Hugo TT 2 by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[Scrum92]

Thanks all!

What a bizarre journey this morning... trying JRiver with my built-in Realtek drivers resulted in apparently "direct" playback with no changes but a distorted / static noise when listening. Some quick googling and I changed driver to Windows own, and that A) has resolved the issue and playback is perfect and B) I can now play 88.2, but not 176.4. I still can't use DoP, but DSD does convert and sound fine using default settings. How should I configure this?

44.1 16-bit seems to become 44.1 24-bit:

My main concern is whether something weird is happening between before the signal is sent to Hugo TT 2. On this evidence, everything is fine?

 

[Scrum92]

I should add that the limitations of my optical out are of no practical issue to me in that I'm not sure I have ever played a 176.4 file, and don't use DSD - ever. It's more whether I am feeding the TT 2 properly.

 

[Kentajalli]

Thanks all!

What a bizarre journey this morning... trying JRiver with my built-in Realtek drivers resulted in apparently "direct" playback with no changes but a distorted / static noise when listening. Some quick googling and I changed driver to Windows own, and that A) has resolved the issue and playback is perfect and B) I can now play 88.2, but not 176.4. I still can't use DoP, but DSD does convert and sound fine using default settings. How should I configure this?

44.1 16-bit seems to become 44.1 24-bit:



My main concern is whether something weird is happening between before the signal is sent to Hugo TT 2. On this evidence, everything is fine?

Yes the 88.2 and 176.4 are the odd rates that some sound cards don't support.
On jRiver options, under Audio and device settings, tick the box "disable event styles" then choose automatic for "bitdepth" and then OK to everything.
On my PC, it then starts to output everything correctly, might work for you too.
WASAPI is always better for me.

 

[Scrum92]

Yes the 88.2 and 176.4 are the odd rates that some sound cards don't support.
On jRiver options, under Audio and device settings, tick the box "disable event styles" then choose automatic for "bitdepth" and then OK to everything.
On my PC, it then starts to output everything correctly, might work for you too.
WASAPI is always better for me.

Cheers. 88.2 does work absolutely fine now, which is bizarre but not a practical issue either way. I couldn't care less so long as I have peace of mind that my computer is not doing some sorcery before the signal reaches TT 2. I use Roon day-to-day and that always reported bit perfect playback, and looking at Google, my original issue solved by the Windows drivers may have been JRiver-specific. It's a plus that 88.2 does work, just in case, though...

 

[Reactcore]

A comparison between Capped Dave and TT2 is posted in my supercharging dave's amp thread.

 

[Jawed]

Windows, by default, has its own "mixer" where all music data is routed on its way to the sound output device. This is how, for example, the main volume control in Windows can be used for any output device. Sadly the mixer is never bit perfect.

So a simple test of whether this mixer is interfering with music playback is to change the volume control in windows to hear whether that affects your sound output device, e.g. TT2.

Another aspect of the mixer is that Windows keeps track of which audio formats, e.g. 24-bit 192KHz, will work with the sound output device. If you rummage in the right parts of "device properties" you'll see lots of options.

One of the options for a sound output device you'll find is a setting called "allow applications to take exclusive control of this device". If that's turned on then many music applications which have the option to use exclusive mode will let you activate their own option for exclusive output. This is useful because it now means Windows mixer cannot interfere with your bit perfect music when the application, e.g. Room or JRiver is set to exclusive mode. I don't use those programs so I can't be more specific.

 

[Kentajalli]

Windows, by default, has its own "mixer" where all music data is routed on its way to the sound output device. This is how, for example, the main volume control in Windows can be used for any output device. Sadly the mixer is never bit perfect

So a simple test of whether this mixer is interfering with music playback is to change the volume control in windows to hear whether that affects your sound output device, e.g. TT2.

Actually the volume control can be set to change volume of main speaker volume or, say, the optical.
So the volume control is not always indicative of windows mixer being used. There is a sure way of knowing if the mixer is being used! while music is being played , make windows do a notification sound, if it come through the DAC, you are sure using the mixer.

Another aspect of the mixer is that Windows keeps track of which audio formats, e.g. 24-bit 192KHz, will work with the sound output device. If you rummage in the right parts of "device properties" you'll see lots of options.

Indeed, if sampling rate can automatically change according to music, then windows mixer is not being used. And you are using Exclusive Mode.

One of the options for a sound output device you'll find is a setting called "allow applications to take exclusive control of this device". If that's turned on then many music applications which have the option to use exclusive mode will let you activate their own option for exclusive output. This is useful because it now means Windows mixer cannot interfere with your bit perfect music when the application, e.g. Room or JRiver is set to exclusive mode. I don't use those programs so I can't be more specific.

I am not a fan of Roon, so I don't have much experience with it. But jRiver, I have been using since its early days.
Getting bit-perfect out of jRiver is easy. The DSP is fantastic and it doesn't cost much for a one off payment.
But it is like iPhone vs Android argument!
Those who use Roon, won't give it up. same for jRivers.
They both work at the end of the day.

 

[Scrum92]

@Jawed I appreciate you taking the time to help, but I think you may be conflating the issue by discussing the Windows mixer. My question / concern revolves around something happening at a hardware level, and not something which Windows via its mixer would necessarily have control over or visibility of.

In any case, I'm confident enough that everything is OK with my optical out (again, a hardware-type question).

 

[Jawed]

@Jawed I appreciate you taking the time to help, but I think you may be conflating the issue by discussing the Windows mixer. My question / concern revolves around something happening at a hardware level, and not something which Windows via its mixer would necessarily have control over or visibility of.

In any case, I'm confident enough that everything is OK with my optical out (again, a hardware-type question).

The mixer is only part of the situation you may be dealing with. The use of exclusive mode is the other aspect, which is how the software and hardware cooperate. Exclusive mode tells Windows to let the software, e.g. Room, talk to the DAC with the least possible intervention. Good luck!

 

[Froller]

Hello, everyone!! I noticed a strange thing. When I connect the power amplifier through XLR (TT2 in AMP mode) I clearly hear background noise from the speakers at distance of half a meter (similar to white noise). On "Low Gain" less, on "High gain" louder. "Mute" doesn't matter - the noise level is the same. With RCA connection the background noise is almost inaudible - only if you put your ear to the tweeter (almost as if the DAC were off). Is there something wrong with my TT2 or is it a "feature" of XLR output, the same case sameone else has and I can be calm ? By the way, the sound through the RCA seems more bodily, tactile, three-dimensional.

 

[Rob Watts]

Nothing wrong with TT2 - it's the amp. Some XLR inputs short the negative input to ground, not being truly balanced, and this will cause problems, as the high power low impedance negative TT2 output is now being shorted. Stick to RCA in that case, as you can damage TT2.

 

[ppbb]

I am thinking of getting a speaker amp for my setup as I have a hearing imbalance and need to adjust the right channel -15db to center sound. I have a TT2/Mscaler into a burson soloist GT. I’m thinking of either a ttoby, a benchmark ahbs or a pair of burson timekeeper 3X GT monoblocks. I love the form factor of the ttboy but cant find a lot of opinions on it. I love the soloist gt and have heard great things from the timekeeper 3x-gt. And of course everyone raves about the ahb2.

I’d appreciate some feedback

 

[townes]

I am thinking of getting a speaker amp for my setup as I have a hearing imbalance and need to adjust the right channel -15db to center sound. I have a TT2/Mscaler into a burson soloist GT. I’m thinking of either a ttoby, a benchmark ahbs or a pair of burson timekeeper 3X GT monoblocks. I love the form factor of the ttboy but cant find a lot of opinions on it. I love the soloist gt and have heard great things from the timekeeper 3x-gt. And of course everyone raves about the ahb2.

I’d appreciate some feedback

I also have a slight hearing imbalance. It's not disturbing when listening to my speaker setup, but it's disturbing when listening to headphones. Sound is always a bit off-center for me, specifically higher frequencies. My advice would be to add a digital audio processor to your system. Example:
Digital sources: Input 1: Network (Ethernet) e.g. Roon endpoint. Input 2: USB (PC, Desktop) ->
Digital audio processor: Weiss DSP501 (that's not a DAC) ->
DAC (e.g. your chord TT2) ->
Power Amp (e.g. the Benchmark, you mentioned. I use a Pass XA25) ->
Susvara HP.
Volume Control with DSP501. Balance and Room EQ (separate left/right) with DSP501. I make a combined use of the DSP501 balance control and the Room EQ settings. I am aware that the main purpose of the Room EQ plugin is for speaker listening. Nevertheless it makes much sense for headphones too, as it's the only way to select different parameters for left and right channel. Using the Room EQ also allows for staying a bit closer to the center with the balance control.

To learn more about the DSP501, here's a link to the user manual.

 

[ppbb]

I use Roon DSP speaker filter which balances sound very well.

 

[Mediahound]

I find my TT2 sounds better after some warm up. I have never done any scientific tests but after some time into a listening session I really notice the TT2 sounding particularly good. My gut feel is that the warmup time is about half an hour.

If you listen to it often, you may just want to leave it on all the time. Rob Watts does that. Most DAC makers recommend leaving them on constantly for ideal audio quality. It also lessons stress on the internal components due to constant warm up / cool down and can extend their life.