My temporary setup with Hugo 2:
I like what I’m hearing (and seeing—those gorgeous, glowing colours on the Hugo 2 are a sight to behold).
I'm celebrating the arrival of my Hugo 2 with some exciting new pairings, and the HEDDphone Two GT is one of the standout additions. The GT sounds fun and engaging on the Hugo 2, offering a unique alternative to the sound presentations of both planars and dynamic drivers. While the Hugo 2 might not extract every last drop of performance from the HEDDphones, it still delivers enough power to achieve enjoyable listening levels with solid resolution, dynamics, physicality, and punch.
Side note: I’ve been falling in love with everything I plug into the Hugo 2—be it the HEDDphone Two GT, IE 900, Campfire Supermoon, or other IEMs and headphones in my collection. The same holds true for my WA8 though. It's almost magical how great these amps make different headphones and IEMs sound. Here though it’s a testament not only to these amps but also to the GT's versatility.
Now, why didn’t anyone warn me that Chord DAC/amps sound this good? Oh wait, they did—countless times. But if I’d truly grasped just how stellar they are compared to everything else, I’d have skipped meals until I could afford a TT2 or Dave instead of amassing my current collection (lol). I guess figuring out preferences in this hobby is part of the fun, and it took me a mere three years to reach this point.
Another note/question for those more experienced with the Hugo 2:
- On my Mac, the MIDI app consistently shows a 32-Bit output from the Hugo 2, regardless of the music being played—I recall it was 24-Bit on Gryphon. The sample rate changes based on the Qobuz track, but the bit depth stays at 32-Bit. When I switch over to Spotify, the sample rate doesn’t change and remains at the last Qobuz setting. On Windows, the sample rate shifts dynamically with each app, though I can’t verify bit depth there.
- So, does the Hugo 2 output at 32-Bit by default? Is there a driver I should be using for Mac (I assume not)? I know Windows requires one, but I’m unable to install it at the moment. I realize this probably doesn’t affect what I’m hearing, but curiosity has got the better of me. Any insights or experiences you can share?
- Have any of you tried using Hugo 2’s 3.5mm output as a line out to other (portable) amps such asthe C9 or WA8? I activated the line out mode and connected it to my C9, but the result was unexpectedly poor—it sounded distorted, and I could still adjust the volume on the Hugo 2. I was under the impression that enabling line out would output a constant ~3V signal at full line level. Does this mean I need to use the RCA outputs for a proper line out connection?