[rayfalkner]

Several experienced people on Innerfidelity's Big Sound do choose Eddie Current amp as one of their top choice for HD800, I think that speaks volume about its quality.
 
Chord products on the other hand...

 

[TokenGesture]

  Several experienced people on Innerfidelity's Big Sound do choose Eddie Current amp as one of their top choice for HD800, I think that speaks volume about its quality.
 
Chord products on the other hand...

... were not provided to Tyll for Big Sound (I believe he wanted a Hugo TT)
 
Chord seems pretty divisive round these parts...

 

[rayfalkner]

This kind of conversation will probably derail the thread so I'll shut up after this.
 
For Hugo TT I don't need to wait for Tyll or others to do their impressions whatsoever. I listened to it couple of days ago on IHEAC Jakarta and I sincerely think that is not a product worthy of $4500 price tag. Something is definitely wrong when an X-Sabre + WA6SE setup that cost half of Hugo TT still sounds better, extracting more details with a clear rendering of mids on a nice, black background.
 
Does Hugo TT sounds bad? No, it's doing fine. Does Hugo TT worth its price tag? No.
 
There are audio devices with way better value out there to be nicely paired with HD800, but hey it's your money not mine.

 

[SearchOfSub]

does the hd800 come with any foams you can remove like many other headphones.

 

[PleasantSounds]

No it doesn't, but I think there are cheaper ways to get some foam...

 

[Sorrodje]

  No it doesn't, but I think there are cheaper ways to get some foam...

 
ROFL ! 

 

[Mach3]

 
This list was written years before he started working for Eddie Current. It is not biased.

Fair enough, point taken.

 

[vnmslsrbms]

 
This list was written years before he started working for Eddie Current. It is not biased.

Well, I'd say any opinion is biased.  But it's clear that Tyll is a guy who gets it right (at least in an honest and extensive effort).  Most of us don't go to the extents he does, so we can all respect that.  

 

[Raika]

yeah agreed hugo TT is overpriced so is Hugo too , but still Hugo is the best dac/amp  ,
. I see lampizator 4 gen 5 is way better in musicality ,also Aqua Hifi La is new dac and better too .

 

[shultzee]

V

yeah agreed hugo TT is overpriced so is Hugo too , but still Hugo is the best dac/amp  ,
. I see lampizator 4 gen 5 is way better in musicality ,also Aqua Hifi La is new dac and better too .
[/quote


Seams like the hugo is as controversial as the hd 800 are themselves.

 

[gnomen]

   
I disagree. Here's why. The best amp is no amp. (I'm speaking from own experience.)

Hi JaZZ, great article and thanks for the link. 
 
My only caveat with the article is that most audio designers have very credible theories for why their design will be an improvement on others.  That probably would include the people at Sennheiser who thought the best result with their own headphones called for their own DAC/Amp.  There are plenty of listeners on Head-Fi who say, for example, that balanced output to the HD800 produces better sound -- something not possible with the Hugo and not covered in Rob Watt's explanation.
 
I did not expect my comment to provoke 2-3 pages of 'anti-Hugo' remarks thereafter, however!
 
I have not auditioned either the Hugo or the HDVD800 at this stage. I was just curious how they would compare and asked pumpe19 if he was going to include the Hugo in his explorations.  Maybe 'consensus' was too strong a term but the Hugo has certainly gathered a massive amount of praise.  Not least on this forum where there are several threads dedicated to the Hugo and Hugo TT with 100s of posts from enthusiastic users.
 
Both the Hugo and the HDVD800 will be on my list to audition.  I have been paying attention here to learn from others which units are the front runners and what to expect when I come to listen for myself.  I have owned my HD800s since Easter and love them.  At the moment I play them through a Weiss DAC-202 and they sound great.  However, the Weiss is the centrepiece of my living room stereo (Mark Levinson No. 95 and No. 380S and ATC-SCM50A speakers).  The Weiss needs to return there and be replaced by a dedicated HP DAC/Amp to use with the HD800s.  I purchased the Weiss in 2012 and other DACs I listened to at the time all had different characters.  To my ears the Weiss had the best blend of smoothness and detail -- able to immerse you in the sound world and yet forgiving of mediocre source materials.  The man who sold it to me was surprised I preferred it over the Bel Canto DAC3.5.  But I found the Bel Canto un-listenable with all but the very best source materials -- it was so dry you could strip paint with it.  The Weiss came with Amarra Hi-Fi software.  I begged to disagree with Daniel Weiss and chose Pure Music as the better source for his DAC.  Happy ever since.
 
Will certainly come back and post my own impressions here once I have had direct listening experience.  In the meantime I look forward to hearing more from pumpe19 about his explorations.  And others, of course.  Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
 
Cheers
 
Robert

 

[Raika]

RE LEAF E1 best high end amp in the world for both headphones or speakers , even better than GOLDMUND Telos Headphone .

 

[kapanak]

 

RE LEAF E1 best high end amp in the world for both headphones or speakers , even better than GOLDMUND Telos Headphone .

If I can't even get a site, review or specifications by doing a Google search on that name, then you're doing it wrong.

 

[Raika]

I have friend in japan I asked him about to this amp and how he compare it to other amps that he own in his shop ? he told it's the best of the best . RELIEF E1 is a beast amp . Also before I order I demo or read review that's it .

 

[JaZZ]

 

  I disagree. Here's why. The best amp is no amp. (I'm speaking from own experience.)

Hi JaZZ, great article and thanks for the link. 
 
My only caveat with the article is that most audio designers have very credible theories for why their design will be an improvement on others.  That probably would include the people at Sennheiser who thought the best result with their own headphones called for their own DAC/Amp.  There are plenty of listeners on Head-Fi who say, for example, that balanced output to the HD800 produces better sound -- something not possible with the Hugo and not covered in Rob Watt's explanation.
 
I did not expect my comment to provoke 2-3 pages of 'anti-Hugo' remarks thereafter, however!
 
I have not auditioned either the Hugo or the HDVD800 at this stage. I was just curious how they would compare and asked pumpe19 if he was going to include the Hugo in his explorations.  Maybe 'consensus' was too strong a term but the Hugo has certainly gathered a massive amount of praise.  Not least on this forum where there are several threads dedicated to the Hugo and Hugo TT with 100s of posts from enthusiastic users.
 
Both the Hugo and the HDVD800 will be on my list to audition.  I have been paying attention here to learn from others which units are the front runners and what to expect when I come to listen for myself.  I have owned my HD800s since Easter and love them.  At the moment I play them through a Weiss DAC-202 and they sound great.  However, the Weiss is the centrepiece of my living room stereo (Mark Levinson No. 95 and No. 380S and ATC-SCM50A speakers).  The Weiss needs to return there and be replaced by a dedicated HP DAC/Amp to use with the HD800s.  I purchased the Weiss in 2012 and other DACs I listened to at the time all had different characters.  To my ears the Weiss had the best blend of smoothness and detail -- able to immerse you in the sound world and yet forgiving of mediocre source materials.  The man who sold it to me was surprised I preferred it over the Bel Canto DAC3.5.  But I found the Bel Canto un-listenable with all but the very best source materials -- it was so dry you could strip paint with it.  The Weiss came with Amarra Hi-Fi software.  I begged to disagree with Daniel Weiss and chose Pure Music as the better source for his DAC.  Happy ever since.
 
Will certainly come back and post my own impressions here once I have had direct listening experience.  In the meantime I look forward to hearing more from pumpe19 about his explorations.  And others, of course.  Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
 
Cheers
 
Robert

 
Hi Robert
 
Yes, I'm surprised as well about the «Hugo bashing» in this thread. It's not that I don't understand a different perception or sonic ideal, but the tone is rather poisened and apparently meant to hurt Hogo owners and proponents. As I see it, it must be some backlash from the broad enthusiasm which logically isn't shared by all, so those feeling excluded from the wave may tend to put the product and its purchasers down.
 
I like to read Rob Watts' remarks a lot, although I don't understand everything. It's unique to get so much insider information from the developer on a public forum, and his own enthusiasm about the Hugo and his dedication to sound quality come accross very sympathetic, the posts don't just serve for pushing the sales. That said, I'm aware that other manufacturers may have their own path to good sound that works equally well – I don't have the possibility to do comparisions with contemporary products (on the other hand the Hugo sounds far more detailed than my Bel Canto DAC2). All I know is that Rob is right with his advocating of using the Hugo for driving headphones without an external amp, since there's no amplification stage to be bypassed. And to me the lacking headphone amp seems worth just as much as any possible advantages in terms of DAC quality with competitive products – which may be subjective anyway. I'm speaking of a puristic approach with the goal of a signal as close as possible to the recording as opposed to euphonic coloration, spectacular sound or synergetic effects generally.
 
I guess the latter is the main reason why some people go so far as to prefer $500 gear to the Hugo. To my ears the HD 800's sonic balance is thankful for some counterbalancing electronics. Now the Hugo certainly doesn't do any warming and rounding, although it has a smooth characteristic per se. I don't have the possibility to audition an unmodified HD 800 anymore, but I'm sure I would quickly change the EQ settings when it's driven by the Hugo. And I'm just as confident that I would like the pairing with my Mapletree EAR+++ better – it makes the sound full and round to every headphone geek's delight. With damping and equalizing the EAR+++ catches dust, though – the Hugo's headphone out sounds that much better. More accurate and detailed, more lifelike.