[Mojo ideas]

@mathi8vadhanan, the Mojo has the exact same power output as the Hugo(1) so from a noise floor perspective it makes no sense. Also, given that the hiss is intermittent I would guess something may be wrong.

@adobotj, I have the Angie as well and don’t hear any hiss with Mojo (reference above for why I mention the Mojo). When the Mojo was released I was heading up the Canadian leg of the tour and the tour-unit had intermittent hiss (loud-ish hiss) and it needed to be sent back to Chord before the tour could begin. Perhaps something similar is going on with your new Hugo. Before you go back to your dealer are you able to try connecting to a different source to check for hiss? It could be something (inconveniently) happened with the AK100ii.

Hi Hugo has been out of production for nearly four years, Yes time does fly! But Hugo our first mobile product did have about 3micro volts of noise this is because is a design made well over seven years ago and at that early time we were unaware of the sensitivity of a just few IEMs and we believed as it was as quiet as an I phone but as hugo could drive 5 volts rms with out changing gain instead of five hundred millivolts like ikr the iPhone and a volt or two from most IEM amps that the original Hugo would be okay and I fact it definitely was for its time. However since then Rob has been able to keep the high voltage drive up on the next designs as good as Hugo but he’s lowered the noise considerably on subsequent designs even more. I doubt there’s a problem with your unit they were indeed built to last and your retailer certainly thinks so

 

[adobotj]

Hi Hugo has been out of production for nearly four years, Yes time does fly! But Hugo our first mobile product did have about 3micro volts of noise this is because is a design made well over seven years ago and at that early time we were unaware of the sensitivity of a just few IEMs and we believed as it was as quiet as an I phone but as hugo could drive 5 volts rms with out changing gain instead of five hundred millivolts like ikr the iPhone and a volt or two from most IEM amps that the original Hugo would be okay and I fact it definitely was for its time. However since then Rob has been able to keep the high voltage drive up on the next designs as good as Hugo but he’s lowered the noise considerably on subsequent designs even more. I doubt there’s a problem with your unit they were indeed built to last and your retailer certainly thinks so

Thanks for the reassurance.

So you mean to say that the characteristic hiss that I'm talking about (very audible hiss that appear after a few minutes of turning the unit on and then disappears after a few more minutes while playing music) using layla and angie is just a normal occurrence?

If that's the case then I guess I'll just have to bear with that "delayed" start-up hiss and just think of it as a "hugo warm up". I appreciate a response from chord, thank you.

 

[x RELIC x]

Hi Hugo has been out of production for nearly four years, Yes time does fly! But Hugo our first mobile product did have about 3micro volts of noise this is because is a design made well over seven years ago and at that early time we were unaware of the sensitivity of a just few IEMs and we believed as it was as quiet as an I phone but as hugo could drive 5 volts rms with out changing gain instead of five hundred millivolts like ikr the iPhone and a volt or two from most IEM amps that the original Hugo would be okay and I fact it definitely was for its time. However since then Rob has been able to keep the high voltage drive up on the next designs as good as Hugo but he’s lowered the noise considerably on subsequent designs even more. I doubt there’s a problem with your unit they were indeed built to last and your retailer certainly thinks so

Hi John. The thing is, if it is just noise floor with sensitive IEMs then it shouldn’t be variable, coming and going over time. That’s the part that’s strange in this case.

 

[Nik74]

My Hugo just came back from Chord with a new battery and it s strangely sounding fuller and more relaxed than I remember it! It was my entry into Head Fi and I think I ll cherish it for many years to come as my more portable solution with a 2nd hand pair of HD650s that I am really getting into more and more by the day.

 

[alphast0rm]

I got my Hugo about 2 years ago and have been using it almost daily (always connected to power, line level output the last year or so). Today the audio suddenly cut out of the left channel. I confirmed my headphones are working fine, and this same behavior happens using both the HD USB / Bluetooth inputs and RCA / 3.5mm (both of them) outputs. Has anyone encountered similar issues?

I had purchased the Hugo through Massdrop and didn't realize until much later that was frowned upon by Chord and didn't include a warranty. Is there any way to get it serviced or am I SOL? Thanks for your help!

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

My Hugo just came back from Chord with a new battery and it s strangely sounding fuller and more relaxed than I remember it! It was my entry into Head Fi and I think I ll cherish it for many years to come as my more portable solution with a 2nd hand pair of HD650s that I am really getting into more and more by the day.

How much did it cost to get the battery replaced?

 

[miketlse]

I got my Hugo about 2 years ago and have been using it almost daily (always connected to power, line level output the last year or so). Today the audio suddenly cut out of the left channel. I confirmed my headphones are working fine, and this same behavior happens using both the HD USB / Bluetooth inputs and RCA / 3.5mm (both of them) outputs. Has anyone encountered similar issues?

I had purchased the Hugo through Massdrop and didn't realize until much later that was frowned upon by Chord and didn't include a warranty. Is there any way to get it serviced or am I SOL? Thanks for your help!

Sorry to hear your bad news.
The fault on one channel only suggests that it is not a battery issue, but maybe something channel specific. Perhaps it is a bad solder connection on a component or headphone socket.
I know that Chord do not support massdrop warranties, but you could still message to chord support, and ask their advice/suggestions.
The worst case scenario is keep an eye open for any second hand 2qute for sale over the Christmas period. The best case scenario is Santa may bring you a new chord dac on the 25th.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

I got my Hugo about 2 years ago and have been using it almost daily (always connected to power, line level output the last year or so). Today the audio suddenly cut out of the left channel. I confirmed my headphones are working fine, and this same behavior happens using both the HD USB / Bluetooth inputs and RCA / 3.5mm (both of them) outputs. Has anyone encountered similar issues?

I had purchased the Hugo through Massdrop and didn't realize until much later that was frowned upon by Chord and didn't include a warranty. Is there any way to get it serviced or am I SOL? Thanks for your help!

How about the 6.3mm/quarter inch jack?

 

[alphast0rm]

How about the 6.3mm/quarter inch jack?

Hm, really weird. I tried the 6.3mm jack when I got back home and it worked, and the rest of the outputs seem to be working normally again as well. I usually carry the Hugo in my backpack to and from work everyday, I wonder if something happened like @miketlse suggested.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

Hm, really weird. I tried the 6.3mm jack when I got back home and it worked, and the rest of the outputs seem to be working normally again as well. I usually carry the Hugo in my backpack to and from work everyday, I wonder if something happened like @miketlse suggested.

It could be the headphone cable or the male Jack. Did you try with different cables/headphones?
Also, do not throw it in a backpack. There are openings around the jacks, that could easily let dust/debris inside.

 

[alphast0rm]

It could be the headphone cable or the male Jack. Did you try with different cables/headphones?
Also, do not throw it in a backpack. There are openings around the jacks, that could easily let dust/debris inside.

Yes, I have been using Noble K10's and TH900's and they are both working now. I am not "throwing" it into a backpack, I keep it in its own padded pocket.

 

[Nik74]

How much did it cost to get the battery replaced?

It was £135 through Audio Sanctuary. It is still Chord that does the replacing not the dealer themselves.

 

[Nik74]

So today, less than a month after been fitted with a new battery, my Hugo is not showing signs of life. Not even the single white light that was on when the previous battery died...It was charging fine last night and I left it on over night, this morning it is dead.
I ll try to get a new adapter just in case the issue lies there but I don’t see this as likely
Any ideas ?

 

[MacAlwin]

My Hugo is working miracles on my HD800... Thanks Chord!

 

[montanari]

but the hd800 can sound much better
i use just the hugo too, but with other headphones more suited to it