I confirm this review
It's all a matter of synergy and preference.
I am listening 75% to D16 due to its more organic and effortless presentation.
Yet thick IEMs like the Annihilator with its less resolving low end I prefer to use with Hugo2.
Fei Wan for example which is very resolving and can get sharper up top: D16.
Hugo2 can sound more clinical with certain pairings but to my feeling is the most resolving mobile source while D16 is more natural in that regard and is more forgiving
Thanks for the response, appreciated. I noticed you appear to own the Cayin RU7 and iBasso DC Elite too, and have experience with Hugo 2 and iBasso D16 as well. If that's the case, I would truly appreciate if you could share your thoughts on all these devices.
I currently have the Cayin RU7 used with Thieaudio Prestige LTD. I'm looking for a brighter and more extended or airy treble, apart from a more defined bass and a larger or wider soundstage. I was initially looking at the DC Elite to perhaps provide some of these traits I'm looking for until someone notified that he found the iBasso D16 to be a perfect endgame match for his Prestige LTD.
To cut to the chase, which one will have the most impact if moving from the Cayin RU7 considering my taste and listening preferences as described above? The DC Elite, D16 or Hugo 2? FWIW the DC Elite is in my price range while the other two are not. However, I could or might stretch for one if the difference is massive.
Thanks for the response, appreciated. I noticed you appear to own the Cayin RU7 and iBasso DC Elite too, and have experience with Hugo 2 and iBasso D16 as well. If that's the case, I would truly appreciate if you could share your thoughts on all these devices.
I currently have the Cayin RU7 used with Thieaudio Prestige LTD. I'm looking for a brighter and more extended or airy treble, apart from a more defined bass and a larger or wider soundstage. I was initially looking at the DC Elite to perhaps provide some of these traits I'm looking for until someone notified that he found the iBasso D16 to be a perfect endgame match for his Prestige LTD.
To cut to the chase, which one will have the most impact if moving from the Cayin RU7 considering my taste and listening preferences as described above? The DC Elite, D16 or Hugo 2? FWIW the DC Elite is in my price range while the other two are not. However, I could or might stretch for one if the difference is massive.
RU7 and D16 are similar in terms of DAC architecture (proprietary FPGA for converting and upsampling PCM to DSD) though D16 is of course more advanced.
Cayin house tuning is yet a tad V Shaped while D16 is one of the most neutral sources I've heard.
I haven't heard the Prestige on these devices unfortunately and that is not to be underestimated as IEMs can have specific synergies which you need to discover personally.
DC Elite and Hugo2 are similar in terms of timbre (slightly colder than D16 and going for maximum resolution and having relatively more treble emphasis than D16.
I think bass is more emphasized on DC Elite than on Hugo2 and D16 is least or not emphasized and slightly softer than the DC Elite and Hugo2.
Sound stage wise Hugo2 and DC Elite are both very holografic and I'd say they have a slight edge over D16 here depending on pairing.
Adding PB5 will then change things again but it can be added to any source
RU7 and D16 are similar in terms of DAC architecture (proprietary FPGA for converting and upsampling PCM to DSD) though D16 is of course more advanced.
Cayin house tuning is yet a tad V Shaped while D16 is one of the most neutral sources I've heard.
I haven't heard the Prestige on these devices unfortunately and that is not to be underestimated as IEMs can have specific synergies which you need to discover personally.
DC Elite and Hugo2 are similar in terms of timbre (slightly colder than D16 and going for maximum resolution and having relatively more treble emphasis than D16.
I think bass is more emphasized on DC Elite than on Hugo2 and D16 is least or not emphasized and slightly softer than the DC Elite and Hugo2.
Sound stage wise Hugo2 and DC Elite are both very holografic and I'd say they have a slight edge over D16 here depending on pairing.
Adding PB5 will then change things again but it can be added to any source
Thanks for the comprehensive response, surely useful. It looks like it's not an easy task to pick the best as each has their own strengths (and weaknesses).
Do you find a noticeable difference between the RU7 and DC Elite since the price difference is not very significant. Lastly, do you find the difference between RU7/DC Elite to be subtle or massive when compared to D16/Hugo2? The reason I ask is the D16 and Hugo2 costs 5 or 6 times more than the RU7 or DC Elite. If the difference is not that significant, I may just get the DC Elite and call it a day. Also, from your description the DC Elite appears to possess the sound characteristics that I'm looking for apart from having the price advantage.
Thanks for the comprehensive response, surely useful. It looks like it's not an easy task to pick the best as each has their own strengths (and weaknesses).
Do you find a noticeable difference between the RU7 and DC Elite since the price difference is not very significant. Lastly, do you find the difference between RU7/DC Elite to be subtle or massive when compared to D16/Hugo2? The reason I ask is the D16 and Hugo2 costs 5 or 6 times more than the RU7 or DC Elite. If the difference is not that significant, I may just get the DC Elite and call it a day. Also, from your description the DC Elite appears to possess the sound characteristics that I'm looking for apart from having the price advantage.
RU7 is like a baby N7 to me and is sharing characteristics of D16 but I am using it only on the go for example for Fei Wan.
Though I see DC Elite being on a high level technically I confess that I am barely using it with my headphones and IEMs as I still consider Hugo2 sounding more delicate and with better technicals let alone the comfort using the remote or dials etc.
From price to performance Ibasso is quite good for the new prices but I d always check used prices.
I got my Hugo2 for 1100 bucks used and for that price it's very competitive.
I wouldn't pay the MRSP for it nowadays
RU7 is like a baby N7 to me and is sharing characteristics of D16 but I am using it only on the go for example for Fei Wan.
Though I see DC Elite being on a high level technically I confess that I am barely using it with my headphones and IEMs as I still consider Hugo2 sounding more delicate and with better technicals let alone the comfort using the remote or dials etc.
From price to performance Ibasso is quite good for the new prices but I d always check used prices.
I got my Hugo2 for 1100 bucks used and for that price it's very competitive.
I wouldn't pay the MRSP for it nowadays
For stationary usage yes
Battery sucks though and the connectivity tech with micro USB is outdated too.
Best is Coax or optical (recommended for D16 too)
I cannot hear hissing with my gear but I assume something like CA Andromeda will hiss more out of Hugo 2 than mentioned Ibasso sources
For stationary usage yes
Battery sucks though and the connectivity tech with micro USB is outdated too.
Best is Coax or optical (recommended for D16 too)
I cannot hear hissing with my gear but I assume something like CA Andromeda will hiss more out of Hugo 2 than mentioned Ibasso sources
Thanks. Battery replacement is another factor too apart from outdated connectivity. Will see how it goes. Is the difference between the RU7 and Hugo 2 rather massive when used with all your existing IEMs?
I have a Chord QBD76 DAC in my loudspeaker system and it's doing fine there.
Thanks. Battery replacement is another factor too apart from outdated connectivity. Will see how it goes. Is the difference between the RU7 and Hugo 2 rather massive when used with all your existing IEMs?
I have a Chord QBD76 DAC in my loudspeaker system and it's doing fine there.
May I just say how much I have enjoyed the discussion regarding RU7-Hugo 2.
I owned a Hugo 2 for 3 years and enjoyed it.
Fantastic dac/amp especially on the second hand market.
One dac/amp I think also worth looking at is the Mojo 2 again can be picked up second hand.
I use DC Elite and Mojo 2 almost daily and they still shock me at how good they are especially considering the price.
The DC Elite has the edge technically over the Mojo 2 but Mojo 2 has other advantages.
Can’t wait for the day Ibasso releases a small dap with the sound quality of the Elite.
Thanks to a close friend in the audiophile sphere, I’ve recently spent a week with the Hugo 2. It is mind-boggling to me that it was released back in 2017. It may be the most impressive piece of equipment that is still relevant today. Time flies, folks. 2017 was seven years ago. To me, it is one of the best DAC-AMPs one can buy, even today.
Size-wise, it is a bit wider than the D16 and a little heavier. Both of the devices offer excellent detail, resolution, dynamism, and overall technical capability. If you have a Hugo 2, D16 would be a side-step in many areas and upgrade in a few. I had the OG Hugo for a year, and I also know the persisting quirks with the Hugo 2, the long charging time, not-so-good battery life (6/7-ish hours for the Hugo 2), and so on. D16 gets me a solid 9 hours via optical and fully charges in 2, so efficiency-wise, the D16 is a solid step-up, but at what cost?
From a sound perspective, Hugo 2 has a slight edge over the D16; it feels slightly more resolving in the upper midrange, but the difference is only perceptible with some of my IEMs. Its sub-bass extension feels a tad better, too; I’m trying very hard here. Signature-wise, the Hugo 2 feels a tad sharper, with slightly more bite. The D16 feels more effortless and coherent in comparison. Technical-wise both devices are very close and before I start imagining things, let’s wrap this section up.
100% agree. And let me ask, what desktop dacs did you compare it to? I'm very interested to know how good the d16 is. Apart from it, I almost didn't have any external DACs (except for the Cayin CS-100DAC, but that was a time ago).
The only desktop DAC I am keeping ATM is my LKS 004 which is heavily modified (back whenni was modifying it, I compared to many other pieces from years ago)....and still...my D16 totally overtaken it.
Right now I'm waiting for my new susvara, I talked to a guy from the forum, he said that pb5 drives it perfectly. But it would also be interesting to see if LP can drive it better. Do you have an og or a new susvara?
i have og susvara,
i will get my 1st listen from sus/unveilled at socal canjam in 1 month
hopefully,musicteck will be bringing a demo unit of l&p ea4 standard,as well as gold bling limited ed. ea4 with upgraded capacitors and a 7.5w @32 ohm increase upgrade.
it will be interesting to compare it to the cayin c9II mark 2 that will supposedly be there too.
needless to say,i will be bringing my pb5 and enleum 23rm there,for side to side listening....
I've spent about half an hour reading this whole thread, mainly on the comparison between D16 Taipan and DC Elite. You guys are not helping much with most comments indicating that the D16 blows the DC Elite out of the water.
Anyway I've reassessed my priorities and will just focus on either DC Elite or D16 only. I will disregard Chord Mojo or Hugo 2. I may need to go to the store to compare both to see if I can hear a noticeable or big enough difference between the DC Elite and D16 with my current Thieaudio Prestige LTD. The source will be a smartphone.
I always find it difficult reading comments about some device being better.
That's highly subjective, synergy and preference will likely play a bigger role than specs of devices.
DC Elite is ROHM based and the little brother of DX320 Max with an objectively different architecture and tuning than some D16.
Both are very good but I am very careful with telling something is clearly better after several years of headfi
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