Hugo TT 2 by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

the TC is an amazing HP....IMHO the best available today....I have the dave/blu2 and use the formula s /powerman with it.....something special

 

AB-1266 Phi TC with DAVE/M Scaler + amp of choice, or AB-1266 Phi TC with Hugo TT 2/M Scaler? Does the DAVE/amp option still stay ahead of the more powerful TT2 option even with the slight loss of transparency?

 

Any reference of volume display and corresponding xlr output of tt2 in low and high gain mode ?

 

How is the comfort on the Abyss TC? It is 640g afterall which is quite a lot. Sometimes I have got headphones on my head for long hours.

 

once you figure out how to wear it properly and adjust it accordingly it is surprisingly comfortable due to the way it sits on your head kind of suspended and not clamping your head

 

I love Chord's sound since Mojo's release in 2015.
Instead of a budget DAC/amp under £1000 I chose Mojo with my headphones at the time, as to my ears it sounded better than anything else in that price bracket. Lifelikeness, clarity, soundstage depth was unbeatable for the price.

Then I had 2Qute with relatively good SS amps. To my ears it was a clear improvement over Mojo even though Mojo has more taps. 2Qute did sound a bit bright, but the additional clarity, extension and 3D soundstage felt like an improvement over Mojo. 2Qute lasted a short time only, I'd had to get the Qutest. With the Qutest everything just clicked into place again. 2Qute's brightness was gone, taps were back, naturalness was back in spades. I really loved this upgrade a lot.

But where do you go from Qutest plus a good SS amp? You can play with different amps; Taurus MKII, Violectric V281, Headamp GS X MKII, Bryston BHA-1. And that's about it. Perhaps the new GS X Mini but I haven't tried that. On the secondhand market all of these are around £2000-2500 (with Qutest). To my experience TT2 simply killed all of these otherwise brilliant combinations.
TT2 has more space, more finesse, better dynamics, better instrument placement. It sounds even more lifelike, has better separation, more natural air and space: a higher quality sound if you want to put it simply.

As a bonus, TT2 doesn't need any of the above mentioned great amps to sound spectacular. On the contrary, I find any amps added to TT2 take away from the naturalness of Chord's beautiful sound when I am listening to headphones.

I know, most TT2 owners have a lot of other amps, DACs, speakers, headphones worth multiple times more than TT2 alone. Financially I am not quite there yet, but I think I have successfully maxed out my headphone listening pleasure with the TT2. To my ears it was a well worth investment compared to any £2-3000 DAC/amp combo as the sound is simply superior.

TT2 paired with the best headphones I have heard under £4000 (for my personal taste and needs at least) make my present combo a rather 'endgame' one. The only next step I can possibly imagine could be the MScaler or the Abyss Phi TC. Both would require another (in my case) significant investment, 30-50% more what I have spent on the TT2/Empyrean combo. That definitely has to wait; I am a very happy camper for now.

Enjoy your TT2 guys, it is easy to get used to goodness. Every now and then it is worth to compare your gear to other similarly priced (or slightly less expensive) products. It will bring you closer to the experience when you purchased your TT2 or any other superb audio equipment.

 

I can wear them for hours on end with no discomfort. Note there is almost no clamping force - which for me really adds to the comfort compared to other headphones.

 

Sounds like mini speakers attached to your head.
How is the sound from your MScaler/Dave/Formula S versus MScaler/Dave only?

 

I find the dynamics and bass are better with the amp.

 

Does an amp add bass and dynamics ?

 

In my experience amps can definitely add bass quantity, even a perception of better extension. They won't really improve bass quality though, that comes from the DAC.
Dynamics is another topic. I'd think dynamics primarily come from the DAC. The difference in 'clarity' between amps can give a false impression of improved dynamics.
It is hard to speak in general about these qualities without naming the amps/DACs.

 

I took delivery of a 400 pound silver dream 2 pure silver headphone upgrade cable for my PM1 today in advance of my TT2 which will be arriving later this month. I did not know what to expect and the cable came as a strong recommendation from a fellow PM1 owner here on headfi. To be honest i was expecting subtle improvements across the board and would have been happy with this as i needed a high quality backup cable anyhow. These cables are handmade in the Isle of Wight and some of the best in the world regardless of price with a Furutech FP704 termination. I loaded up Armand Amar's "Mediterranean original soundtrack". A beautiful album of near eastern atmospherics. Instantly and without the recommended 50 hour burn in the soundstage of my PM1 has expanded naturally and rather dramatically in both width and depth and microdetails are more defined.

The soundstage though has left me nearly speechless because it is not an artificial add on but rather in full unison with the signature of these planars and a true natural extension of the inbuilt sound these PM1's were designed with. Today was a milestone for me. I was really hoping for an extension of the soundstage to compliment the warmer, more powerful sound of the TT2. I struck gold today. As i burn in the cable more i expect greater results. Once the TT2 is added i think i have now met all of my goals in terms of music reproduction. True end game and now more time for the music. The silver dream 2 cable was quite literally the missing link in my puzzle. Without the mscaler however there would be little left.

 

In the next few months I am also planning to get a silver upgrade cable for my Empyrenans. I am eyeing at Lavricables most of all. Cables however bring very small improvement to my experience with very high price tags...

If you are impressed by your cable, TT2 will definitely get you like Dorian the typhoon.

 

Go for artisan silver cables in the Isle of Wight. In my case going from the stock OCC copper cable to silver has been a great improvement.

 

I am actually quite close to the Isle of Wight. Is there a link you can share?