Hugo TT 2 by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[Arnold Schwartz]

Hi all, I just purchased the TT2. Love the dac but somehow I can’t feel the difference between the Filters 1 - 4 and can’t feel the difference in XFHD either.
Is this due to my ears or any of you have the same feel as me?
I use it with Susvara and also my speakers system ie : Hegel H390 and Dynaudio Heritage Special.
Streamer is Buesound Node N130

You are correct, trust your own judgment. I think Amir measured the different filters and the difference was a slight roll off like 0.5db at 20Khz - can’t remember it exactly so I might be off, basically inaudible. Chord missed an opportunity to do something meaningful or they were trolling us.

 

[bpcans]

I consider my system pretty resolving, don’t we all. So for me the most used filter setting on my TT2 is #2. But music recordings are not all the same, so if I feel that if the treble range sounds a little screechy I use #3 or #4. I find that filter #1 sounds too dry.

 

[dcp10]

I need some advice from TT2 owners please. I'm coming from a Chord Qutest and Hugo 2 and wanted better bass and definition for my Focal Utopia headphones (about 90% of my listening is through headphones). I've been auditioning the TT2 for a week and loved it (also tried the new Naim Headphone Edition: great amp; shame about the DAC). Only problem was that my dealer lent me a Dave. And that's the cause of my problem:-

- my head says "get the TT2; it's much better value for money; and in a few years Dave will have been updated and then you can think about spending more money".

- my heart says: "Dave's the best; if you buy the TT2 you'll regret it and wish you'd stretched a bit (a lot?) further".

This must be a common conundrum: how far do you go? Dave is more than double the price of TT2, and whilst I could immediately hear that it was better than TT2, this was quite subtle (slightly better bass; slightly better separation; slightly better definition) - much subtler than the step from Hugo 2 to TT2. Buying TT2 certainly makes better financial sense.

Just to clarify my requirements:-

1. For now, this is mainly for headphone listening (Focal Utopia currently; possibly Meze Elite in future).

2. I could see the unit serving as a pre-amp (possibly coupled with a Chord Etude) in future.

3. I have no interest in purchasing m-Scalar: too much clutter: I want to keep my system simple.

I'm curious to hear how existing TT2 owners made their decisions; did you try Dave? Are there any compelling reasons for choosing TT2 over Dave? - other than price (e.g., I much preferred the look and user interface of TT2 compared to Dave, which was battleship-clunky). Thanks!

 

[smutnyjoe]

You are correct, trust your own judgment. I think Amir measured the different filters and the difference was a slight roll off like 0.5db at 20Khz - can’t remember it exactly so I might be off, basically inaudible. Chord missed an opportunity to do something meaningful or they were trolling us.

I can hear the differences between XFHD quite easily on 1266s.
Filters are quite subtle, but HF roll-off filters sometimes help to remove a bit of harshness from some albums. Only a minor effect though

 

[Jawed]

I need some advice from TT2 owners please. I'm coming from a Chord Qutest and Hugo 2 and wanted better bass and definition for my Focal Utopia headphones (about 90% of my listening is through headphones). I've been auditioning the TT2 for a week and loved it (also tried the new Naim Headphone Edition: great amp; shame about the DAC). Only problem was that my dealer lent me a Dave. And that's the cause of my problem:-

- my head says "get the TT2; it's much better value for money; and in a few years Dave will have been updated and then you can think about spending more money".

- my heart says: "Dave's the best; if you buy the TT2 you'll regret it and wish you'd stretched a bit (a lot?) further".

This must be a common conundrum: how far do you go? Dave is more than double the price of TT2, and whilst I could immediately hear that it was better than TT2, this was quite subtle (slightly better bass; slightly better separation; slightly better definition) - much subtler than the step from Hugo 2 to TT2. Buying TT2 certainly makes better financial sense.

Just to clarify my requirements:-

1. For now, this is mainly for headphone listening (Focal Utopia currently; possibly Meze Elite in future).

2. I could see the unit serving as a pre-amp (possibly coupled with a Chord Etude) in future.

3. I have no interest in purchasing m-Scalar: too much clutter: I want to keep my system simple.

I'm curious to hear how existing TT2 owners made their decisions; did you try Dave? Are there any compelling reasons for choosing TT2 over Dave? - other than price (e.g., I much preferred the look and user interface of TT2 compared to Dave, which was battleship-clunky). Thanks!

I believe I've never listened to TT2, so I'm not the kind of person you were hoping to get an answer from.

While you had DAVE, it seems your heart wasn't smitten by the music it made. So, just leave it, get the TT2.

If you're serious about getting a speaker based system (for the room, not simply for desktop speakers) then don't bother buying anything now. You can run a power amp directly from your Hugo 2, and then when you've got comfortable with that setup do another face-off for TT2 and DAVE using speakers.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I'm curious to hear how existing TT2 owners made their decisions; did you try Dave? Are there any compelling reasons for choosing TT2 over Dave? - other than price (e.g., I much preferred the look and user interface of TT2 compared to Dave, which was battleship-clunky). Thanks!

Just wanted more of that Chord sound. Nothing else nothing different. Just the same "type" of sound but MORE.
I switched blindly. Selling MTT2 combo and buying Dave without auditioning it first (!)
And I'm in a happy camp
You can read my impressions HERE

 

[bpcans]

@dcp10, seriously I wish I had such nice problems as yours. If you can swing the cost of a Chord DAVE then I say get one! It is absolutely at the pinnacle of present day DAC technology even though it’s design is a few years old. That being said, I absolutely love the way my M Scaler/TT2 pairing sounds. And with the addition of the WAVE Storm BNC cables, all together their price is commensurate with that of a standalone DAVE, and to me sounds just as good if not better. Personally I think that the TT2/HMS pairing is more musical sounding than the DAVE by itself. But if I had known how far down the rabbit hole 🕳, I was going to go, I might have bought a DAVE from the start. I also believe that if you’re entertaining the idea of getting either the TT2, or the DAVE, then adding an M Scaler at some point is a must.

 

[dcp10]

If you can swing the cost of a Chord DAVE then I say get one! It is absolutely at the pinnacle of present day DAC technology even though it’s design is a few years old.

Many thanks for the feedback. The main problem would be selling the idea to my wife - the price of the DAVE is comparable to the rest of my system put together. And I worry that there'll soon be Dave 2 or something similar. This really has to be a long-term purchase.

 

[Progisus]

@dcp10, seriously I wish I had such nice problems as yours. If you can swing the cost of a Chord DAVE then I say get one! It is absolutely at the pinnacle of present day DAC technology even though it’s design is a few years old. That being said, I absolutely love the way my M Scaler/TT2 pairing sounds. And with the addition of the WAVE Storm BNC cables, all together their price is commensurate with that of a standalone DAVE, and to me sounds just as good if not better. Personally I think that the TT2/HMS pairing is more musical sounding than the DAVE by itself. But if I had known how far down the rabbit hole 🕳, I was going to go, I might have bought a DAVE from the start. I also believe that if you’re entertaining the idea of getting either the TT2, or the DAVE, then adding an M Scaler at some point is a must.

I agree. I think TT2/mscaler is the sweet spot in the cord lineup. Good bnc cables are a must and should be considered in the cost which brings one closer to the cost of Dave.

 

[dcp10]

While you had DAVE, it seems your heart wasn't smitten by the music it made. So, just leave it, get the TT2.

I only had Dave for one evening (another customer needed the unit for an audition the next day), but I have to say that I was a little bit underwhelmed: I really expected to be blown away, like I was with the TT2. Having been used to the sound of my Hugo 2, just the first few seconds of the TT2 were a revelation. I guess this is the "law of diminishing returns" in HiFi: the further up the chain you go, the subtler the differences.

Having said all this, I could clearly hear the improvements to the sound the Dave made, and my concern would be that, having bought the TT2, I'd know that the sound could still be bettered. (But then, this will always be true, won't it?)

I did wonder if long-term TT2 owners felt that their units were better for driving headphones (more power) than Dave? A concern might be the longevity of those super-capacitors, and the external power supply (vs the integrated power supply of the Dave).

 

[Amberlamps]

I need some advice from TT2 owners please. I'm coming from a Chord Qutest and Hugo 2 and wanted better bass and definition for my Focal Utopia headphones (about 90% of my listening is through headphones). I've been auditioning the TT2 for a week and loved it (also tried the new Naim Headphone Edition: great amp; shame about the DAC). Only problem was that my dealer lent me a Dave. And that's the cause of my problem:-

- my head says "get the TT2; it's much better value for money; and in a few years Dave will have been updated and then you can think about spending more money".

- my heart says: "Dave's the best; if you buy the TT2 you'll regret it and wish you'd stretched a bit (a lot?) further".

This must be a common conundrum: how far do you go? Dave is more than double the price of TT2, and whilst I could immediately hear that it was better than TT2, this was quite subtle (slightly better bass; slightly better separation; slightly better definition) - much subtler than the step from Hugo 2 to TT2. Buying TT2 certainly makes better financial sense.

Just to clarify my requirements:-

1. For now, this is mainly for headphone listening (Focal Utopia currently; possibly Meze Elite in future).

2. I could see the unit serving as a pre-amp (possibly coupled with a Chord Etude) in future.

3. I have no interest in purchasing m-Scalar: too much clutter: I want to keep my system simple.

I'm curious to hear how existing TT2 owners made their decisions; did you try Dave? Are there any compelling reasons for choosing TT2 over Dave? - other than price (e.g., I much preferred the look and user interface of TT2 compared to Dave, which was battleship-clunky). Thanks!

EDIT;

I had a post all typed up n schit and something happened and I lost it all, but TL;DR - TT2 all the way.

 

[jarnopp]

The main problem would be selling the idea to my wife - the price of the DAVE is comparable to the rest of my system put together.

We’re telling our wives now?

 

[bpcans]

Many thanks for the feedback. The main problem would be selling the idea to my wife - the price of the DAVE is comparable to the rest of my system put together. And I worry that there'll soon be Dave 2 or something similar. This really has to be a long-term purchase.

@dcp10, you’re more than welcome sir. I understand completely about calming the anxieties of one’s wife. My TT2 is still the most expensive piece of kit in my system. But whether your DAC costs $6K or double that, IMHO the results that you get are ultimately only going to be as good as your supporting equipment.

 

[OneEyedHito]

I need some advice from TT2 owners please. I'm coming from a Chord Qutest and Hugo 2 and wanted better bass and definition for my Focal Utopia headphones (about 90% of my listening is through headphones). I've been auditioning the TT2 for a week and loved it (also tried the new Naim Headphone Edition: great amp; shame about the DAC). Only problem was that my dealer lent me a Dave. And that's the cause of my problem:-

- my head says "get the TT2; it's much better value for money; and in a few years Dave will have been updated and then you can think about spending more money".

- my heart says: "Dave's the best; if you buy the TT2 you'll regret it and wish you'd stretched a bit (a lot?) further".

This must be a common conundrum: how far do you go? Dave is more than double the price of TT2, and whilst I could immediately hear that it was better than TT2, this was quite subtle (slightly better bass; slightly better separation; slightly better definition) - much subtler than the step from Hugo 2 to TT2. Buying TT2 certainly makes better financial sense.

Just to clarify my requirements:-

1. For now, this is mainly for headphone listening (Focal Utopia currently; possibly Meze Elite in future).

2. I could see the unit serving as a pre-amp (possibly coupled with a Chord Etude) in future.

3. I have no interest in purchasing m-Scalar: too much clutter: I want to keep my system simple.

I'm curious to hear how existing TT2 owners made their decisions; did you try Dave? Are there any compelling reasons for choosing TT2 over Dave? - other than price (e.g., I much preferred the look and user interface of TT2 compared to Dave, which was battleship-clunky). Thanks!

My venture into higher end DACS started a few years ago with a Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE, I then bought a May KTE, then I settled on a Spring 3 KTE. I have current Chord experience too and will get to that in a second but I mention the Holo gear on purpose because it took a similar arc to your Hugo - TT2 - Dave experience sonically. The May was the better sounding unit at the end of the day but the Spring 3 was just better dollars to donuts to my ears.

Now to Chord. I demo’d the Dave with the MScaler and without alongside a WA33 (which is the amp/pre that I currently own and use) but settled on a TT2 without MScaler (I am upscaling in my Roon ROCK Server to 768 with great success and for less money than the MScaler accomplished) for the same dollars to donuts argument and I have to say that after I listen for a while the TT2 sounds better to me than the Dave just like the Spring 3 beats the May to my ears and MIND the more I listen.

It probably helps I’m not a huge fan of the Dave’s looks. I prefer boring rectangular dacs slotted into my audio rack since I have the WA33 on the top shelf. If I was to use a one device setup and could properly display the Dave maybe I’d feel differently. Sonically probably not still.

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

Buy what you like, but as someone that likes to maximize value the TT2 is the best product in the line up. The Dave is long in the tooth and the resale value will depreciate substantially when a new product is released, more so than TT2 because it’s a higher priced product. This sets you up to either trade up for a used Dave at a better price or the newest Chord product.

I would avoid mscaler for the same reason it’s a dead end and people will dump it when either the new mscaler is released or to trade up for TT3 or Dave 2 so resale will be limited to value buyers of TT2 and long term existing TT2 owners that already ruled it out because of the current cost and both want a bargain.

If you go with the TT2 you can enjoy it and stretch out your investment by augmenting it later with mscaler or trading up to Dave at a meaningful future discount.