Hugo TT 2 by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread
Jun 20, 2022 at 9:15 AM Post #16,337 of 18,851
Anyone owned both TT2 combined with Ferrum combo?

It might add som fullness, scale and weight?

That's the case with Hugo2 and Lake People RS 02 imo.
You can expect by having an amp after any Chord product that there will be a lose of transparency and a drop off in some sound quality. You’ll hear it when switching direct from the Chord amp to the amp you have after the DAC. Sometimes there is a benefit from the amp you have after the Chord DAC the differences are small as the included amps on the Chord DAC’s are very good.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 9:22 AM Post #16,338 of 18,851
You can expect by having an amp after any Chord product that there will be a lose of transparency and a drop off in some sound quality. You’ll hear it when switching direct from the Chord amp to the amp you have after the DAC. Sometimes there is a benefit from the amp you have after the Chord DAC the differences are small as the included amps on the Chord DAC’s are very good.
Well if so then it has great value. But I think also people can have different opinion on this matter. I will ask in the Ferrum thread if anyone used this combo.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 9:26 AM Post #16,339 of 18,851
Yes, what I heard was a 1% difference on some tracks. Chord even told me when I inquired that they expect the M Scaler to make more of a difference with speakers than headphones. In my own, humble, less experienced than others view, many reviews out there on the M Scaler oversell it. It's supposed to add this 5-10%, noticeable difference. My reality was that I had to listen for it damn hard. And the big test was supposed to be... listen with it for a month, then take it out of the system and the difference will be clear. Yeah... that wasn't my experience.
You can hear a 1% difference in sound quality?
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 9:29 AM Post #16,340 of 18,851
Anyone owned both TT2 combined with Ferrum combo?

It might add som fullness, scale and weight?

That's the case with Hugo2 and Lake People RS 02 imo.
I own mscaler, TT2 and Ferrum Stack. It sounds fantastic. So does the amp on the TT2. I have never A/B tested them so I am not sure the exact difference between them. But, I can say without a doubt that my external Ampsandsound Rockwell sounds a lot better than the TT2 internal amp. When I get home, I'll have to test the TT2 amp vs the Ferrum stack.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 10:15 AM Post #16,341 of 18,851
Question about XLR vs RCA out from the TT2

So, I'm running RCAs from the TT2 DAC into the Burson Soloist GT which has fully balanced architecture. Is there a benefit sound-wise (such as increased stereo separation or greater dimensionality) to connecting via the TT2's rear XLRs instead, so that it's fully balanced into the amp?

I don't own XLR interconnects so can't listen and compare for myself. I'd appreciate any comments from folks who have tried both

Thanks
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 10:20 AM Post #16,342 of 18,851
Question about XLR vs RCA out from the TT2

So, I'm running RCAs from the TT2 DAC into the Burson Soloist GT which has fully balanced architecture. Is there a benefit sound-wise (such as increased stereo separation or greater dimensionality) to connecting via the TT2's rear XLRs instead, so that it's fully balanced into the amp?

I don't own XLR interconnects so can't listen and compare for myself. I'd appreciate any comments from folks who have tried both

Thanks
Nobody will answer you this question.
Only if somebody owns burson and was doing such A/B test.

But if burson is internally fully balanced I assume it should be better to use XLR in that case.
Ask a dealer for a demo of some nice XLR cables and decide yourself.
If you don't like what you hear return cables, you lose nothing.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 1:29 PM Post #16,343 of 18,851
Question about XLR vs RCA out from the TT2

So, I'm running RCAs from the TT2 DAC into the Burson Soloist GT which has fully balanced architecture. Is there a benefit sound-wise (such as increased stereo separation or greater dimensionality) to connecting via the TT2's rear XLRs instead, so that it's fully balanced into the amp?

I don't own XLR interconnects so can't listen and compare for myself. I'd appreciate any comments from folks who have tried both

Thanks

The answer is "depend".

i believe Rob Watts will answer RCA better.

XLR out would have benefit delivering more voltage, thus less amplification effort from your amp (cleaner result).

i believe Burson GT running in full balance, regardless it is XLR or RCA input. I like the RCA sound more than XLR out. RCA seems more fluid, focus, and "dense". XLR inject more air and wider staging, but also drier vocal.

Well if so then it has great value. But I think also people can have different opinion on this matter. I will ask in the Ferrum thread if anyone used this combo.
After tried so many flagship SS amps, I decide to stick with output stage of TT2 (There is no separate amplifier module inside TT2). First, I don't need the extra power from external amp, my cans are easy to drive and TT2 is powerful already. Secondly, most amps I tried has pros and cons when compared to TT2's output, so no clear winner but absolutely additional of huge cost.

However, currently I'm thinking to add one tube amp to my collection though.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 1:43 PM Post #16,345 of 18,851
But the Hugo TT2 amp is still rubbish? I mean reletively speaking, a Ferrum Oor + Hypsos that i am about to order will give much better amplification then Hugo TT2 internal amp? TT2 dac output to Ferrum. Or would it make the Ferrum combo unnecessary and redundant if you buy TT2?

Yep iam coming from Hugo2 portable with my insights but i think I have read others saying for exe an Violectric HPA V550 gave much better amplification to TT2 dac stage.

Susvara maybe needs ferrum but maybe not HD800S?
@bluenight you could call TT2 amp several different names based on its characteristics but you can not call it rubbish under any circumstances. In fact it is even more powerful than DAVE. This is one of best transparent amps I've heard so far. Why I am not using it directly most of the time but instead using AuroraSound HEADA? Because HEADA is something completely exceptional just like TT2 and it adds this little bit that I miss when listening directly from TT2 headphone output. Again YMMV at the same time I would never pair Oor + Hypsos with TT2, since TT2 plays in a different league than Ferrum products IMHO. Again you will find people who are happy with such pairing. The best way is to do listening yourself however before moving into more complex chain with dedicated amp I would first stay for a while with TT2 and only later consider by listening tests do you really need additional piece in your setup. Each part in the chain adds to complexity and can bring its own set of additional problems. Even M-Scaler isn't perfect in this respect.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 4:17 PM Post #16,346 of 18,851
you could call TT2 amp several different names based on its characteristics but you can not call it rubbish under any circumstances.
Yeah I regreted saying that word after i while but my feeling is that it probebly have the same DNA as Hugo2. And probably be thin sounding and a little sibilant and bright/harsh, although i have read its warmer. Compared to dedicated amps in the higher end of the spectrum. But i can imagine loosing some clarity with external amp but gaining in fullness, fleshed out tones and scale. Just my preconceptions.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 5:32 PM Post #16,347 of 18,851
Yeah I regreted saying that word after i while but my feeling is that it probebly have the same DNA as Hugo2. And probably be thin sounding and a little sibilant and bright/harsh, although i have read its warmer. Compared to dedicated amps in the higher end of the spectrum. But i can imagine loosing some clarity with external amp but gaining in fullness, fleshed out tones and scale. Just my preconceptions.
Have you heard TT2?
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 10:07 PM Post #16,348 of 18,851
Yeah I regreted saying that word after i while but my feeling is that it probebly have the same DNA as Hugo2. And probably be thin sounding and a little sibilant and bright/harsh, although i have read its warmer. Compared to dedicated amps in the higher end of the spectrum. But i can imagine loosing some clarity with external amp but gaining in fullness, fleshed out tones and scale. Just my preconceptions.
I own TT2 & H2. I like a separate amp behind H2 with some cans. Much less so w/ TT2, although TT2 ==> Audio-gd Master 11 is interestingly different w/ Utopia.

Should add — that’s a fantastic chain driving Auteur.
 
Jun 20, 2022 at 10:49 PM Post #16,349 of 18,851
I own TT2 & H2. I like a separate amp behind H2 with some cans. Much less so w/ TT2, although TT2 ==> Audio-gd Master 11 is interestingly different w/ Utopia.

Should add — that’s a fantastic chain driving Auteur.
If we're talking about the Utopia for example, since it's a dynamic driver, difference in headphone performance will be based on 'speed matching'. Utopia, 800/s and LCD5 would prefer a slower amp as it better syncs with the capability of the diaphragm. Something like the Susvara and Stealth can be driven with the fastest amp and scale very well. Lcd4 is somewhere in-between.

So there is some merit on a dynamic driver sounding better on external tube amps and a slower beefy amp, but that doesn't mean the external amp is better. It's more like catering to the limitations of the headphone diaphragm ergo, TT2 HP out is still the most transparent/faithful.
 
Jun 21, 2022 at 1:25 AM Post #16,350 of 18,851
If we're talking about the Utopia for example, since it's a dynamic driver, difference in headphone performance will be based on 'speed matching'. Utopia, 800/s and LCD5 would prefer a slower amp as it better syncs with the capability of the diaphragm. Something like the Susvara and Stealth can be driven with the fastest amp and scale very well. Lcd4 is somewhere in-between.

So there is some merit on a dynamic driver sounding better on external tube amps and a slower beefy amp, but that doesn't mean the external amp is better. It's more like catering to the limitations of the headphone diaphragm ergo, TT2 HP out is still the most transparent/faithful.
Apparently I was unclear. I said different, not better.
 

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