[PhilW]

a QED Performance Optical Toslink to Mini Toslink Graphite to connect the Airport Express to Hugo.

This cable fits? No decent optical we try does at the moment

 

[nOtEcH]

This cable fits? No decent optical we try does at the moment

I am just preparing my home for the Hugo to arrive a the end of this month, so I have'nt tried yet.. and by looking at the other cables you got in stock they seems quite similar.. so I guess that my cable won't fit either..

These recessed inputs / outputs are not that audiophile friendly I'm afraid..

 

[seeteeyou]

.

 

[jamato8]

More listening impressions! :^)
 
On toslink, Sysconcept has the 1300 fiber cable that can go up to most any bandwidth and to me, sounds better than anything else made. The price is right and they will make custom lengths and the cable should fit fine. They are the only one I would go with. You tell them what ends you want, the length and what you get is pure quality. 
 
Sysconcept 

 

[nOtEcH]

I've been preparing my home for the Hugo.

I runned off to buy myself an Apple Airport Express (has an 16/44.1 optical output) and a QED Performance Optical Toslink to Mini Toslink Graphite to connect the Airport Express to Hugo.

The idea is to stream Wimp HiFi (16/44.1 internet streaming service with around 23,000,000 songs) wirelessly from the iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch to the Airport Express and then bit perfect to the Hugo, and to be able to do that and at the same time be able to charge both the Hugo and the iDevice and at the same time.

I have set up the AURALiC Taurus with a DAC Magic 100 (the only DAC with optical in that I got here) by my bed to try the concept out..

I have almost forgotten about how a really good headphone amp can sound like..

I like my JDS Labs and the VentureCraft LE 12V DD Socket 1 (now with MUSES02) but.. it is nothing like this setup, even if it is just a DacMagic 100 ..

Only problem now is the dropouts that come and go using Airplay to the Airport Express.. totally ruin the experience that it could have been, because it sounds quite good when it works..

I am using some of the best networking equipment (Asus RT-66U) and have 120 Mbps download speed and 10 Mbps up (internet speed meashured on the iPad) so the streaming is not a problem at all. The Airport Express is hard wired to the network at 100Mbps (1000Mbps in the rest of the network, as the AE is the limitation). I turned off the wireless functionality on the unit and it got better, but not good enough.. it's a shame that this s*** does'nt work!! I am suspecting the iOS7 but I don't know.. Airplay has the limitation of 16/44.1 so I am using it to the max.. but it should work anyway..

I have to figure this out before my Hugo arrives.. :mad:

I guess that I'm talking to myself here.. but you might want to know.. the Airport Express way, is not the way to go.. at least for now.. I have optimized the network setup, and it is quite good, but dropouts still occure now and then.. I've searched on the internet, and I found this:


"I believe there are issues with the stability of the clocks in the latest AEs. If you go over to the pink side, you'll read of problems that the designer of the M-DAC had interfacing an AE to it:
 
" First first Gen worked without Drop outs when set to High Bandwidth... With Gen 3 they changed the Chip set and its even worst then the first for Jitter performance - with large discrete jumps in clock offsets - these jumps throw off (unlock) any dac with decent jitter attenuation (Tight Lock Bandwidths) - ironically Dac's with poor jitter attenuation cope with the Jumps, but off course they have poor jitter attenuation..."

and here's a similar comment from CambridgeAudio, quoted on an apple support forum:

"Basically, the Airport does not output a smooth SPDIF clocking. Every now and then, the Airport will sporadically adjust its output clock to track the desired sampling rate.
These adjustments are very sudden and are the cause of the noises and/or drop-outs describe".


So I guess I'll go back to the shop with the Airport Express and get my money back.. the cable should be ok but I don't need it anymore.. maybe in a few months if next generation of Airport Express is better..

I've heard that the AppleTV is better.. but dropouts are reported with those as well.. guess I'll give it a try.. but best guess now is to use USB and the camera kit with my iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch and use Bluetooth directly to Hugo while charging the iDevice..

 

[jamato8]

I am a breath away from ordering one of these, things. lol 

 

[evolutionx]

 
Just got my Hugo from Custom-Cable.   1st impression is pretty good with ak100.   Powerful enough for my LCD-XC and the reason for my purchase.   Time for the obligatory burning-in 100 hrs.  
 
TH900 sounds pretty amazing as well…….

 

[nOtEcH]

Just got my Hugo from Custom-Cable.   1st impression is pretty good with ak100.   Powerful enough for my LCD-XC and the reason for my purchase.   Time for the obligatory burning-in 100 hrs.  

TH900 sounds pretty amazing as well…….

I've been curious about LCD-XC as a replacement for T5P. I have also the HD800 as a reference. Have you compared the LCD-XC to any of them?

Edit: Would be VERY nice with a Hugo / LCD-XC review after the burn in.

 

[evolutionx]

I've been curious about LCD-XC as a replacement for T5P. I have also the HD800 as a reference. Have you compared the LCD-XC to any of them?

Edit: Would be VERY nice with a Hugo / LCD-XC review after the burn in.

I have not compared with T5P and HD800, though I would say they are very different sound signature with LCD-XC having tried HD800 and owned T5P.   Will try to share more impressions with LCD-XC after burn-in……

 

[bmichels]

 
 
Just got my Hugo from Custom-Cable.   1st impression is pretty good with ak100.   Powerful enough for my LCD-XC and the reason for my purchase.   Time for the obligatory burning-in 100 hrs.  
 
TH900 sounds pretty amazing as well…….

Have you compared HUGO amp with TU-05 Amp ?    I owe a TU-05 and wonder if the HUGO will bring any additional SQ ? (I use TH-900 & Roxane)
 
Alternatively, I can use the HUGO DAC part to feed the TU-05 amp IF the TU-05 AMP part is better than the HUGO amp part ! 

 

[nOtEcH]

I have not compared with T5P and HD800, though I would say they are very different sound signature with LCD-XC having tried HD800 and owned T5P.   Will try to share more impressions with LCD-XC after burn-in……

Will be looking forward to it!

 

[tonyl59]

First of all, apologies for not posting since receiving my Hugo on Friday; been really busy so listening time has been limited.
As others have said, packaging is fairly basic but adequate and there’s a very nice little folding user guide which is very well laid out.
The device itself is solid and well made. I find its styling quirkiness actually very appealing, and of course, all those various coloured LEDs are very cool!
Battery life seems really good and there’s a separate LED that cycles through various colours so it’s easy to see when recharging is needed.
I had bought an adapter (£2.09!) for the supplied optical cable so I could hook up my AK120. Once plugged in you just press the input selection button until the little LED glows green (very similar to yellow, to my eyes, but easy to distinguish once you realise). This all worked perfectly.
So, the sound... what struck me immediately was the detail, allied with a very smooth delivery. Bass initially seemed to lack just a little weight in places, but the more I listen the more I realise that it’s really just some unnatural “bloom” that’s gone. Bass is actually very clean and beautifully extended. Overall this seems to help open up the soundstage. The top end is very sweet, extended and again, deliciously smooth.
All this smoothness, however, in no way diminishes dynamics. Certainly with TH900s there is plenty of slam, all presented against a completely silent background (given a suitable clean recording).
The long and short is that I really love this device. It sounds superb with the TH900s, but also my UM Miracles have never sounded so good. I’ve only tried them once, so this is a very early impression. I don’t recall hearing any background hiss on the Miracles, even at mid-to-high volumes.
A couple of observations: I haven’t got a Coaxial SPDIF cable anywhere that will fit the Hugo, so I haven’t been able to try that input yet. Also, I took it back to the dealer this morning because I was getting one channel going dead on the TH900s depending on how I wiggled the headphone jack in the Hugo’s 6.3mm socket. It turns out that when pushed in fully the metal sleeve of the jack touches the Hugo case and drops a channel! Anyway, a bit of tape will remedy this, though I’m rather surprised this is needed on such expensive components.
I’ve tried Bluetooth with the AK120, my HTC Windows Phone and iPad Mini and all worked straight away. Sound quality drops off, of course, but would be fine for casual listening.
Will try to post more soon, hopefully with some pictures.

 

[bmichels]

... what struck me immediately was the detail, allied with a very smooth delivery. Bass initially seemed to lack just a little weight in places, but the more I listen the more I realise that it’s really just some unnatural “bloom” that’s gone. Bass is actually very clean and beautifully extended. Overall this seems to help open up the soundstage. The top end is very sweet, extended and again, deliciously smooth.
All this smoothness, however, in no way diminishes dynamics. Certainly with TH900s there is plenty of slam, all presented against a completely silent background (given a suitable clean recording).
The long and short is that I really love this device. It sounds superb with the TH900s, but also my UM Miracles have never sounded so good. I’ve only tried them once, so this is a very early impression. I don’t recall hearing any background hiss on the Miracles, even at mid-to-high volumes.
A couple of observations: I haven’t got a Coaxial SPDIF cable anywhere that will fit the Hugo, so I haven’t been able to try that input yet. Also, I took it back to the dealer this morning because I was getting one channel going dead on the TH900s depending on how I wiggled the headphone jack in the Hugo’s 6.3mm socket. It turns out that when pushed in fully the metal sleeve of the jack touches the Hugo case and drops a channel! Anyway, a bit of tape will remedy this, though I’m rather surprised this is needed on such expensive components.
I’ve tried Bluetooth with the AK120, my HTC Windows Phone and iPad Mini and all worked straight away. Sound quality drops off, of course, but would be fine for casual listening.
Will try to post more soon, hopefully with some pictures.

Thanks a lot for this preview.

One Quick question. How AK120>Hugo>th900 compare to just Ak120>th900. Is it night & day that justify for the extra cost & extra brick to carry ?

 

[Audiowood]

Harmonix - Are you based in US? Any recommended reatailer in US?
 
Ok - Nevermind - I found one at moon-audio - I thank myself

 

[tonyl59]

Thanks a lot for this preview.



One Quick question. How AK120>Hugo>th900 compare to just Ak120>th900. Is it night & day that justify for the extra cost & extra brick to carry ?

 

To my ears there is a substantial improvement with the Hugo. I can't say, of course, whether you'd find it enough to justify the Hugo's cost. I can say that it was worth it for me... In other words, personally I'd strongly recommend it, but please don't blame me if you think it's been over-hyped
I should add that these are all my very early impressions after only a few hours listening, and not always in an ideal environment.