Chord Hugo

[JaZZ]

 

   
I wouldn't subscribe this characterization. The «out of head» perception may be an individual thing, but a bigger or more expanded soundstage can't result from a monophonization of low frequencies. A more natural and plausible spatial presentation is what it does to my ears.
 
BTW, the similarity of the terms crossfeed and crosstalk is no accident. Crossfeed is low-frequency crosstalk.

 
so you are saying Chord got it wrong? I would agree that perception is an individual thing, but there is no mistaking bigger for smaller

 
I haven't read somebody claim the soundstage had become bigger through crossfeed. So whoever is responsible for the manual text has it wrong. And unfortunately contributes to a wrong understanding of Crossfeed, combined with false expectations.

 

[captblaze]

   
I haven't read somebody claim the soundstage had become bigger through crossfeed. So whoever is responsible for the manual text has it wrong. And unfortunately contributes to a wrong understanding of Crossfeed, combined with false expectations.

good enough, I personally don't use crossfeed or EQ or add any effects. If I want to change the sounds I am hearing I go to a different source or transducer or both to achieve alternate sound qualities. ​

 

[JaZZ]

 

  I haven't read somebody claim the soundstage had become bigger through crossfeed. So whoever is responsible for the manual text has it wrong. And unfortunately contributes to a wrong understanding of Crossfeed, combined with false expectations.

good enough, I personally don't use crossfeed or EQ or add any effects. If I want to change the sounds I am hearing I go to a different source or transducer or both to achieve alternate sound qualities. ​

 
To each his own. But be aware that renouncing this kind of extrinsic effects means accepting intrinsic effects such as curved frequency responses from typical sound transducers and unnatural low-frequency effects from typical recordings through headphones (so you're far from maximizing your system and the listening pleasure, at least if you want a sound as uncolored and natural as possible – just saying).

 

[Jawed]

I perceive crossfeed as adding some depth to sounds at the sides. It takes sounds that are "close" to either ear and pushes them forwards so that they are closer to the "central" sounds. It can also make more central sounds a bit more "focussed". The overall effect is a soundstage that gets a little deeper. The width is definitely lost, but also a lot of "phasey" sounds are eliminated. Orchestras can lose a lot of the feeling of "air", which is partly the "phasey" sounds being eliminated.

It can take a very diffuse recording and make it "click" into focus.

When you turn it off it can make the soundstage appear to jump behind you at the sides which is quite an odd presentation.

I'm using HD 800 S which is generally regarded as a diffuse, airy, large staging headphone. One might say that HD 800 S exaggerates the phaseyness, which crossfeed cancels out. So I might be hearing more of an effect than people with other kinds of headphones.

I think classical might be the most appropriate genre, particularly orchestral, because of the large space and tendency to sound phasey.

 

[Whazzzup]

Now I'm not sure if i like or don't like phase, hmmm

 

[frankrondaniel]

I perceive crossfeed as adding some depth to sounds at the sides. It takes sounds that are "close" to either ear and pushes them forwards so that they are closer to the "central" sounds. It can also make more central sounds a bit more "focussed". The overall effect is a soundstage that gets a little deeper. The width is definitely lost, but also a lot of "phasey" sounds are eliminated. Orchestras can lose a lot of the feeling of "air", which is partly the "phasey" sounds being eliminated.

It can take a very diffuse recording and make it "click" into focus.

When you turn it off it can make the soundstage appear to jump behind you at the sides which is quite an odd presentation.

I'm using HD 800 S which is generally regarded as a diffuse, airy, large staging headphone. One might say that HD 800 S exaggerates the phaseyness, which crossfeed cancels out. So I might be hearing more of an effect than people with other kinds of headphones.

I think classical might be the most appropriate genre, particularly orchestral, because of the large space and tendency to sound phasey.

 
I perceive an increase of sound stage depth with cross-feed engaged as well, however subtle.  I prefer to have it on for that reason

 

[Whazzzup]

It seems a bit different between my iem and Hugo and hd800S and TT. Jawed pointed out what I'm hearing through 800S, it's a bit phasey under modern era classical and using cross feed kinda of tightens it up, I'm up to medium and even don't mind max. Course different genres may yield different results. The open airy phasey sound I thought was what I would like, now I'm not sure about that. Hmmm...

 

[514077]

I'm going to have to give crossfeed another chance.  Since I don't have a good speaker rig, all my important listening is in fact, through HPs.  For the most part, 'off' therefore seems natural to me, except, of course, for hard-panned early music.  I find hearing a bass instrument in one ear to be unpleasant, at best.  Then, the 1st level of crossfeed is enough for me.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
That is interesting. Because sounds from the left is now also partially send to the right channel with crossfeed on. So the "net" position of the left sounds are more to the right with crossfeed on. So in theory the soundstage should be smaller.
 
I clearly hear it with the HD 800 S. 

 
Because that is what crossfeed is!
 
It gives a more natural impression. When you listen to speakers your left ear hears both the left and right speakers (and vice versa). Otherwise headphone listening can be a bit fatiguing to your brain as have each ear only hear a single channel is not natural. In fact, I find a more coherent sound stage.
 

  Crossfeed isn't meant to «expand» the soundstage, rather the opposite. What it does is gradually monophonizing low frequencies. Because the music we listen to is meant to be reproduced via loudspeakers, not headphones. Most of these recordings include one-sided low frequencies. With headphones, this makes for an unnatural experience, since in real life there's no way to experience low frequencies in just one ear. So Crossfeed is just a compensation for the lack of compatibility between speaker-based recordings and headphone reproduction. It's highly recommended to occupy oneself with it, although at first glance it may sound like a loss of soundstage width or even a reduction of detail. In fact it just makes the recording more natural. But I understand that somebody who's used to the unnaturality of one-sided low-frequency content and possibly even likes the «panorama effect» that comes with it may not be easily convinced that it represents an improvement. Technically it's a very simple process without any signal corruption worth mentioning, so it will absolutely satisfy audiophile demands, even supports a puristic approach in a deeper sense of the term.
 
Binaural recordings, on the other hand, don't need Crossfeed, as they don't suffer from the mentioned incompatibility in the first place. And with mono recordings it will (should) do nothing.
 

Well said.

 

[jmills8]

Found this one.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

I tried searching this thread and still can't tell how to differentiate between the first version and second version of the Hugo. Can anyone help to clarify? And this pic below, is it the old or new Hugo?


My sincere thanks

 

[miketlse]

I tried searching this thread and still can't tell how to differentiate between the first version and second version of the Hugo. Can anyone help to clarify? And this pic below, is it the old or new Hugo?


My sincere thanks

 
I think there has only been the Hugo v1, however on later batches the plug sockets were enlarged, to allow the easier insertion of plugs.
So if you can physically hold the hugo, then checking the plug sockets is probably your best clue.

 

[jmills8]

Well I have been playing with the crossfeed. Really , for me, it improves certain styles of music. On older Classic Rock best off. New stuff like bass style music and Metal having the crossfeed on really improved the sound.

 

[fiascogarcia]

I tried searching this thread and still can't tell how to differentiate between the first version and second version of the Hugo. Can anyone help to clarify? And this pic below, is it the old or new Hugo?


My sincere thanks

Your pic looks like the new, as the RCA opening around the jacks appear to be enlarged. New version also inverted the USB jacks to secure them more solidly to the frame.  Picture below is the new.
 

 

[jmills8]