[nycenglish]

Hi all,

I've noticed many Stax owners loving the Hugo 2, and lately also many loving the RME ADI-2.

The RME is cheaper of course but I could swing a Hugo 2 if needed but I'd like to understand what is drawing people to these two DACS.

I'm in the market for a new DAC just for headphones (USB input is critical as it'll be sourced from my Mac).

I really don't like etched/harsh highs which give me concerns about the RME as I've heard other studio DACS (Benchmark, Mytek) and they were too clinical for my ears.

I suppose the new Bifrost is another option?

Any inputs are most appreciated!

 

[silversurfer616]

Would recommend Metrum Dacs with SR009 as they are more on the musical/analog side of things. Very happy with my Metrum Pavane and the synergy I get with the SR009S driven by a KGST.

 

[Tsyer]

If you could swing a Chord Qutest and an mscaler together i believe you would be happy as i am listening to them with KGST n SR009 now.

 

[nycenglish]

Thanks all, unfortunately, the Metrum Pavane and MScaler are $5K items - twice the cost of a Hugo 2 and beyond my budget.

 

[Don Quichotte]

I have Stax SR 303 headphones and Martin Logan electrostatic speakers and I have recently had in my system the RME. It has nice highs, quite smooth and silky IMO, never harsh, and a rather pleasant midrange. Also, quite spacious sounding and, of course, very versatile with surprisingly good sounding USB input. But I found it an overly smooth and tame dac, eating away too much of the texture of the sound (especially in bass, but also in midrange) and making the music sound not dynamic and punchy enough / boring, even. Somebody described the sound signature of its dac chip as "velvety" and I can see why. I returned it in the end.

 

[nycenglish]

Thanks, Don - what did you replace the RME with?

 

[Don Quichotte]

Nothing, for the moment - still using my old Cambridge D300 CD player. Not very sure where to go, dac-wise.

 

[jsts]

I really don't like etched/harsh highs which give me concerns about the RME as I've heard other studio DACS (Benchmark, Mytek) and they were too clinical for my ears.

I'll raise the topic. Which DAC did you stop at?

 

[incredulousity]

I have Stax SR 303 headphones and Martin Logan electrostatic speakers and I have recently had in my system the RME. It has nice highs, quite smooth and silky IMO, never harsh, and a rather pleasant midrange. Also, quite spacious sounding and, of course, very versatile with surprisingly good sounding USB input. But I found it an overly smooth and tame dac, eating away too much of the texture of the sound (especially in bass, but also in midrange) and making the music sound not dynamic and punchy enough / boring, even. Somebody described the sound signature of its dac chip as "velvety" and I can see why. I returned it in the end.

I don’t have the Stax, but my 2 RMEs (with 4 amps) gave me the same impression as you, and were much improved by use of ifi iPower X, which eliminated the issues which you identified. 12V 2.0A version.

https://audio46.com/products/ifi-ipower-x-dc-audiophile-power-supply?variant=31981927596122

Though I think I bought mine on Amazon.

 

[nycenglish]

I'll raise the topic. Which DAC did you stop at?

Hugo2 - works as advertised here.

 

[jsts]

Hugo2 - works as advertised here.

Thank you for your response.

 

[HBen]

I personally wouldn't choose either of them for a 009 ... may be better on a 007 - also depends on the amp though. All depends on system synergy, music style and preferences.

Using a Hugo2 if only using it stationary is not a very smart idea imo because sooner or later you will have to send it in for an expensive battery change.

Only way to know what works for you and your ears/preferences/prefered music style is to try it yourself. Buy several DAC's used and try it out is what I would do ...

Cheers and good luck on your search for audio nirvana (I found mine and no it's not a combination that everyone hypes on the forums^^)

 

[jsts]

I had an RME. Now I have the Hugo 2.

Just sharing my experience: I sold my DAC RME ADI-2 and switched to Chord Hugo 2. The reason is simple: RME ADI-2 is very sharp, very detailed, very bright DAC. The difference between the analytical ADI-2 and the calmer Hugo 2 on "California" by James Blunt is especially clear. At the beginning of the song on ADI-2 you can even hear the movement of saliva in his throat. Sorry for the anatomical details. On Hugo 2, you just hear a melodious wheeze. It's not for nothing that the ADI-2 came out of studio equipment and is renowned for its monitor precision. I chose a slightly calmer Hugo 2 (as desktop DAC) for comfortable listening on STAX SR-007 electrostats.

However, after buying the SR-009BK, I was no longer satisfied with the Hugo 2.

Rereading many threads I found out that quite a lot of people notice bad coupling between Delta-Sigma DAC`s and Stax headphones: due to high resolution of Stax music from Delta-Sigma becomes "screaming" and even "squealing", high frequencies go off scale.

The more experienced guys already use, for example, multibit YGGDRASIL DAC - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-thread-iii.677809/page-1325#post-16167539

So now I'm considering switching to a multibit DAC.

 

[gilency]

I use the RME with my 009s and love it.
Just to emphasize we all hear different. Not sharp or strident for me.
Clear, silent, nice in all frequencies.
Plus crossfed, PEQ and so much more.

 

[jsts]

So now I'm considering switching to a multibit DAC.

Brief impressions of my new true balanced NOS DAC Norma HS-DA1 on PCM1704 chips in comparison with Chord Hugo 2.

1. Chord Hugo 2 is an excellent DAC, but in the context of use with STAX too sharp and bright. Less bright than the RME ADI 2, but still. To tame it a bit you should use a copper interconnect cable. Silver is contraindicated.

2. Direct comparison of Norma DA1 with Hugo 2 at the first listening revealed no differences. Well, that is, I did not hear them: both DACs sounded exactly the same. Once again, this is with direct listening and cycling the inputs back and forth.

3. BUT! Then for 10 days I listened to just Norma DA1 and this is what I got.

• It used to be unpleasant to listen to some music on the Hugo 2: in some places I cringed because of the harshness of the frequency range. With the Norma DA1 this problem disappeared completely, listening is not any discomfort at all.
• On the Hugo, the bass is tight and detailed. On Norma the bass is a bit relaxed, but it sets the scale.
• A wider and deeper scene.
• The overall musical presentation of the Norma DA1 is different. It is very difficult to describe. It's as if the sounds are all coupled together, flowing into each other. The style is neat, airy, graceful, intelligent.

Yesterday I switched to the Hugo 2 and... It became clear. The Hugo 2 is a young upstart boy in a pressed suit, who does not tolerate criticism. Norma DA1 is an experienced maestro who knows his worth. On the Hugo 2, everything is correct, everything is smart, but you listen to the sounds. On the Norma DA1 you listen to music.