[teknorob23]

Hey I'm a little confused on your above post. Did you mean to say there's a shortcoming of the DAC of the Chord Hugo 2 or Hugo TT? If so, what does it seem to be?

I feel sorry for the recent noisy power in your house. Do you have any sort of power conditioner or at least a special isolating power cord? The longer those are, the better the effect so you can even get some improvement even without a power regenerator or 'decrapifier' LOL.

sorry i don’t think my comments re the h2 and tt2 were very clear. What I meant was they are near perfect in their price brackets, but the few weaknesses they have, and this is more referring to the h2, include for my tastes at least, slightly dry analytical amplification stage Lacking a a little in depth and width all of which are cancelled out by the performance of the verite closeds tuning and staging. Up till now the euforia has been the only antidote to these issues especially using the stellias which I really didn’t like coming straight out of the H2. The Tt2 has a similar chord house sound on the amplification front but is considerably more organic/natural sounding than the h2, it also has a larger stage in all dimensions and that’s before mentioning its improvements In detail retrieval. It really is an incredible dac/amp, even at £4K its cheap for what it does. To my ears it’s damn close to the Dave and of course is easily more powerful. I haven’t listened to the euforia with it yet but I will do and the anniversary edition too hopefully when I collect mine this week.

on the mains front from the wall I have: shielded neotech cable > BMU > neotech cable > amp. To date I’ve not had any hum issues that weren’t tube related and I don’t think anything has changed in the house. None of the other components in my chain, streamer, dac etc are effected. Having not felt an immediate need to date, I haven’t tried a regenerator yet, but it could be a cure, an expensive one though

 

[DecentLevi]

Wow and with the almost supernatural performance of the Hugo 2 it's hard to imagine even more spectacular the Hugo TT 2 must sound. Definitely an external tube amp takes care of any dry or analytical sound (as I've tested too). Do you have both DAC's? When I can afford another DAC though I may be leaning towards one from Denafrips but time will tell.

 

[OctavianH]

If someone needs a DAC I would recomment Qutest instead of Hugo2. They have the same specs but you do not pay for the headphone amp and you can grab it at around 1000 EUR. For me it was a good upgrade from 2Qute. With the rest of the money you can take a good LPS and some decent cables. And Qutest is also compatible with M-Scaler. For a tube amp lover portability is not a concern so why to pay for a portable product...

 

[teknorob23]

Wow and with the almost supernatural performance of the Hugo 2 it's hard to imagine even more spectacular the Hugo TT 2 must sound. Definitely an external tube amp takes care of any dry or analytical sound (as I've tested too). Do you have both DAC's? When I can afford another DAC though I may be leaning towards one from Denafrips but time will tell.

Yes i dont want to slight the H2, as its a landmark piece of hifi as was the mark one. Ive listened to too many DACs and i havent found anything that comes close really until you get to the TT2, apart from the Qutest, but i prefer the flexibility of H2 here as i can take it with me on work trips and the remote is useful too. I dont own the TT2, but ive been exhausting the patience of my local shop with an ongoing rolling demo, over the last few months. i dont want to take us too off topic, but just to say on initial listen the TT2 didnt blow me away as a huge improvement, largely because it has such natural organic presentation, where it almost slips in its extra performance, as if it had always been there, but then with each listen the amount of extra detail becomes more and more noticeable as does the delineation between instruments, but above anything it just sounds so, for want of better word, analogue, like the best record deck i've heard but with far better resolution. It is a big leap in investment though, and pound of pound its definitely not twice as good as the H2, but then when you compare it to the DAVE its incredibly good value. I've read a lot about the Denafrips and i'm very intrigued, but from what i read it may lean bit too much towards performance for performance sake and lose out on the musicality to the TT2. That and the fact i'll never get to hear one in the UK and of course the lack the TT2's incredible amp stage, and its transportability, probably makes the denafrips a no go for me. But if was running it purely as a DAC and looking to partner with Tubes, which could help give the terminator some soul, then perhaps it would be a different story.

The whole rather nebulous but incredibly important musicality x-factor, was why i ended up being so easy for me to choose the Euforia over the technically astonishing but to my ears anodyne Auris HA2se and would probably be the clincher here too, if the impossible happened and i had a chance to compare the two dacs.

The toughest decision comes with the fact i cant afford to have both the Euforia and the TT2 for the moment at least. I blame the VCs for enabling the choice, because if the stellia's were still in place there'd be no question, it would be the Euforia all the way!

 

[teknorob23]

If someone needs a DAC I would recomment Qutest instead of Hugo2. They have the same specs but you do not pay for the headphone amp and you can grab it at around 1000 EUR. For me it was a good upgrade from 2Qute. With the rest of the money you can take a good LPS and some decent cables. And Qutest is also compatible with M-Scaler. For a tube amp lover portability is not a concern so why to pay for a portable product...

I agree if you dont need portability, but i still find myself in a hotel rooms often enough travelling with work where its great to be able to take 75% of my home rig with me. The M Scaler will work with H2 and Qutest. Its quite a simple hack to make a decent quality adapter for the H2. All i can say just dont make my mistake and listen to the TT2 because as with the original TT it just has something over its portable junior sibling in terms of tonality sounding turntable-like in its analogue-ness (if that makes any sort sense), that even the m-scaler cant get around.

 

[OctavianH]

All i can say just dont make my mistake and listen to the TT2 because as with the original TT it just has something over its portable junior sibling in terms of tonality sounding turntable-like in its analogue-ness (if that makes any sort sense), that even the m-scaler cant get around.

I guess the "analogue-ness" you mention is on the buily-in HP amp, because I expect you have not listened the TT2 connected to a tube amp.

 

[teknorob23]

I guess the "analogue-ness" you mention is on the buily-in HP amp, because I expect you have not listened the TT2 connected to a tube amp.

not yet but i will hopefully rectify this on wednesday with both the Anniversary edition and my Euforia, so i'll let you know how that goes. I have very mixed feelings of anticipation on this front, as i know i'm probably going to be making some very hard decisions as i definitely cant afford everything on the table!

 

[OctavianH]

I found in advance about some Black Friday prices of a local store here in Romania, TT2 will be around 3300 EUR and the M Scaler around 2900 EUR. So maybe you will also find a good deal in UK for them. In my case Qutest is quite great, I would not buy the TT2 without the M Scaler, and the M Scaler alone... well, I am not sure about it. Looking forward to your findings. You can ask also a question related to Euforia model 2019 vs model 2018, I just found out about it a few days ago from another head-fier.

 

[hypnos1]

Hi @LoryWiv, my GL KT66 arrive yesterday and so far very impressed, only have 14 hours on them so far, if you like the TS 7236 and 7581A then you should like the KT66, wide, deep soundstage, very detailed, great imaging, separation, and not overly warm, btw, this is using Elise.

Hi S...glad you're liking the GL KT66s already. The pre-burn-in from Hot Rox sure seemed to help surprisingly good performance from the off!

Anyway, with yet another 15hrs on mine (making probably over 100 total, including the pre burn-in), today finally eased my incredulity at anything being able to surpass my beloved mesh plate EL11s driving 2x EL39 powers. I've already listed most of their virtues - along with the also very impressive reissue Tung Sol 7581As - but this morning, my own particular (unusual!) combo displayed the kind of sound I only recall from £19,500 worth of a Chord Blu2/Chord Dave/Focal Utopia combination at CanJam London a couple of years ago. And despite undoubted shrieks of 'nonsense' from some quarters, let me qualify my statement/claim by giving my sub-conscious response to the sound, as opposed to a critical, analytical assessment (which would, of course, be torn to shreds lol! ). No, what I experienced was a sound so natural and unforced...one I've never come anywhere near to in all my years of tube rolling/experimentation. But a more technical statement I shall indeed make...ie. a presentation of supreme clarity, precision and balance, without the slightest hint of being in any way clinical. To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a sound from a relatively modest setup, and one that has me questioning big time whether that cost of the Chord/Focal setup is at all worth that kind of money lol .

Anyway, what the experience has done (for better or worse!) is tempt me to see just what two GL KT88s might deliver...purely out of scientific interest, of course ...(how many times does one have to state : 'When does it end?" lol!!!). Ah well, what can one do?...Just give in to it, I suppose lol! ...CHEERS ...CJ

ps. Good luck with your own experience of these latest tubes, S...keep us updated.

pps. Hey @teknorob23 ...so the amp proved to be trouble-free elsewhere? Not such good news actually, of course...now you've got the unenviable job of trying to trace just what is the darned cause...and then hopefully find a remedy. I wish you the very best of luck with this, and only hope you do indeed find the culprit very soon and destroy it lol!!...CJ

 

[Scutey]

Good to know, @Scutey, thanks. Yes, I did like the 7236's stage and detailed presentation but found them a bit thin / solid state sounding. The TS 7581A's as powers also achieve good stage and detail but a bit more "note weight" and that nice touch of tube warmth without being "gooey."

Now I am wondering about KT66 as powers driven by 7581A. Have you tried this configuration or perhaps the reverse w/KT66 driving 7581A powers?

I would say the KT66 is a little airier than the 7581A, but they are similar sounding, tonight I tried KT66 as powers and 7581A as drivers, I have to say they blend really well, the "note weight" you mentioned is there along with the warmth without sacrificing dynamics, need more time with this combo to say more but certainly very promising.

 

[Scutey]

Hi S...glad you're liking the GL KT66s already. The pre-burn-in from Hot Rox sure seemed to help surprisingly good performance from the off!

It certainly has h1, these tubes hit the ground running, I've only put 20 hours on mine and they sound sweet already.

 

[LoryWiv]

I would say the KT66 is a little airier than the 7581A, but they are similar sounding, tonight I tried KT66 as powers and 7581A as drivers, I have to say they blend really well, the "note weight" you mentioned is there along with the warmth without sacrificing dynamics, need more time with this combo to say more but certainly very promising.

@Scutey, your report is music to my ears (pun intended). Once my wallet recovers I definitely plan to get a pair of GL KT66's and 2 more adapters from Deyan to try them as powers driving the TS 7581A's as you describe. Not sure why but this setup appeals to me intuitively and I am really glad your initial impressions are promising. I have a major work project and "deliverable" (don't you love modern jargon) over the next 2 weeks but if all goes well and your favorable impression holds up, that purchase and tube combo. will be my reward!

Thanks very much for sharing your impressions!

 

[connieflyer]

Well, CJ I think you and I are more similar than I had thought before. When I ordered the quad of KT 66, I almost got a pair of KT 88's as well! When I hit the order button, I almost went back in and added a pair, but I thought that would give me something else to try after the KT66's are burned in. It will take some time to run through various combos, to see what I like best. There will be time to add KT88's to the mix later. Don't want to miss trying different combo's before going on. But you go right ahead, and I will catch up later! All the best.

 

[hypnos1]

It certainly has h1, these tubes hit the ground running, I've only put 20 hours on mine and they sound sweet already.

Hi S...it's very interesting how much better these KT66s sound so early on in the burn-in process. Even with probably no more than 20 hrs pre- by Hot Rox, they're way ahead of the TS 7581A at the same stage...weird! And mine continued the improvement process much faster also, with results at about 100 hrs that (once again!) that took me really by surprise (as I mentioned in more detail just previously).

These KT tubes are indeed proving to be quite a bit different to the 7581A, even though of the same 'family'...which I suppose is to be expected really, given the very different style of construction lol . As you say, the KTs have that bit more 'air', and I personally find them to be rather more 'refined' in overall FR handling/presentation. Bass is very good too, but doesn't go down quite as low as the 7581A, and which is why I keep one as a driver partner to a KT (and so 2x 7581A drivers should indeed give a bit more 'meat' for you @LoryWiv ). However, as always there's a trade-off, and for me and my system I'm happy to forego a certain amount of 'oomph' from only having 1x 7581A in the mix...the 1x KT66 driver and 1x EL39/KT66 powers actually giving slightly more detail, colour and control in the bass and lower mids. Hence my recommendation to try different combinations to fine tune to one's preference and system.

Well, CJ I think you and I are more similar than I had thought before. When I ordered the quad of KT 66, I almost got a pair of KT 88's as well! When I hit the order button, I almost went back in and added a pair, but I thought that would give me something else to try after the KT66's are burned in. It will take some time to run through various combos, to see what I like best. There will be time to add KT88's to the mix later. Don't want to miss trying different combo's before going on. But you go right ahead, and I will catch up later! All the best.

Yo cf...we do indeed appear to have not just very similar tastes but also ideas lol! That fat KT88 has always had me wondering what on earth it was capable of, but its size scared me off big time lol!! . However, after seeing just what the (not small!) 66 can do, I feel a little less afraid now...just curious. So, fingers crossed...once again lol ...As usual, will keep y'all informed...CHEERS!...CJ

 

[connieflyer]

Well, I am not to far from the fire. The KT88 looks to be an option. But why stop there, why not just go for the Kt150 a d end it now!!!! Seriously, sometimes it makes me wonder where it will end, with ALL the good tubes I have acquired now, really must start the process of selling off some of the stock. Keep saying that, except for all the GEC tubes, I have not done this!