low output impedance, direct headphone coupling, and plays lossless as well? Or is it just "audiophile" ego stroking?