Okay, first thought now that I burned in the Hugo 2 a bit, there's so much clarity and definition, the ADI-2 Pro seems a bit warmer in comparison and loses some detail. But what really blows my mind and is unlike anything I've heard is a very nice presentation of background sounds, inhalations, posture adjustments in jazz and when we are talking about hip-hop and house some very obscure small samples that I've never noticed before, it also wins on texture and especially extension which makes it sound very "right" , the Hugo 2 seems to do it all just a tiny bit better.
It seemed like a rather nice improvement, and doesn't seem to slaughter bad recordings as well despite the added clarity, it is a bit brighter in general but nothing ear piercing on the records I tried. The ADI-2 seems to take a step back and has a more relaxed presentation especially with a warm-ish filter like SD Slow, the Hugo 2 on the other hand is even with the warm filter quite on the neutral side. What bothers me though is that there's no customization to the sound apart from the 4 filters Chord brings along with it and a cross-feed function that seems about equal on quality with the ADI-2 Pro. The ADI-2 in comparison has a load of options.
Although I'm not sure if the Hugo 2 upper treble (aka magic "Chord" treble) is colored which so many report, it is definitely a sight to behold when listening to it but I'm not quite sure if its exactly neutral like it is presented on the ADI-2 Pro.
This has all been tested with a Focal Clear with about 40 hours on it connected on both units with a normal unbalanced TRS connection and cables cables that came with the units connected to my PC's USB port (and a relatively cheap OFC double shielded USB cable from some weird german brand for the ADI)
All in all I really like the little thingy Chord made, both are very premium, one more designed for professional end goals than the other but despite that both are very enjoyable indeed, honestly I would recommend them both but I am a bit on the fence about the Hugo 2's power and price. I think a hungry planar would prove rather difficult to properly amp compared to the ADI-2 that has plenty of power on tap both unbalanced and balanced and price wise I think its kinda hard for me to justify the Hugo 2, I managed to get the ADI-2 Pro for 1200 euro brand new while the Hugo still retails for 2200(!).