Hugo TT 2 by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[smutnyjoe]

Has anyone who uses TT2 directly with Meze Elites noticed silent electric noise? I can't hear it with any other headphones or IEM.
It disappears when I touch TT2 with my hand, plug something like iFi Groundhog, or have my TT2 connected to an external amp.
That's why I assumed it was because of the old electrical wiring in my home, but now I'm in another place for a week, took my TT2 and Elites with me, and here it is the same.

Now I wonder if anyone has similar issues.

 

[Ateefi]

Has anyone who uses TT2 directly with Meze Elites noticed silent electric noise? I can't hear it with any other headphones or IEM.
It disappears when I touch TT2 with my hand, plug something like iFi Groundhog, or have my TT2 connected to an external amp.
That's why I assumed it was because of the old electrical wiring in my home, but now I'm in another place for a week, took my TT2 and Elites with me, and here it is the same.

Now I wonder if anyone has similar issues.

Not tried it with Meze Elites but did have the Empyreans and used it directly with the TT2 and didn't notice any noise

 

[smutnyjoe]

Thanks. With my Empys a year ago it also was dead silent

 

[realmassy]

My TT2 should arrive tomorrow and I’m concerned about the number of faulty units I read about on this thread: some units being scratched, other with faulty PSU, other humming or clicking, and even units that stopped working after moving them around. Is there something I need to pay attention to while connecting the DAC to my streamer (a Raspberry Pi)? Any other advise?

 

[smutnyjoe]

@realmassy If I were to guess I think it's rather caused by some ungrounded electrical noise than TT2.
Regarding other issues, TT2 is a really popular device (at least in this hobby and in this price range). If you consider thousands (tens of thousands?) sold units, the few faulty ones discussed here don't seem to be a real problem to be concerned with while waiting for your delivery

 

[realmassy]

I know, what you say definitely makes sense…I’m just a bit nervous. On the same topic, given the low energy consumption (at least compared to my current DAC + amp) any problem leaving the unit permanently on?

 

[betula]

Has anyone who uses TT2 directly with Meze Elites noticed silent electric noise? I can't hear it with any other headphones or IEM.
It disappears when I touch TT2 with my hand, plug something like iFi Groundhog, or have my TT2 connected to an external amp.
That's why I assumed it was because of the old electrical wiring in my home, but now I'm in another place for a week, took my TT2 and Elites with me, and here it is the same.

Now I wonder if anyone has similar issues.

Initially I experienced some buzz on my TT2 when touched it, but it didn't manifest in audible noise. After applying the iFi Groundhog, the buzz went away. I also own the Elite, but I don't think it has anything to do with this. It is simply a ground issue that is actually pretty common in audio systems but relatively easy to solve.

 

[Ateefi]

I know, what you say definitely makes sense…I’m just a bit nervous. On the same topic, given the low energy consumption (at least compared to my current DAC + amp) any problem leaving the unit permanently on?

I would agree with smutnyjoe that there is nothing to be worried about, had mine since the beginning of the year and no issues at all, did have to reinstall windows driver once but thats it, regarding leaving it on i sometimes do for a day, but mostly put it in standby mode for peace of mind.
i have a thing where i think it shortens the lifespan of the super capacitors but more than likely it doesn't.

 

[realmassy]

Nice to hear some positive feedback…I know people having negative experiences are obviously more vocal!

 

[miketlse]

Has anyone who uses TT2 directly with Meze Elites noticed silent electric noise? I can't hear it with any other headphones or IEM.
It disappears when I touch TT2 with my hand, plug something like iFi Groundhog, or have my TT2 connected to an external amp.
That's why I assumed it was because of the old electrical wiring in my home, but now I'm in another place for a week, took my TT2 and Elites with me, and here it is the same.

Now I wonder if anyone has similar issues.

Like @betula mentions in his post, it is a common issue caused by poor grounding.
Rob has explained that it is not dangerous, but most owners do still like to remove the 'tingling', so he has explained how to eliminate the issue.

For example:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...nics-the-official-thread.885042/post-15657800
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-14917805
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-15478229
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...nics-the-official-thread.879425/post-15139118
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...nics-the-official-thread.879425/post-16001812

 

[smutnyjoe]

Like @betula mentions in his post, it is a common issue caused by poor grounding.
Rob has explained that it is not dangerous, but most owners do still like to remove the 'tingling', so he has explained how to eliminate the issue.

For example:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...nics-the-official-thread.885042/post-15657800
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-14917805

Grounding it directly or connecting it to the amp eliminates the issue (which is audible for me only using Meze Elites at night), so I'm not really worried
But thanks for the links; they are very informative for me to understand the reason.

 

[miketlse]

Grounding it directly or connecting it to the amp eliminates the issue (which is audible for me only using Meze Elites at night), so I'm not really worried
But thanks for the links; they are very informative for me to understand the reason.

Yes it sounded like you have found a way to solve the issue.
I added several links because the issue does get raised now and again on several of the Chord threads, and having those links in one post may help some of the other Chord owners as well.

 

[OCC7N]

Side note to the grounding issue:

Optical/toslink input on TT2 would eliminate the ground noise?

 

[smutnyjoe]

Side note to the grounding issue:

Optical/toslink input on TT2 would eliminate the ground noise?

No, it's even present with no source connected (given other conditions occur)

 

[OCC7N]

No, it's even present with no source connected (given other conditions occur)

If its that bad, I think power conditioning could help?

I normally buy a long rca cable and use this(sleeve connection) for ground cable. But on TT2 its bnc, I dont know how expensive they are.

My RME DAC FS is the worst case I have had. Same location with TT2 = zero issue. Im guessing my issue was RF, but still got solved with ground cable on RME