[Turn&cough]

@griff2 Sorry I hadn't realized that you quoted someone regarding the Hugo.
 
I'm not surprised that the CI is better for TV and movies. Naim sound(their amps at least) can be a bit rich and euphonic which is not ideal for dialogue.

 

[microbiologycor]

As a reviewer for an online only publication, I can tell you that negative reviews are not taken well by mgmt., as most of thier income comes from advertising dollars paid for by...you guessed it!  The company's who's products we review.  Bad reviews, no more advertising dollars.
 
I love that Robert Harley from The Absolute Sound recently called an $8000 component a "giant slayer"...HA!  How many times do you have to win the lotto to call a piece of kit worth 1/4 the average annual US salary anything but a GIANT!?!  These peole spend $2-300,000 on a 2 channel rig.  Did they know that much money could change so many lives?  Not only build a homeless shelter, but staff it, stock it, and maintain it for a decade? If I was a manufacturer of that equipment I'd make darn sure my charities were well funded, if not, I couldn't sleep at night.

 

[griff2]

A lot of poverty is, unfortunately, caused by greed and corruption. A lot of money we donate to charity is also pocketed by corrupt goverments: these are the people who shouldnt be able to sleep at night.

 

[jamesng45678]

How does naim Dac-v1 fair against lehmann audio bcl usb?

 

[microbiologycor]

So, I'm not sure if the Dac V1 and Naim UnitiQute II use the same head amp, but the UQII is more than enough for my HifiMan HE-5, it fills them up and runs them over and still has juice to spare...plus it bettered two amps from Schiit.  I just bought the Hugo and will do some critical listening vs. Naim later after I get a decent USB-SPDIF converter.
 
And, per a quote from Mr. Watts of Chord Audio the Hugo uses battery power ALL THE TIME to power the outputs, it doesn't matter if its plugged in or not.
 
Anyway, fun times...happy listening.

 

[Gowry]

What will the USB-SPDIF converter be used for?

 

[microbiologycor]

Just a consistent interface with which to compare DACs...

 

[bfmcosta]

Any comments on the comparison between the Naim DAC V1 and the Chord Hugo? Thanks!

 

[bfmcosta]

  Any comments on the comparison between the Naim DAC V1 and the Chord Hugo? Thanks!

Anyone? Or is the V1 so old fashion to be compared to the Hugo? 

 

[AudioSonicSound]

Naim DAC-V1 vs Marantz HD-DAC1
 
Which one is better choice - if I grade the three roles of device from the most to the least important to me - like this:
#1 - head-amp
#2 - pre-amp
#3 - DAC
 
Thank you!

 

[griff2]

Anyone? Or is the V1 so old fashion to be compared to the Hugo? :rolleyes:

I don't have the Hugo but do have the Mojo. When using fixed line out for both the DAC V1 and Mojo, fed through a Naim NAC92 with Flatcap power supply, into a NAP 100 the V1 has more gravitas than the Mojo. Both DACs display incredible musicality, and both sound utterly convincing (when using fixed line out). The Mojo has the edge on ultimate belivability, but sounds constrained at the frequency extremes. The V1 has the more extended frequency response, but is still a little soft at the top end. I would like to audition the Quote 2 in my system since I suspect it would have the musicality of the Mojo, but with greater extension than the V1 at the upper frequencies.

 

[schneller]

Just go check out the NAIM Audio Forum and you'll meet a BUNCH of Hugo fans
 
The V1 is over-priced and outdated. I'm not sure I'd take it if you gave it to me, and I am a NAIM fan. 
 
The Yiggy is better for about $300 less (new). 

 

[griff2]

  Just go check out the NAIM Audio Forum and you'll meet a BUNCH of Hugo fans
 
The V1 is over-priced and outdated. I'm not sure I'd take it if you gave it to me, and I am a NAIM fan. 
 
The Yiggy is better for about $300 less (new). 

It's all very subjective.  I find the Mojo to sound a bit lightweight (through Naim amplification) and very much the portable solution it is, compared to the V1; there are people on this forum who own both the Mojo and Hugo, who prefer the Mojo - some have sold their Hugo's after obtaining the Mojo.  The V1 is the better DAC between it and the Mojo when both DACs are compared using their maximum digital signal to noise ratio (fixed line out).  I have the suspicion though that the Chord 2Qute would combine the best attributes of the V1 and Mojo.
 
Having written all the above, the V1 is still an incredibly musical DAC, which through the right amplification, is capable of conveying a highly convincing musical performance; I wouldn't say in the scheme of currently implemented DAC technology the V1's over-priced.  My own personal opinion is that the field programmable gate array (FPGA) DAC is a game changer and in that respect all current non FPGA DACs are outdated.

 

[MickeyVee]

Totally agree.  Though I've has only about half a dozen DACs, the Naim is the best one I've owned keeper.  I sold my first Naim V1 to fund a McIntosh system but soon thereafter, purchased it again.
 
Quote:

 
Having written all the above, the V1 is still an incredibly musical DAC, which through the right amplification, is capable of conveying a highly convincing musical performance; I wouldn't say in the scheme of currently implemented DAC technology the V1's over-priced.  

 

[zackzack]

 

I think  you are talking about their top of the line DAC, not the V1 (see below)