Chord Hugo

[jlbrach]

If you want to play the overpriced game, the Mojo is not only cheaper than the Hugo, but sounds better/is more portable/has just as much power. I would seriously suggest looking into that first before you spend any more money on your Hugo, you might be surprised. It is able to capture all the micro details of the Hugo, but does sound more natural/neutral with more body. I was looking into the Hugo for a portable option when I had one on loan for a few weeks, but settled on the Mojo instead. IMO, anything over $1500 is over-priced IMO as a linear price to performance relationship tends to break down around this point. But if you want better/best...that's par for the course.
 
This is one case where i tend to disagree,I actually have both the Mojo and the Hugo and as much as i like the Mojo and its size etc i do still find that the Hugo is better sounding and of course has many more options......

 

[rkt31]

once you listen to mojo , you think can anything get better than this ? but shift to hugo , and hugo sounds in another league . I have both . hugo is more neutral, transparent and the best part imho it is more enjoyable. hugo clearly has better dynamics and better transients.

 

[Whazzzup]

 
If you want to play the overpriced game, the Mojo is not only cheaper than the Hugo, but sounds better/is more portable/has just as much power. I would seriously suggest looking into that first before you spend any more money on your Hugo, you might be surprised. It is able to capture all the micro details of the Hugo, but doessound more natural/neutral with more body. I was looking into the Hugo for a portable option when I had one on loan for a few weeks, but settled on the Mojo instead. IMO, anything over $1500 is over-priced IMO as a linear price to performance relationship tends to break down around this point. But if you want better/best...that's par for the course.

The mojo is tuned to be a bit warm sounding.

edit: Currently listening with the HD 800 (original). The Chord Hugo definetly sounds better according to my ears with the HD 800 than the Chord Mojo. 

And the TT sounds better to my ears than the Hugo, and around and around we go.

Just put a itona and DIY a ps into iPad Air 2 and see what happens

 

[Whazzzup]

The remote in TT is far from its only advantage over Hugo.

 

[Whazzzup]

once you listen to mojo , you think can it get better than this ? but shift to hugo , and hugo sounds in another league . I have both . hugo is more neutral, transparent and the best part imho it is more enjoyable. hugo clearly has better dynamics and better transients.

Absolutely

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I just encouraged my wife (Ruthie of RuthieandJohn) to buy me a used like-new Chord Hugo (and case) for 42% off street price (plus free case). As it is her Christmas present to me, I will not be allowed to touch it until Christmas, almost four months from now.

I considered the Mojo, found that its thick small form factor made it more inconvenient for portability than the flatter Hugo, read comparisons of Mojo vs. Hugo, and chose the Hugo.

I believe that it will drive my AKG K3003i IEMs, 27 pairs of Grados, Sennheiser HD800, and even HiFiMAN HE1000 with aplomb.

In eager anticipation, I even bought a new Lotoo PAVE 5000 BT DAP to send Apt-X digital sound wirelessly to my Hugo. The Lotoo was recommended by Grado as excellent in match to Grado headphones.

I read with eagerness Rob Watts' discussion of DAC reconstruction filters of 26,000+ taps, which I almost understand, and others' description of galvanic-isolated USB and isolated power supplies of the (non-portable) DAVE, which I do not understand.

But mostly, I wait for Christmas, now only 86 days, 1 hour, 40 minutes away!

Tick, tock. Tick, tock...now only days, hours, and 39 minutes away...

 

[MacedonianHero]

  ​
I think your looking at it wrong.
1st, the Hugo internals are nothing like the Mojo.
2nd, you already paid for the Hugo and have enjoyed it the past 2 years plus, to resell it, you may get $1000 tops.  That isn't far from the inferior Mojo.
3rd, if the Mojo is better than the Hugo in your opinion.  Then definitely you would want to get rid of the extremely overpriced TT and concentrate on DIY the Mojo.  Don't worry, I'm sure it isn't.
4th, an added power supply is not going to break the bank and can always be used somewhere else in the system.
5th, I haven't spent that much on upgrading the sound of the Hugo, all in all it will be about $800 when done, but for a superior sound, that you probably would have to do the same to the TT or any other DAC to achieve.
 
EDIT:  Don't get me wrong, the TT has a lot of nice added features I'm sure fit into others needs.  For myself, the only feature I wish I had for my Hugo, from the TT, would be the remote.  Obviously not that big of a deal for me.  

 
Have you any first hand experience with either unit beyond the Hugo? I've mentioned the many differences between the them both and I don't think that your "Frankensteined" Hugo just can't keep up with. But all the luck to you. 

 But yes, I do think the Mojo sounds better than the Hugo.

   
The mojo is tuned to be a bit warm sounding.
 
edit: Currently listening with the HD 800 (original). The Chord Hugo definetly sounds better according to my ears with the HD 800 than the Chord Mojo. 

Hugo + HD800 = too bright and thin sounding to my ears and makes for a fatiguing evening. I much preferred the Hugo with a warmer pair of headphones. The Mojo has well...mojo to my ears. I would say the Mojo is better tonally and the Hugo is a bit too much on the brighter/thinner side of things (thus my preference for the Mojo). 

 

[MacedonianHero]

  If you want to play the overpriced game, the Mojo is not only cheaper than the Hugo, but sounds better/is more portable/has just as much power. I would seriously suggest looking into that first before you spend any more money on your Hugo, you might be surprised. It is able to capture all the micro details of the Hugo, but does sound more natural/neutral with more body. I was looking into the Hugo for a portable option when I had one on loan for a few weeks, but settled on the Mojo instead. IMO, anything over $1500 is over-priced IMO as a linear price to performance relationship tends to break down around this point. But if you want better/best...that's par for the course.
 
This is one case where i tend to disagree,I actually have both the Mojo and the Hugo and as much as i like the Mojo and its size etc i do still find that the Hugo is better sounding and of course has many more options......

 
That's the thing with this hobby...it's all up the individual listener. But I think you'll agree that the TT bests both by a good solid margin. 

 

[ubs28]

   
Have you any first hand experience with either unit beyond the Hugo? I've mentioned the many differences between the them both and I don't think that your "Frankensteined" Hugo just can't keep up with. But all the luck to you. 

 But yes, I do think the Mojo sounds better than the Hugo.
Hugo + HD800 = too bright and thin sounding to my ears and makes for a fatiguing evening. I much preferred the Hugo with a warmer pair of headphones. The Mojo has well...mojo to my ears. I would say the Mojo is better tonally and the Hugo is a bit too much on the brighter/thinner side of things (thus my preference for the Mojo). 

The mojo is actually quite bright on top, even on headphones like the HD 650. The soundstage is also quite small. Don't hear how the Mojo is better.

 

[MacedonianHero]

The mojo is actually quite bright on top, even on headphones like the HD 650. The soundstage is also quite small. Don't hear how the Mojo is better.

Sound staging is maybe a tad improved.. But to my ears,, the Hugo's brightness and somewhat lack of body is why the Mojo pulls ahead...for me.

 

[ubs28]

Sound staging is maybe a tad improved.. But to my ears,, the Hugo's brightness and somewhat lack of body is why the Mojo pulls ahead...for me.

Well, the brightness of the Mojo bothers me more with headphones like the HD 800. But I use the Mojo with the Shure SE846 usually so it's no big deal for me.

 

[rkt31]

I use Beyer dt880 with hugo and mojo. these headphones are considered to be on brighter side by some. still with hugo it is very balanced sounding. it comes to individual's choice. for me hugo is more transparent and neutral and I prefer hugo over mojo. however for my portable use I prefer mojo for ease of use.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Well, the brightness of the Mojo bothers me more with headphones like the HD 800. But I use the Mojo with the Shure SE846 usually so it's no big deal for me.

 
The most folks who've compared certainly would say otherwise that the Hugo is the brighter unit between the two (and as previously thus mentioned my preference for the Mojo). 

 I would personally not recommend the Hugo with the HD800/HD800S/HD600. Maybe for the HD650 or HE1000s...those would be a better pairing IMO. I can understand how you can prefer the Hugo to the Mojo with certain headphones, but we're going to have to definitely disagree on which unit is the brighter/thinner sounding one between the two.

 

[ubs28]

   
The most folks who've compared certainly would say otherwise that the Hugo is the brighter unit between the two (and as previously mentioned my preference for the Mojo). 

 I would personally not recommend the Hugo with the HD800/HD800S/HD600. Maybe for the HD650 or HE1000s...those would be a better pairing IMO. I can understand how you can prefer the Hugo to the Mojo with certain headphones, but we're going to have to definitely disagree on which unit is the brighter/thinner sounding one.

 
That is fine ofcourse. 
 
I also don't recommened the HD 800 on the Chord Hugo or Chord Mojo, but I always use the HD 800 (original) to test out equipement.  I only like how the HD 800 sounds on the Chord Dave or on the Chord Hugo + Taurus MKII (with very high-end interconnects). 

 

[jlbrach]

That's the thing with this hobby...it's all up the individual listener. But I think you'll agree that the TT bests both by a good solid margin. 
 
I have actually been surprised as to how much better the TT is than both the Hugo and the Mojo.....to me the Hugo and Mojo and similar with the Mojo being warmer and the Hugo to my ears a bit more detailed and a bit larger soundstage...also the Hugo is more versatile while the Mojo is more portable....great to have both options....the TT however is simply in another league as far as i am concerned......my interactions and discussions with MacedonianHero pushed me toward the TT and I am so glad he did.....great guy by the way!!