[JaZZ]

  Hugo is a lot wider than most portable devices. Which makes for a fiddly stack, you always got to have a bag or backpack to carry around.
Besides, SE846 is not a good match for HUGO. It's too sensitive and HUGO is too powerful for iems, the combination is a hiss-fest. Hiss is not very audible during playback, but you know its there. Thats not a compromise you should be making at this price range. IE800 is a much better match for HUGO, for IEMs.  Full size headphones also benefit from HUGO.
 
If SE846 is your only TOTL headphone, I recommend looking at dedicated DAPs. There are plenty of choices similar to ZX2.

 
I strongly disagree. I use the Hugo/SE846 pairing on a daily (actually nightly) basis, and to me it's a dream combo. No hiss at all. I can't think of any DAP that exceeds the S/N ratio of the Hugo.

 

[Duncan]

I strongly disagree. I use the Hugo/SE846 pairing on a daily (actually nightly) basis, and to me it's a dream combo. No hiss at all. I can't think of any DAP that exceeds the S/N ratio of the Hugo.

Definite hiss easily apparent with this combination but doesn't matter when the music plays...

 

[JaZZ]

I hear you... but not the hiss on my unit.

 
 
S/N ratio (data sheet):     FiiO X5           115 dB
                                         Chord Hugo   140 dB
 
Did your (then) X5 hiss?

 

[highfell]

Hi Guys,

I have just purchased a pair of Shure SE846s and am thinking of getting the Hugo. I am going to be using my Android phone ( Nexus 6) as the source. A few questions if someone would be kind enough to answer them please  

5/  I will be using this on a daily commute to London for the most part. Is this device practical for that or is it a bit too cumbersome/heavy etc. If so can you recommend an alternative? 

Sorry to ask so many questions! I have gone through quite a few different sets of headphones ( all the way from porta pros to Alclair CIEMs) and media players and always find myself feeling disappointed and underwhelmed with what I hear. This will be the first time I have forked out this kind of cash and was just looking for some reassurance that it will be worth my money.

I use it on my daily commute on a train without any problems but I do have a seat and I put it on a seat tray in front of me. The sound of the Hugo is sublime. A noticeable step change up from a DX90 which itself was an excellent DAP. I also use it as my DAC into a Valve Amplifer into speakers. Also wonderful.

You won't regret buying it.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

   
I strongly disagree. I use the Hugo/SE846 pairing on a daily (actually nightly) basis, and to me it's a dream combo. No hiss at all. I can't think of any DAP that exceeds the S/N ratio of the Hugo.

This hiss has nothing to do with S/N ratio, it's the electrical noise created by the components on the HUGO's board. You can hear the hiss, without any source connected. Just plug the headphone and turn the unit ON. 

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

 
Yeah, that's what I'm using now, except the only problem is the storage aspect.  Unfortunately, my phone is only 30 gig.  I would be totally happy using it if it had a micro sd card slot.  I'll still use it for Tidal, but I thought having a DAP with more storage capacity would be great, and cheaper than upgrading my phone to a higher capacity model.

Gotcha, good luck with your DAP search.
 
I had the DX90, loved the sound (and 3 huge face buttons) but the UI was awful for scrolling. The finicky landscape touchscreen didn't help the case. If you use playlists and shuffle mode mostly, you should be fine with DX50/DX90.

 

[JaZZ]

  This hiss has nothing to do with S/N ratio, it's the electrical noise created by the components on the HUGO's board. You can hear the hiss, without any source connected. Just plug the headphone and turn the unit ON. 

 
No hiss on my unit. It should not be there when the specs say 140 dB S/N ratio. The components on/in the Hugo are of course part of the Hugo, so they have to be reflected in the technical data.

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
No hiss on my unit. It should not be there when the specs say 140 dB S/N ratio. The components on/in the Hugo are of course part of the Hugo, so they have to be reflected in the technical data.

With Ie800 the hugo I tested did not had any Hiss either. 
 
Maybe it is a problem of a certain generation of Hugos, and not all Hugos have hiss with very sensitive IEMs?

 

[JaZZ]

  With Ie800 the hugo I tested did not had any Hiss either. 
 
Maybe it is a problem of a certain generation of Hugos, and not all Hugos have hiss with very sensitive IEMs?

 
Maybe not audible due to the lower sensitivity of the IE 800 compared to the IE846... At least that would be the explanation from those now experiencing hiss with the SE846. But I also assume their units don't fulfill the specs.

 

[uzi2]

   
Maybe not audible due to the lower sensitivity of the IE 800 compared to the IE846... At least that would be the explanation from those now experiencing hiss with the SE846. But I also assume their units don't fulfill the specs.

My most sensitive IEMs are 120dB @1mW and I hear no hiss.

 

[warrior1975]

No hiss on my unit. It should not be there when the specs say 140 dB S/N ratio. The components on/in the Hugo are of course part of the Hugo, so they have to be reflected in the technical data.

Robb Watts himself has confirmed there probably will be hiss with the se846 and Hugo.

 

[JaZZ]

Robb Watts himself has confirmed there probably will be hiss with the se846 and Hugo.

 
...but he didn't state to have experienced it himself. Theoretically there's indeed some hiss, even though it's very low-level and virtually inaudible. If you hear hiss with the Hugo, you will definitely hear even stronger hiss from almost every other component (with the SE846). Provided your Hugo is healthy.

 

[warrior1975]

I don't know, I don't own Hugo. Never heard my 8s hiss with my sources though, so I'm one of the fortunate ones I suppose.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

 But I also assume their units don't fulfill the specs.

I think that is very unlikely.
 
 

  I looked at the SE846 user manual, the sensitivity is extremely high (114dB 1mW 9 ohms), so you will hear some hiss from Hugo. They seem to have an in-line attenuator, so try that - this will eliminate the hiss, but I can't say whether it will affect the SQ.
 
Rob
 

 

  I have a pair of K10's and with the music muted, I can just hear Hugo's noise - but only when I switch Hugo off is it noticeable, it is smaller than background noise. But when you play CD, you can hear the master tape noise, due to Hugo's and the K10's transparency, but its not annoying, just a slight hiss and a rumble from the concert hall.
 
Rob 
 

 

[JaZZ]

  I think that is very unlikely.

 
Well, if this hiss level (–140 dB) is audible to you, you get hiss from every other electronics component as well, and even more so.