[adeseaso]

Is Hugo 1.much better than mojo? Is this cost 3 times more? I have got mojo and want to understand what Hugo can do for me in term of music quality

If you'd snap your fingers while listening to your Mojo to turn it into a Hugo the first thing you notice is that the music sounds larger and more spacious. There is quite a bit more perceived bass and treble because it isn't rolled off like the Mojo. So it's a more visceral listen, and the added treble is probably what helps the sound stage to open up, and the difference is quite big here.

I think the Hugo is clearly better because it's a case of "more of everything", but it only excels with a good source. Mojo is smooth and polite, and that really helps with making it work with whatever partnering equipment and source material. Hugo can and will bite if you give it a noisy signal or a bad recording. For me that means using Hugo with my Allo Digione at home, and Mojo on the go.

I bought the Hugo as a 2nd hand bargain and the Mojo new fwiw, so I have no purchase confirmation bias that steers me in the direction of the Hugo.

 

[thisisvv]

Van someone suggest where to get hugo fixed. Not working no sound and the leds are flashing green and red at same time.

 

[Triode User]

Van someone suggest where to get hugo fixed. Not working no sound and the leds are flashing green and red at same time.

Is this a Hugo that you had and was working fine and this has just started happening or is it one that you have bought in that state? Do the batteries hold a charge? A bit more background as to how this problem happened and if the Hugo was working fine just before might help someone to help you.

It is possible that Rob Watts might be able to tell you what the flashing LEDs mean.

Obviously one option is to get it to Chord and they will probably be able to fix it but the question will be whether it is economically viable.

Good luck with getting it sorted, I loved my Hugo.

 

[roskodan]

@thisisvv flashing lights after power on means your batteries are dead. You need to replace the batteries and/or a new power adapter.

 

[Triode User]

@thisisvv in which case that is a relatively simple fix. The batteries are readily available and a local techie could replace them or I think that Chord dealers often offer a fixed charge price for the work.

 

[miketlse]

Van someone suggest where to get hugo fixed. Not working no sound and the leds are flashing green and red at same time.

The formal process when in warranty is to first contact your dealer, but your Hugo will be long out of warranty now, and your dealer may no longer be enthusiastic, so my recommendation is to either contact Chord support via their website, or email them on support@chordelectronics.co.uk and someone will be able to talk you through potential ways forward.

Dealers offering a Hugo battery replacement include:
Audiosanctuary https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/chord-hugo-version-1-replacement-battery-service.html

However if the proposed solution is uneconomic for you, there are posts on several places on the web (including head-fi https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-hugo.702787/page-821#post-12014593) , by owners who DIY modded their Hugos to replace batteries etc, so the info is out there, but you should only regard this as a fallback solution if you feel comfortable with taking your Hugo apart, and soldering in a new battery.

 

[roskodan]

Definitely have it professionally repaired. Either by Chord, get a quote from them on the costs, or by someone local that's gonna guarantee a job well done. It's not an unit to learn disassembly and soldering on.

 

[mackh]

Van someone suggest where to get hugo fixed. Not working no sound and the leds are flashing green and red at same time.

When my Hugo1 stopped working (around a year ago) I contacted Audio Sanctuary (based in London). They advised me to send the unit to them for analysis of the fault. They confirmed it was a battery issue and replaced it for (around) £130.

From memory, I believe that they send the unit to Chord for the fault analysis and battery replacement. I was very happy with the service I got from Audio Sanctuary and so if you are based in the UK, I would recommend that you contact them to get the ball rolling.

 

[roskodan]

If one gonna ship it, just ship it to Chord, if I remember correctly they quoted me for 80GBP + shipping expenses. Someone local to you could be cheaper tho. Since you would be avoid shipping expenses and parts can be found cheaper online.

 

[Christer]

If one gonna ship it, just ship it to Chord, if I remember correctly they quoted me for 80GBP + shipping expenses. Someone local to you could be cheaper tho. Since you would be avoid shipping expenses and parts can be found cheaper online.

That BATTERY is THE BIG problem with HUGO.
Mine is now also DEAD as a DODO. And I will NEVER EVER buy a product like HUGO where you have to send it back to the factory just to replace a DEAD battery in a product that runs on a battery.
And to make things even worse it won't work plugged in with a dead battery.
Unbe++++ing leaveable!!!!
What on earth where they thinking of?
HUGO is the MOST annoying HIFI product I have EVER bought in that respect!

In my NOT so humble opinion the person/s responsible for releasing and selling a product with such obvious /planned? construction faults, ought to apologize to us customers instead of charging ridiculous money for service and battery change.
Cheers CC

 

[roskodan]

@Christer Well it took 6 years for my Hugo's batteries to die. It's something to take in consideration if you are buying 2nd hand, else it's not really a big deal. You just need to put aside ~20 bucks a year

What is not mentioned often is that the volume pot wears off more quickly than the batteries . By which I mean, it starts skipping, jumping volume.

And that is kind of annoying on a $2k hi-end device.

Despite that, the Hugo 1, 2nd hand ($600-700 bucks?), could be a bang for the bucks like no other DAC, it really sounds sublime, exceptional texture retrieval, a sound made in heaven really. Right down the middle between r2r and delta-sigma.

And it's a totl amp for the right cans as well. As long as it's not hard to drive. Great results with the likes of k701, HD650, Clear.

 

[miketlse]

Van someone suggest where to get hugo fixed. Not working no sound and the leds are flashing green and red at same time.

I have reviewed this on your behalf with Chord, and the initial view is that it is not clear that you have a battery issue, so please contact Chord support so that the real root cause can be identified and solved.

 

[roskodan]

Just wanted to add, that I kept my Hugo always on, day and nigh, 24/7, almost 365 days a year. Like Mr. Watts suggest. In 6 years, that's a lot of work hours . Li-ion batteries do degrade over time through cycling, and also regardless of use, i.e. they have a shelf life too. (e.g. 5 years or 1000 cycles, at 80% capacity, after that they degrade further till they die completely.)

 

[thisisvv]

Ty so much....will contact the chord hugo team. I am in LA area hopesomething close by can be there...

 

[Matt Bartlett]

Ty so much....will contact the chord hugo team. I am in LA area hopesomething close by can be there...

Hi,
Please contact your local dealer or our distributor Bluebird Music. If that doesn't work for you then please email us as support@chordelectronics.co.uk. Your fault doesn't sound like battery failure so we need to get your Hugo sent for service to find out what could be wrong.

Matt