[musickid]

5 stars vs 4 stars so there must be a list of criteria over which they were scored. Unless it's all a random throw of the dice lol.

 

[GreenBow]

What did the magazine say about Hugo TT2? How many stars?


Thanks.

It's not fair for me to reproduce their review here, plus I might get into trouble if I tried. They didn't actually go into fanatical detail about the TT, but they loved it would be fair to say. … (Hifi+ don't rate by stars.)

On a personal note, I would say if you can afford and want the TT2, you should buy it. That's an unreserved recommendation.

I had a quick Hugo 2 vs TT2 listening today, going from TT2 to H2 quite a few times. I made some bullet-point type comparisons.


TT2:

• It's like a lens with a lever on the side that you rotate, and it tightens the image. The TT2 focuses the sound v Hugo 2.
• Richer sound, with exactly the same lens focus on the richness too.
• More inflections and (micro) detail. Sounds not noticed, focused on, or heard before.
• The tonal palette seems more accurate.
• Darker background.
• Clearer, cleaner.
• More transparent, even though the sound signature is richer than Hugo 2.

Going back to Hugo 2:

• I have to realign my focus, centre of attention, and slightly my picture of perfect.
• Lighter, slightly softer tone: although TT2 is not necessarily darker in terms of bass and treble.

Impressions were made on partnering equipment, not up to spec compared to either Hugo 2 or TT2. Rega Brio (2017) amplifier; Dynaudio Emit M10; Chord Clearway speaker cable; Chord clearway RCA; £2 USB cable.

One final point. I would not say the TT2 has more bass exactly. It does however sound fuller in the bass. I know that might make some falter, as there is some disagreement over Hugo 2 needing more bass. However I never found the Hugo 2 bass light. E.g. Last night I was listening with Hugo 2, to Just a Little bit by Norah Jones. The bass in my IEMs was big. Similarly on my speakers. My speakers do match my room size though, and they make the bass full.

 

[Triode User]

there must be a list of criteria over which they were scored

I have not seen the review but the big differences between Dave and TT2 are Price, Sound and Power Output. Depending on how one weights those depends on an overall score. And that is the difficulty with reducing a review down to a single score because for instance I do not use headphones and nor do I use my TT2 direct to speakers so my score would be TT2 4 / Dave 5 because I judge that although the TT2 is amazing the Dave sound is better than TT2 in proportion to the price difference (or maybe more).

Is the review available online anywhere?

 

[Lgn3]

Is the review available online anywhere?

I have not seen the review but the big differences between Dave and TT2 are Price, Sound and Power Output. Depending on how one weights those depends on an overall score. And that is the difficulty with reducing a review down to a single score because for instance I do not use headphones and nor do I use my TT2 direct to speakers so my score would be TT2 4 / Dave 5 because I judge that although the TT2 is amazing the Dave sound is better than TT2 in proportion to the price difference (or maybe more).

Is the review available online anywhere?

There is a link to the review on this page:

https://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/hi-fi-separates/dacs/chord-m-scaler/

 

[musickid]

The real test is an mscaled tt2 vs an mscaled dave IMHO. My belief is that while a solo tt2 is excellent in every department and unmatched for the price that when both units are mscaled the true and unequalled capability of dave will shine through every time. I once listened to a dave/blu2 (streaming tidal) through my oppo pm1 headphone. It was just two tracks daft punk around the world and tangerine dreams atlas eyes. This was at sonority design and when tangerine dreams played i actually had to stop listening as i was caught by total surprise as i had never heard the track sound so real and almost unidentifiable. It was a shock and something i have never experienced before or after.

 

[Triode User]

The real test is an mscaled tt2 vs an mscaled dave IMHO. My belief is that while a solo tt2 is excellent in every department and unmatched for the price that when both units are mscaled the true and unequalled capability of dave will shine through every time. I once listened to a dave/blu2 (streaming tidal) through my oppo pm1 headphone. It was just two tracks daft punk around the world and tangerine dreams atlas eyes. This was at sonority design and when tangerine dreams played i actually had to stop listening as i was caught by total surprise as i had never heard the track sound so real and almost unidentifiable. It was a shock and something i have never experienced before or after.

Agreed about comparing TT2/HMS to Dave/HMS and I have spent quite a bit of time doing this and with a variety of music types. You are right that there is quite a bit of distance between the sound quality of the two combinations (IMHO of course).

 

[musickid]

It has to be otherwise the chord ecosystem would not mean much IMHO of course...lol. But even if all expected results were initially dismissed it would still inevitably come round full circle.

Unrelated query is anyone using the tt2 with the sony z1r and could give some impressions?

 

[Christer]

Agreed about comparing TT2/HMS to Dave/HMS and I have spent quite a bit of time doing this and with a variety of music types. You are right that there is quite a bit of distance between the sound quality of the two combinations (IMHO of course).

Hello Nick .
As one of the few, maybe the only person?here who owns both I have a question to ask you. Maybe you have already said so in earlier posts but if you don't mind, could you on a scale of 10 say how big a difference you hear between TT2/HMS and DAVE/HMS in your speaker system?

I have as you know, only compared the two directly under less than ideal conditions at dealers' and via headphones only.

But I could quite easily even under those conditions hear a clear difference, and without the scale grading I am asking you for, DAVE/HMS sounded even more real and for lack of a better term "analogue" to me via my reference tracks.

Personally I am currently running some comparisons between rbcd and some hi res masters played both via optical and cd player and usb via HMS/Qutest and the hi res version of the same tracks and usb.
And I have to confess that once levels have been carefully set I find it a bit difficult to hear much difference between rbcd upsampled via HMS and 24/44.1/HMS via usb via my speaker system.

I was expecting hi res to sound obviously better than rbcd.
Before M Scaler entered the equation it always did with everything else equal of course.

But with the very good and musically stunning BIS recording "Un moto di gioia" of Miah Persson singing Mozart, I played this morning, HMS seems to level the difference between rbcd and a 24.44.1 master so well that I can enjoy the rbcd layer of my SACD disc basically as much as the 24/44.1 via usb.

Never before have I had well recorded rbcd sound this good in my system.

And with a very demanding truly large scale symphonic recording like Mahler's 9th on the DECCA double SACD from the Concertgebouw I find myself preferring the rbcd layer over the SACD layer via my SACD player, provided I play it via HMS of course.

But good as it sounds I also know that both TT2/HMS and DAVE/HMS can sound even better.
TT2 on its own does not in my experience.

I have played quite a few rbcd/hi res comparisons with TT2 on its own and M Scaled, and the difference was quite easy to hear via headphones.
TT2 needs to be MScaled to be of any real interest to me.
On its own I found TT2 clearly below DAVE in overall performance and not even as good to me as Qutest /HMS via headphones.
Cheers CC

 

[Christer]

Is the review available online anywhere?



There is a link to the review on this page:

https://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/hi-fi-separates/dacs/chord-m-scaler/

Good review,
and nice to read a review by someone who has direct comparison to live sound in the hall, instead of his favourite version of "Hotel California", as reference point.
Cheers CC

 

[Hermitsden]

Chord Hugo M Scaler en Hugo TT 2 – review by artsexcellence.nl
https://blog.artsexcellence.nl/chord-hugo-m-scaler-en-hugo-tt-2-review/

You can download the PDF of this review in English of in het Nederlands – © 2019
https://downloads.artsexcellence.nl/reviews/chord.hugo.m.scaler.hugo.tt.2.artsexcellence.english.pdf

The review includes the comparison between the Qutest and Hugo TT 2 with and without M Scaller. However, I think not every head-fier would agree with its conclusion as:

"The Chord M Scaler on the Chord Qutest definitely gave an effect that was very similar to what happened when we put the M Scaler on the Hugo TT 2. The Qutest became quite a bit better sounding, but please restrain ye...when you already own this sublime little da-converter, it doesn’t turn into a Hugo TT 2 by adding the M Scaler. When you consider that you really need two upgrade power supplies as well, it is clear that the more sensible first step in upgrading the digital chain is to get yourself a Hugo TT 2."

"Surprisingly we found that the difference between a Hugo TT 2 and a Hugo TT 2 with an SBooster was bigger than what happened when we added the Hugo M Scaler with its standard power supply."

 

[miketlse]

Chord Hugo M Scaler en Hugo TT 2 – review by artsexcellence.nl
https://blog.artsexcellence.nl/chord-hugo-m-scaler-en-hugo-tt-2-review/

You can download the PDF of this review in English of in het Nederlands – © 2019
https://downloads.artsexcellence.nl/reviews/chord.hugo.m.scaler.hugo.tt.2.artsexcellence.english.pdf

The review includes the comparison between the Qutest and Hugo TT 2 with and without M Scaller. However, I think not every head-fier would agree with its conclusion as:

"The Chord M Scaler on the Chord Qutest definitely gave an effect that was very similar to what happened when we put the M Scaler on the Hugo TT 2. The Qutest became quite a bit better sounding, but please restrain ye...when you already own this sublime little da-converter, it doesn’t turn into a Hugo TT 2 by adding the M Scaler. When you consider that you really need two upgrade power supplies as well, it is clear that the more sensible first step in upgrading the digital chain is to get yourself a Hugo TT 2."

"Surprisingly we found that the difference between a Hugo TT 2 and a Hugo TT 2 with an SBooster was bigger than what happened when we added the Hugo M Scaler with its standard power supply."

The review loses some credibility by stating "The battery in the Chord Hugo TT 2 acts as a buffer between the power grid and the sensitive circuits, so we didn’t expect much from a better power supply."
The TT2 does not contain a battery, it uses supercapacitors instead!

 

[Mediahound]

The review loses some credibility by stating "The battery in the Chord Hugo TT 2 acts as a buffer between the power grid and the sensitive circuits, so we didn’t expect much from a better power supply."
The TT2 does not contain a battery, it uses supercapacitors instead!

You do realize it was translated to English from another language, right?

 

[ZappaMan]

The review loses some credibility by stating "The battery in the Chord Hugo TT 2 acts as a buffer between the power grid and the sensitive circuits, so we didn’t expect much from a better power supply."
The TT2 does not contain a battery, it uses supercapacitors instead!

The supercaps act as a battery I had thought

 

[musickid]

The supercaps store charge and release it far quicker than batteries are capable of doing as and when required i.e. when the music demands it.

 

[miketlse]

The supercaps act as a battery I had thought

They are both energy stores, but operate on completely different principles.