[joeexp]

Your prerogative.

 

[alpovs]

The funny thing is that in the Hugo thread, it seems like a lot of people are using the Hugo as a dac for a Liquid Carbon, and thereby implying that the LC is superior to the Hugo's headphone output. Comparisons I've read there are a leaning a little towards the LC too, with slightly superior quality and more power, and a little less clarity in some reports.

Meanwhile in the Jot thread here, it seems like the majority of comparisons are either "they're different but same quality" or leaning towards the Jot. Which would imply that Jot>LC>Hugo. BUT then again, others compare the Jot to the Mojo, which is sure to be inferior to the Hugo...
And amazingly enough, a "jotunheim" or "Jot" search in the Hugo thread comes back with ZERO results... This research thing ain't easy.

I learned that on audiophile forums there are mostly conflicting opinions. Just like you described. Some people like "something", others like the opposite to that "something". Of course, there is consensus on certain obvious things like the DAC of a Realtek PC sound card is worse than Schiit's Yggdarsil. But when I see many opposite opinions about something I know that I cannot trust any of those - I need to try it myself. I suggest you do it, too.

 

[makne]

I learned that on audiophile forums there are mostly conflicting opinions. Just like you described. Some people like "something", others like the opposite to that "something". Of course, there is consensus on certain obvious things like the DAC of a Realtek PC sound card is worse than Schiit's Yggdarsil. But when I see many opposite opinions about something I know that I cannot trust any of those - I need to try it myself. I suggest you do it, too.

Managed to book a listening session with a Hugo tomorrow! Hopefully the one on sale for 700$ doesn't get sold before I can make a decision...
I will come back to you with impressions when I've made my decision!

 

[Tuneslover]

I learned that on audiophile forums there are mostly conflicting opinions. Just like you described. Some people like "something", others like the opposite to that "something". Of course, there is consensus on certain obvious things like the DAC of a Realtek PC sound card is worse than Schiit's Yggdarsil. But when I see many opposite opinions about something I know that I cannot trust any of those - I need to try it myself. I suggest you do it, too.

I do enjoy reading people's impressions however it's best to trust your own ears if auditioning is possible.

 

[makne]

Spent a couple of hours today demoing the Hugo, Oppo HA-1 and Jot+Bifrost. I'm going to get the Hugo.
These are my impressions after the demo session, keep in mind it was only a couple of hours and with around 10 minutes between each unit, with no opportunity to switch back and forth. So not a real A/B/C comparison, take this with a good amount of salt:

I started with the Hugo. First off, the air and spaciousness was what impressed me the most. I've never heard the Elear sound so airy and 3D-like. The treble on the Hugo is smooth and musical, never harsh or offensive in any way Still, it manages to be airy and sparkly.
Same story with the mids, smooth and musical yet still detailed, with great imaging. Not as full-bodied as the HA-1 or my current mimby+marantz pm5005-system, but still I never felt like the Hugo was lacking in that regard. Mark Knopfler's voice on Communique was clearer than ever, more 3D-like and better seperated from the rest of the mix. Great seperation between instruments.
The bass quantity was the only weak point of the Hugo IMO. Still fast, extended and detailed, but lacked some of the body, wheight and punch that I know the Elear is capable of. Noise floor in the Hugo-room was higher than the room where I tried the HA-1 so that may have had an effect, but the Jot-room was the noisiest but still bass-strong.

Next up was the Oppo HA-1. Right off the bat, I could tell the Oppo is far more powerful, delivering bass slam with far more authority than the Hugo. Overall the Oppo is more full-sounding than the Hugo, but the treble seemed less refined to me, more harsh and lacking the sense of effortlessness the Hugo possessed. Soundstage on the Oppo is slightly less airy and a little shallower than the Hugo I think, with imaging also being one step behind in terms of precision and stability.

Coming back to the more budget-oriented Jot+bifrost, the difference was not as big as I thought it would be. The stack was more similar to the HA-1 than the Hugo in presentation, showing off the Elear's strong bass. In the upper registers, I found the Schiit to be more unrefined and harsh, less detailed than the others. Soundstage width was not much changed, but I was missing some depth. Imaging was less precise, instrument seperation not as clear as on the other two. The different layers in music were closer to one another and less airy, but still discernable.

To sum up, I feel like the Hugo was the most clear and refined dac/amp, but also the weakest in terms of power. It was my preferred combo with the Elears, but I fear it would struggle to push harder-to-drive headphones. Still, at 700$, I don't think I can find better sound for the money.
The Jot delivered impressively well given it's price tag, far more powerful than the Hugo. I think that most of the weak-points I listed was down to the DAC (a regular Bifrost), and that the Jot would fare even better with an upgraded source. I even have a suspicion that the Jot may be better than the"amp"-stage in the Hugo, sadly I never got a chance to pair the Hugo with an external amp.
The Oppo HA-1 was almost like a middle-ground between the two others for me, which fits nice with it's price tag. Still, I was never really impressed with the Oppo offering, and I have a suspicion that the Jot paired with a really good dac can even beat the HA-1. This is just a theory though.

Again, this was just a small demo session, we all hear differently, YMMV and all that... Happy listening!

EDIT: I may have misspoken/exaggerated a little regarding the Jot. The differences in refinement, air, clarity and detail may be too large to just be the dac's fault. I've heard the Jot on better Schiit dacs earlier, but never got the same feeling that the Hugo gave me. Can't say for sure though.
The Jot anyway is far more powerful, and I still believe that there's a chance it could outmatch the HA-1's amp section, at least with the right headphones.

 

[alpovs]

Bitfrost was not a multibit version and you have the Mimby. I think you missed the Mimby+Jot combo in your audition.

 

[makne]

Bitfrost was not a multibit version and you have the Mimby. I think you missed the Mimby+Jot combo in your audition.

yes, they were out of stock on mimbys and I didn't think of bringing my own. However the difference was so substantial (way bigger than my old dac vs. Mimby), I doubt the multibit would've put the schiit-stack on par with the Hugo. My theory about the Jot was more based on WHAT the Hugo was superior at, which I feel like is the kind of differences you can expect with a dac upgrade.

 

[Tuneslover]

Spent a couple of hours today demoing the Hugo, Oppo HA-1 and Jot+Bifrost. I'm going to get the Hugo.
These are my impressions after the demo session, keep in mind it was only a couple of hours and with around 10 minutes between each unit, with no opportunity to switch back and forth. So not a real A/B/C comparison, take this with a good amount of salt:

I started with the Hugo. First off, the air and spaciousness was what impressed me the most. I've never heard the Elear sound so airy and 3D-like. The treble on the Hugo is smooth and musical, never harsh or offensive in any way Still, it manages to be airy and sparkly.
Same story with the mids, smooth and musical yet still detailed, with great imaging. Not as full-bodied as the HA-1 or my current mimby+marantz pm5005-system, but still I never felt like the Hugo was lacking in that regard. Mark Knopfler's voice on Communique was clearer than ever, more 3D-like and better seperated from the rest of the mix. Great seperation between instruments.
The bass quantity was the only weak point of the Hugo IMO. Still fast, extended and detailed, but lacked some of the body, wheight and punch that I know the Elear is capable of. Noise floor in the Hugo-room was higher than the room where I tried the HA-1 so that may have had an effect, but the Jot-room was the noisiest but still bass-strong.

Next up was the Oppo HA-1. Right off the bat, I could tell the Oppo is far more powerful, delivering bass slam with far more authority than the Hugo. Overall the Oppo is more full-sounding than the Hugo, but the treble seemed less refined to me, more harsh and lacking the sense of effortlessness the Hugo possessed. Soundstage on the Oppo is slightly less airy and a little shallower than the Hugo I think, with imaging also being one step behind in terms of precision and stability.

Coming back to the more budget-oriented Jot+bifrost, the difference was not as big as I thought it would be. The stack was more similar to the HA-1 than the Hugo in presentation, showing off the Elear's strong bass. In the upper registers, I found the Schiit to be more unrefined and harsh, less detailed than the others. Soundstage width was not much changed, but I was missing some depth. Imaging was less precise, instrument seperation not as clear as on the other two. The different layers in music were closer to one another and less airy, but still discernable.

To sum up, I feel like the Hugo was the most clear and refined dac/amp, but also the weakest in terms of power. It was my preferred combo with the Elears, but I fear it would struggle to push harder-to-drive headphones. Still, at 700$, I don't think I can find better sound for the money.
The Jot delivered impressively well given it's price tag, far more powerful than the Hugo. I think that most of the weak-points I listed was down to the DAC (a regular Bifrost), and that the Jot would fare even better with an upgraded source. I even have a suspicion that the Jot may be better than the"amp"-stage in the Hugo, sadly I never got a chance to pair the Hugo with an external amp.
The Oppo HA-1 was almost like a middle-ground between the two others for me, which fits nice with it's price tag. Still, I was never really impressed with the Oppo offering, and I have a suspicion that the Jot paired with a really good dac can even beat the HA-1. This is just a theory though.

Again, this was just a small demo session, we all hear differently, YMMV and all that... Happy listening!.

I hear ya man! That's why I have 4 amps, 3 Dacs and a bunch of headphones. Mixing and matching equipment and music. Let the good times roll.

 

[makne]

I hear ya man! That's why I have 4 amps, 3 Dacs and a bunch of headphones. Mixing and matching equipment and music. Let the good times roll.

nice dude! I believe the Hugo-Elear combo is perfect for my tastes. Incredibly detailed and airy, yet never harsh. Not the warmest and most full-sounding, but not too bright either imo.

 

[DavidA]

I hear ya man! That's why I have 4 amps, 3 Dacs and a bunch of headphones. Mixing and matching equipment and music. Let the good times roll.

I like the way you think

 

[EtRec]

Hello...Love the Jot/internal DAC with my Audioquest Nightowls-balanced cable and as pre-amp with my Audioengine N22 Amp. I would like to try out a tube amp or a tube sound between the Jot and my headphone and as preamp without spending too much. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[MWSVette]

Hello...Love the Jot/internal DAC with my Audioquest Nightowls-balanced cable and as pre-amp with my Audioengine N22 Amp. I would like to try out a tube amp or a tube sound between the Jot and my headphone and as preamp without spending too much. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

You may wish to look a the Schiit Vali 2. It is a great little tube hybrid amp. If you wish to dip your toes into tube rolling, it is much cheaper as there is only one tube to roll...

 

[cskippy]

Since you mentioned preamp, the Saga is a great option and is more transparent than the Vali 2.

 

[EtRec]

You may wish to look a the Schiit Vali 2. It is a great little tube hybrid amp. If you wish to dip your toes into tube rolling, it is much cheaper as there is only one tube to roll...

Since you mentioned preamp, the Saga is a great option and is more transparent than the Vali 2.

Thanks all for your suggestions. Is there a way to not replace the Jot and still put a tube sound in the chain?

 

[EtRec]

Since you mentioned preamp, the Saga is a great option and is more transparent than the Vali 2.

Would I plug the Saga between the Jot and Audioengine N22 by way or RCA plugs? But what about the Jot's balanced headphone out not getting the tube affect?