[Rob Watts]

I used to think DAC/amp that measures incredibly well would equal sterile and analytical sound, obviously not the case with Chord.

Yes using traditional measurements there is truth in that observation. If you reduce 2nd harmonic distortion, and reduce higher order harmonics, things sound brighter and more transparent. But there is much more to SQ than simple measurements; if you remove harmonic distortion and don't worry about noise floor modulation, it will sound bright and hard and analytical; but when you eliminate noise floor modulation then the natural warmth comes back. Eliminating noise floor modulation is absolutely key, and no other non Chord DAC/amp succeeds in that - that's why it's so different. Here are the measurements for TT2 on noise floor modulation:

 

[Amberlamps]

Hey Rob,

It’s a monday morning and on ITV 4, the Sweeney and the Professionals are on. Daytime bliss.

The 1970’s, when political correctness hadn’t yet been invented.

I wish I was Jack Regan, I’d get a gun and a bottle of whisky and a ford granada as perks of the job.

 

[Whazzzup]

North America version of pre-pc

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102380332072996864/retweets

 

[dawktah2]

Yes using traditional measurements there is truth in that observation. If you reduce 2nd harmonic distortion, and reduce higher order harmonics, things sound brighter and more transparent. But there is much more to SQ than simple measurements; if you remove harmonic distortion and don't worry about noise floor modulation, it will sound bright and hard and analytical; but when you eliminate noise floor modulation then the natural warmth comes back. Eliminating noise floor modulation is absolutely key, and no other non Chord DAC/amp succeeds in that - that's why it's so different. Here are the measurements for TT2 on noise floor modulation:

The timing of this post is impeccable.

My intial listening impression I believe are related to this.

My technique:

Used the SPL against the right ear cup as described in my post #4776. I have a test tone that I played through the TT 2 and my other DACS to make sure volume was equal.

I waited until my wife and daughter were asleep and warmed the house up and shut off our HVAC units. After a listening session and comparing my DACS and ETHER Flow vs. Aeon I have to revise my impressions a little bit.

The TT 2 sounds a lot clearer to my almost 54 year old ears with a history of being a DJ in the past. My primary DAC used in comparison Woo Audio WA8 had more pronounced bass. If I listened to the WA8 first then went to TT 2 I would immediately notice a wider sound-stage and what I would describe as hearing "the room" better. What always sound like reverb added on many tracks now sounds like sound reflections off of the walls of the location of the recording. In reverse I would hear details in the music produced by the TT 2 that I had missed before now. When I would go back to the WA8 I can still hear the detail but had to focus to hear it. I can't remember the track but with a drum strike there was someone playing a maracas at the same time I had never heard before.

When listening to the ETHER Flow Open in a quiet environment I now understand why I "thought" I could hear better with the Aeon, there is so much more details to sounds and notes and what seemed like a single sound or note previously is now clearly made up of more sounds or notes. On old jazz recording Quincy Jones "Samba De Una Nota So" you can hear each horn players different tonal character although they are playing together. With a lot of ambient noise in the house to my ears it mixed in with the details and became distracting. In a quiet environment it was very pleasing to listen to. Since my home tends to be noisy I still have to get another pair of closed back headphones...

For those looking for Audiophile levels of detail the TT 2 hits it out of the park.

EDIT: I forgot to change setting back to XFD0 and this made a difference in comparison.

 

[kyle1010]

TT2 is big, but it looks tiny compared to your other gear.

The light bulbs look nice.

Yeah WA33 dwarfs just about anything you put next to it. And oh man I wish those things cost light bulb prices.

 

[Lgn3]

I posted this on the MScaler thread but possibly more relevant here.

The Hi Fi World Review is available on the Chord website https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/hugott2/ in the Downloads section of the above page. I am mystified that the reviewer operated the TT2 in Hi Gain whilst in Amp mode connected to the Creek amplifier. My undertanding was that Hi Gain was for inefficient headphones only and would likely cause distortion when driving speakers via a power amp. This was confirmed by Chord a couple of months ago when i spoke to them.
Perhaps @Rob Watts could comment

 

[dawktah2]

So I decided to get a Astell&Kern A&norma SR15 Digital Audio Player. This will allow me to completely power off my phone while travelling. No need to get one of their better players since I have the TT 2.

 

[CreditingKarma]

So I decided to get a Astell&Kern A&norma SR15 Digital Audio Player. This will allow me to completely power off my phone while travelling. No need to get one of their better players since I have the TT 2.

I have not tried sr15 but I liked my ak300 a lot. It rarely gets use now that I have my sp1000cu. I take the sp1000 when I travel ( probably not the best idea) but it sounds so good with the Solaris and Roxanne.

Can' wait to hear it as a transport with my tt2.

 

[dawktah2]

I have not tried sr15 but I liked my ak300 a lot. It rarely gets use now that I have my sp1000cu. I take the sp1000 when I travel ( probably not the best idea) but it sounds so good with the Solaris and Roxanne.

Can' wait to hear it as a transport with my tt2.

I'll definitely give my impressions. Pelican makes a new case that appears to fit it perfectly https://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/cases/go-case/personal-utility/g10 So now hitting the beach is an option!

 

[musickid]

Surfing with TT2...........

 

[ZappaMan]

Not covered under the warranty

 

[dawktah2]

Surfing with TT2...........

Not covered under the warranty

LOL!

But I did take my Woo WA8 to the beach

 

[alota]

Surfing with TT2...........

remember me joe satriani surfing with the alien LOL

 

[Mediahound]

Likely pertinent for those here (from over on the M Scaler thread):

Actually the intent was for low gain to work with efficient IEM's... I run normal headphones in high gain mode, as there is no way you will hear the residual noise. But take care with volume! But DAC mode is set to low gain mode, and I guess driving power amps direct low gain would be the most appropriate setting.

 

[dawktah2]

Is there a way to turn the Bluetooth off? I noticed when unit is on it shows in list of available devices and connecting doesn't require a key/passcode

Just curious...