[lostumpire]

• I think the Hugo 2 is creating a container with 32 Bit because the volume adjustment is digital. If you lower the volume, the noise-free information has "space to move down" (sorry for using extremely untechnical words). Otherwise you'd be reducing the dynamic range, e.g. lowering the loudest tone and compressing it within the 24 Bit container. So all good, you want 32 Bit - even with 16 Bit files!
• In my setup below I am using Hugo 2 as a DAC and pre-amp (hold down input and crossfeed while powering on). However, I am using the RCA output to feed a Lake People amp. But it should also work from the 3.5mm out, I guess. I am assuming you are asking because you only happen to have such a cable at hand? Otherwise you might as well use the RCA.

I'm joining in on the GT fun. Disclaimer: I used to work at HEDD. But I am stoked to finally see the GT in the wild! Personally, I found the original HP2 to sound very sophisticated, relaxed and almost muted. The HP2 is a headphone HEDDphone that does not show its strengths right away. It was designed for prolonged use, very much not in-your-face and IMHO the tuning masked the technical qualities unless you are an attentive listener. It's much more nuanced than the HP1. As a flagship follow-up of the HP1, I think HP2 did not sit too well with many headphone enthusiasts, but even more so for professionals.

Although I have not contributed to it, I am extremely proud of GT's retuning of the upper mids and transition into the treble. Despite the slightly warm tuning (let's not exaggerate, we are talking 3dB at 100Hz), GT's AMT sounds fast, snappy, has bite, energy and focus. If the GT had been released last year (alongside or instead of the HP2), I am sure the hype would be insane right now - also considering the removed crinkling sound, better pads, better cables. With the GT released, I don't think there will be many users left saying they prefer HP1.

Looks to me like HEDD has now adjusted their aim. Now they need more of a design approach, IMO. This sound with the looks of YH-5000SE would be perfect!

I think the 5000SE is extremely overpriced in terms of sound quality.

 

[Doctor HiFi]

I think the Hugo 2 is creating a container with 32 Bit because the volume adjustment is digital. If you lower the volume, the noise-free information has "space to move down" (sorry for using extremely untechnical words). Otherwise you'd be reducing the dynamic range, e.g. lowering the loudest tone and compressing it within the 24 Bit container. So all good, you want 32 Bit - even with 16 Bit files!

Thanks for the explanation, clear.

In my setup below I am using Hugo 2 as a DAC and pre-amp (hold down input and crossfeed while powering on). However, I am using the RCA output to feed a Lake People amp. But it should also work from the 3.5mm out, I guess. I am assuming you are asking because you only happen to have such a cable at hand? Otherwise you might as well use the RCA.

I tested it again and managed to enter line-out mode successfully—this time, the indicator light confirmed the correct mode. I must have been doing something wrong during startup in my previous attempts. However, I noticed that even in line-out mode, I could still adjust the volume on the Hugo 2. Although the sound quality was better compared to my previous test (when I used the output without activating line-out mode), I encountered significant distortion when the Hugo 2's volume reached around 90, regardless of the volume or gain settings on the C9. For context, I was using the HE1000se, which isn't easy to distort at relatively low volumes.

Interestingly, I experienced a similar issue with the line-out on my Gryphon feeding into the C9 (on both 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs). Once the Gryphon's volume exceeds 94%–96%, distortion becomes noticeable, especially when XBass is fully engaged. This effect is more subtle than with the Hugo 2, and the extent of distortion varies based on the sensitivity and technical capability of the connected headphones/IEMs—sometimes it’s not present at all.

Would it be correct to assume that both the Hugo 2 and Gryphon function more like preamps rather than pure DACs in line-out mode, which could explain why volume control is still active?

I’m curious to hear how others handle volume control when using the Hugo 2 with an external amp. Do you use the volume pot on the Hugo 2, and if so, at what level do you typically set it?

I'm joining in on the GT fun. Disclaimer: I used to work at HEDD. But I am stoked to finally see the GT in the wild! Personally, I found the original HP2 to sound very sophisticated, relaxed and almost muted. The HP2 is a headphone HEDDphone that does not show its strengths right away. It was designed for prolonged use, very much not in-your-face and IMHO the tuning masked the technical qualities unless you are an attentive listener. It's much more nuanced than the HP1. As a flagship follow-up of the HP1, I think HP2 did not sit too well with many headphone enthusiasts, but even more so for professionals.

Although I have not contributed to it, I am extremely proud of GT's retuning of the upper mids and transition into the treble. Despite the slightly warm tuning (let's not exaggerate, we are talking 3dB at 100Hz), GT's AMT sounds fast, snappy, has bite, energy and focus. If the GT had been released last year (alongside or instead of the HP2), I am sure the hype would be insane right now - also considering the removed crinkling sound, better pads, better cables. With the GT released, I don't think there will be many users left saying they prefer HP1.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[mbirand]

I think HP2 did not sit too well with many headphone enthusiasts, but even more so for professionals.

do you mean HP2 did not sit well with professionals too ?

 

[mbirand]

Thanks for the explanation, clear.

I tested it again and managed to enter line-out mode successfully—this time, the indicator light confirmed the correct mode. I must have been doing something wrong during startup in my previous attempts. However, I noticed that even in line-out mode, I could still adjust the volume on the Hugo 2. Although the sound quality was better compared to my previous test (when I used the output without activating line-out mode), I encountered significant distortion when the Hugo 2's volume reached around 90, regardless of the volume or gain settings on the C9. For context, I was using the HE1000se, which isn't easy to distort at relatively low volumes.

Interestingly, I experienced a similar issue with the line-out on my Gryphon feeding into the C9 (on both 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs). Once the Gryphon's volume exceeds 94%–96%, distortion becomes noticeable, especially when XBass is fully engaged. This effect is more subtle than with the Hugo 2, and the extent of distortion varies based on the sensitivity and technical capability of the connected headphones/IEMs—sometimes it’s not present at all.

Would it be correct to assume that both the Hugo 2 and Gryphon function more like preamps rather than pure DACs in line-out mode, which could explain why volume control is still active?

I’m curious to hear how others handle volume control when using the Hugo 2 with an external amp. Do you use the volume pot on the Hugo 2, and if so, at what level do you typically set it?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

i think you can find better answers to your questions on the Hugo2 thread.

it seems to me, however, you are overloading the input stage of your amps.

here’s the link for the Hugo thread :

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/page-1527

 

[HuoYuanJia]

do you mean HP2 did not sit well with professionals too ?

Sorry, I'll rephrase that. The HP2 was even better received than HP1 by professionals.

 

[Pan Varox]

Rental period of Heddphone 2 GT came to an end for me and I must say it was pretty hard to part ways with them

Their outstanding sound quality and effortless delivery is unbelievably addicting. I can’t help, but place them on my dream list.

In this price bracket it beats its competitors. Composer, Charybdis and any Hifiman are imho inferior at reproducing sounds in such precise, yet involving and fun manner. In fact I think this is a truly flagship headphone without crazy price and annoying quirks.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Since yesterday, i'd call me a proud owner of the GT.

It was a fun visit at the HEDD-quarter yesterday, where I met Claudius and the team of HEDD.
Thanks for the short tour through the sacred halls and sharing some insights of the GTs manufacturing process.

Additionally, I've the V2, thanks to @KlaraKlang , on hand to compare them on my Mojo2 simultaneously.

Little advice for all the V2 owners here.
Do yourself a favor and get the GT Pads.


I'm still in my evaluation period, but I really dig the sound of the GT, with one thought.
The vocal presentation on the V2 is a tad more to my likings. ^^

More to come when I'm back from vacation and the GT attached to my R28.

 

[Doctor HiFi]

Today, I got to spend a few hours with the GT on my Pro iCAN Sig. in solid-state (SS) mode. Compared to when I pair it with the HA-300MKII, I found it needed notably less power. With no gain engaged, I could reach comfortable listening levels around the 6–7 mark (about 10–11 o’clock on the dial).

The drivers stayed impressively controlled across the entire frequency range, even with a touch of bass boost. The sound remained exceptionally clean yet pleasing, with no signs of the drivers being stressed, which I found impressive even compared to its presentation on a full-sized desktop tube amp. The soundstage felt a bit more constrained on SS compared to tubes—but that’s probably true of most headphones. On tubes, the GT sounds more open, larger, and impactful before reaching high volume levels. But to be fair, I wouldn’t feel like I was missing anything if tubes weren’t in the mix from the start.

In fact, the GT on SS makes for a straightforward and enjoyable listen, especially when you’re working and don’t want to tweak multiple settings per track. This is true not only of the GT but also with headphones like the Utopia 2022, Caldera, and Susvara. It’s that trade-off between fun engagement and convenience.

Bottom line: they sound great on SS amps, too, without needing a ton of power to shine. My initial impression that they’d require significant amplification stemmed from using them with the tube amp, but they perform impressively well in this setup.

 

[Atriya]

Is there a consensus that resolution/detail retrieval is actually worse on the GT vs. the OG Two, or does it just less apparent because of the warmer tuning?

I don't see any technical reason for it to be worse, given that the drivers have apparently been updated to have lower distortion (as Hedd states), but proof is in the pudding.

 

[clackbait]

Is there a consensus that resolution/detail retrieval is actually worse on the GT vs. the OG Two, or does it just less apparent because of the warmer tuning?

I don't see any technical reason for it to be worse, given that the drivers have apparently been updated to have lower distortion (as Hedd states), but proof is in the pudding.

I have both on the desk and I'd say both are equal in detail retrieval, however the GT's mid freq are slightly pushed back and a warmer overall sound, so it can give that impression. I prefer the GT for sure. It suits my sound preferences really well.

 

[K3N3]

Is there a consensus that resolution/detail retrieval is actually worse on the GT vs. the OG Two, or does it just less apparent because of the warmer tuning?

I don't see any technical reason for it to be worse, given that the drivers have apparently been updated to have lower distortion (as Hedd states), but proof is in the pudding.

If you were to EQ the mids and bass on the GT to match the overall profile of the OG Two, the perceived resolution would match.

Lower distortion doesn't really mean anything without additional context, and in this case when the distortion is already so low on the OG Two, it shouldn't have an impact on subjective qualities.

 

[Atriya]

If you were to EQ the mids and bass on the GT to match the overall profile of the OG Two, the perceived resolution would match.

Lower distortion doesn't really mean anything without additional context, and in this case when the distortion is already so low on the OG Two, it shouldn't have an impact on subjective qualities.

That's useful, thanks.

If I understand correctly, you're saying that the actual resolution from the drivers is the same, but the perceived resolution is lower from the GT due to the warmer tuning. If the tuning differences are nullified via EQ, the relative perceived resolutions would match the relative actual resolutions, i.e., they would be the same.

 

[K3N3]

That's useful, thanks.

If I understand correctly, you're saying that the actual resolution from the drivers is the same, but the perceived resolution is lower from the GT due to the warmer tuning. If the tuning differences are nullified via EQ, the relative perceived resolutions would match the relative actual resolutions, i.e., they would be the same.

Exactly, I was basically just rephrasing what clackbait said although I also wanted to mention EQ as well.

Not to be overly pedantic, but the idea of resolution is one of those illusory effects that's the culmination of different aspects of the frequency response. It's all perceived in the end, but there are different aspects that can generally influence this perception of resolution. For example if you look at a lot of Stax electrostatic headphones, they tend to share a lift in the FR at around 1k+. Many people experience this as the headphone being resolving.

The OG Two shares that similar bump at 1k (or at least around there depending on the measurement rig) which makes it sound very resolving. But again, that's not really the whole story, because if I EQ the 1k bump down slightly, it doesn't feel like it's losing resolution (although it does make the soundstage feel deeper). It's a culmination of other things in the FR with the 1k bump.

 

[Atriya]

Is there a consensus on how the Hedd2/Hedd2GT compares with the HE1000se/HE1000unveiled on resolution & detail retrieval specifically? I've heard some opinions that they are close, but also opinions that the AMT-drivers have electrostat-like resolution that even the HE1000se/uv cannot match.

 

[gahan]

Impressive headphones and made in heaven pairing with Cayin iHA-8!