[elviscaprice]

ceB​

So far it works when I play DSD files, but I now hear significant lags through PCM files. The Chord Hugo seems to indicate that all files are upsampled to DSD format (this the white light). Hmm...

 
Because your using DSP to convert all to DoP.  Do as I instruct above and that goes away.  Do not use DSP settings.

 

[elviscaprice]

I'm using win 10 I read alot of inf. in this thread , I have 4 questions :
what's the setting you put out from digital output ( cord Async Usb ) ? 
Whichever one works and sounds best to you.  WASAPI and ASIO sound about the same to me in JRiver optimized Win 10.
 
what's the best usb cable and Will it make any diff is sound of hugo ?
Use a Regen with the Hugo, see Regen thread.

why when I change the setting hugo sound normal I mean clean but the depth and soundstage gone ? how to return this magic ?
You will need to be more specific on what you mean by "change setting hugo sound"  and what normal means.  See above, Regen.

is it ok to use with youtube and games at the same time ?
Try it, it won't hurt the Hugo.  You could set your media player/JRiver to output all to the same sample rate.

 

[Arsenal]

I can understand that a good binaural recording sounds better, but does DTS Headphone:X sounds that bad?

 

[Raika]

 

today , I turn off : Allow application to take exclusive control of this device . I just plug it off from usb 3 port and use usb 2 ,that's solve my probelm . 
for 2 weeks the instruments separation sound lean the depth wasn't that good , but now everything sound smooth and better with 180 3d image . Still I'm looking for more improvment .

 

[fiascogarcia]

  I do have a zx1 and was researching the Hugo.
What would you say are the sonic differences between Sony ZX1 direct and through Hugo ?
 

 
IMO, the Hugo adds texture and a more full sound to the mids through treble range, with added depth and slightly more width in the soundstage.  Bass is not necessarily punchier as much as more precise and deep without adding decay. By comparison the ZX1 alone has detail but sounds a bit thin, and vocals are more forward, maybe too much for me.  You could say the overall sound is more lush and balanced with the Hugo, but you are certainly not losing any detail and, in fact, you get better instrument separation.  As with all descriptions of this nature, everyone's ears hear the degree of difference uniquely, but this is my impression.  The phones I use upon which these impressions are made are the Senn HD600's and Noble K10's.

 

[pigfatcat]

I have been using U12 for half a year . I found that it adds smoothness and 3Dness to the presentation , no matter I put it in front of Audio GD NFB 10 SE or Chord Hugo . Typically my experience with Hugo is revealing: direct link to HD USB sounds more precise , quick and accurate , but crisp , glare and digital and somtimes harsh . Comparatively , U12 to Coaxial of Hugo sound more natural and full .

I recently tried putting Elfidelity USB Booster II in front of Hugo instead of U12:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.XtI6MU&id=40230386675&_u=71d7eit2e43

The idea is simple: separate the power supply of the computer through the USB output and supplying a separate source to it . Although the USB power supply is used by Hugo in its HD USB input only for the purpose of handshake , in practice it affects the sound of the HD USB input significantly . The full potentialof the HD USB input is limited , as Rob had mentioned before , by the EMF and power contamination of the USB power supply .

I found that Elfidelity takes away at most , if not all , of the harshness and digital glare . The fullness of the sound is comparable , or in a sense better and more true than using U 12 . The resulting sound is much more lively , natural , quick and accurate compared with using U12 . For the first time I realized that I achieved the "LP sound" of Hugo described by many admirers of Hugo . In particular , the" timing" of how each note starts , peaks and drops are presented more accurately by Hugo through the HD USB rather than the coaxial port . This is something which Rob mentioned which gave rise to the naturalness of Hugo similar to LP sound, compared with other top DACs .

It has been discussed among Hugo users whether coaxial or HD USB gives better sounding. Each has its weakness and strengths . However with the use of Elfidelity I am convinced that the HD USB port is naturally the better input of Hugo for true reproduction of music .

I found that Elfidelity basically solve the problem and bring the HD USB input of Hugo to a next level, and surpassing the coxial input by a large margin . I also found , strangely , that the power suuply and even the power supply cord to Elfidelity have a significant effect on the sound . I tired attaching the USB charging chord supplied by Elfidelity to a power adapter , direct to a Xiaomi USB power bank, and to an Orico USB Hub . The Orico Hub turns out to be the winner with the most lively ,quick , accurate and full sound.

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=19833643401&spm=a1z09.2.0.0.yWslUC&_u=71d7eitea83&sku_properties=148242406:21516

 

[deuter]

   
IMO, the Hugo adds texture and a more full sound to the mids through treble range, with added depth and slightly more width in the soundstage.  Bass is not necessarily punchier as much as more precise and deep without adding decay. By comparison the ZX1 alone has detail but sounds a bit thin, and vocals are more forward, maybe too much for me.  You could say the overall sound is more lush and balanced with the Hugo, but you are certainly not losing any detail and, in fact, you get better instrument separation.  As with all descriptions of this nature, everyone's ears hear the degree of difference uniquely, but this is my impression.  The phones I use upon which these impressions are made are the Senn HD600's and Noble K10's.

Thank You for taking the time to explain the differences between the headphones. 

 

[TokenGesture]

  Can someone tell me in layman terms what current/voltage Hugo supplies and whether it is relatively high/low?  I'm asking because of Bob Katz's comments on Innerfidelity re the HD800 needing high current amplification.  I'm interested to know if the Hugo fits that bill.

Anyone? 

 

[StryGR]

Rather you mean high voltage swing. The headphones have high impedance (300 ohm) so they don't require high current.
 
High-impedance phones (such as HD-800 and HD-650) require high voltage to sound their best.
 
Hugo is capable of high currents but output (up to 4+ V or so) could not allow senns to reach their sonic limit IMO...

 

[alubis]

I have been using U12 for half a year . I found that it adds smoothness and 3Dness to the presentation , no matter I put it in front of Audio GD NFB 10 SE or Chord Hugo . Typically my experience with Hugo is revealing: direct link to HD USB sounds more precise , quick and accurate , but crisp , glare and digital and somtimes harsh . Comparatively , U12 to Coaxial of Hugo sound more natural and full .

I recently tried putting Elfidelity USB Booster II in front of Hugo instead of U12:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.XtI6MU&id=40230386675&_u=71d7eit2e43

The idea is simple: separate the power supply of the computer through the USB output and supplying a separate source to it . Although the USB power supply is used by Hugo in its HD USB input only for the purpose of handshake , in practice it affects the sound of the HD USB input significantly . The full potentialof the HD USB input is limited , as Rob had mentioned before , by the EMF and power contamination of the USB power supply .

I found that Elfidelity takes away at most , if not all , of the harshness and digital glare . The fullness of the sound is comparable , or in a sense better and more true than using U 12 . The resulting sound is much more lively , natural , quick and accurate compared with using U12 . For the first time I realized that I achieved the "LP sound" of Hugo described by many admirers of Hugo . In particular , the" timing" of how each note starts , peaks and drops are presented more accurately by Hugo through the HD USB rather than the coaxial port . This is something which Rob mentioned which gave rise to the naturalness of Hugo similar to LP sound, compared with other top DACs .

It has been discussed among Hugo users whether coaxial or HD USB gives better sounding. Each has its weakness and strengths . However with the use of Elfidelity I am convinced that the HD USB port is naturally the better input of Hugo for true reproduction of music .

I found that Elfidelity basically solve the problem and bring the HD USB input of Hugo to a next level, and surpassing the coxial input by a large margin . I also found , strangely , that the power suuply and even the power supply cord to Elfidelity have a significant effect on the sound . I tired attaching the USB charging chord supplied by Elfidelity to a power adapter , direct to a Xiaomi USB power bank, and to an Orico USB Hub . The Orico Hub turns out to be the winner with the most lively ,quick , accurate and full sound.

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=19833643401&spm=a1z09.2.0.0.yWslUC&_u=71d7eitea83&sku_properties=148242406:21516

Thank you for this. I have similar result with Hugo and Gustard U12, and find the sound quality matches your impression that it is more smooth and 3D. However, it sacrifices precise, quick, and accurate sound quality of the HD USB. My transport is currently single board computer (beagle bone black and banana pro) running minimal Linux OS and powered by HDPlex linear power supply . The sound quality of these transports via HD USB is much better compare to my mac mini or macbook pro (either running win10 or yosemite). But as you mentioned, the harshness and digital glare still existent although not as much as my mac transport.
 
Your Elfidelity suggestion looks like an interesting candidate to further improve the HD USB input, but I wonder how it compares to Uptone Audio Regen. 

 

[gzone3lement]

Because your using DSP to convert all to DoP.  Do as I instruct above and that goes away.  Do not use DSP settings.

Thanks! I can play both PCM and DSD files with no audio clipping issues.

Where do I change the latency settings? Do those settings correlate with the computer's RAM?

 

[Raika]

many said yggy is better than any dac ? is it better than hugo ?

 

[Jeff Y]

  many said yggy is better than any dac ? is it better than hugo ?

From what I've heard, yes.

 

[potkettleblack]

Heard the chord Hugo yesterday for the first time and I have to say I was pretty amazed with what it did.

MacBook retina > O2 > lcd3f

MacBook retina > Hugo > lcd3f

I may have found the lcd 3 more musical and forgiving with the O2, but with the Hugo it genuinely sounded like somebody had thrown in an electrostatic ingredient into the cocktail - and I did this comparison immediately after listening to the 009 and 007. Guitars sounded incredibly detailed - voices had so much clarity you could mistake it for a different headphone that was further up the food chain.

I'm not quite sure if I'd drop 1400 on one of these things but my goodness is it impressive and I was a complete non-believer. I wish I'd brought my x's with me to audition those too - though I think it would make the signature a little bright for them.

 

[jep48]

Hello,
 
Does anyone have any ideas on what the best transport for the Hugo is?
 
I have been using a ZX2 into the USB input and RCAs to a pair of PMC twotwo.8 active speakers.
 
I'm sure the ZX2 is limiting the sound and I thought of getting a Melco N1A. However, I just heard about the AK380 and thought that I could get that instead for similar money to the Melco, and get extra functionality (including optical connectivity, which I heard is best for Hugo).
 
I know Chord demo with both the Melco and the AK380 - perhaps someone from the company has a perspective.
 
Any experience and thoughts would be much appreciated.