GreenBow
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Feb 6, 2015
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Anyway the short answer I have decided to buy it. However I read the whole Hugo 2 thread to assure myself. Pro-reviews of the Hugo 2 are astounding too. Just as astonishing are the sheer numbers of reviews of the Chord Hugo 2. I never saw a single item so numerously reviewed.
Anyway this post is going to look like an unarranged article from start to finish. It's just copies and pastes from the Hugo 2 thread as I read. I had some questions, and the answers for which I put by my questions.
If you're looking at the Hugo 2 with interest, this thread may be the shortcut to reading the whole Hugo 2 thread.
Sections:
1. Opinions - all copied and pasted from Hugo 2 users in the Hugo 2 thread
2. Questions
3. Desktop speaker suggestions
4. Extra
Just skim through it and I bet you'll see what you were thinking about. I am not suggesting not to read the Hugo 2 thread, by the way. This is just what I was thinking.
Hugo 2:
1. OPINIONS: all copied and pasted from Hugo 2 users in the Hugo 2 thread
more refined, smoother, more detailed, better speed, more power and impact, more musical, extra space
One of the things I personally remember about Hugo 2 was that it sounded more rounded and more full-bodied than Hugo 1. This meant that everything came across as smoother and more natural but also more detailed. I noticed right away that Hugo 2 is much more coherent with complex piano passages, for example, than Hugo 1 ever was.
Compared to the Hugo 1 I would say the Hugo 2 is less bright and less lean. I would say it is much fuller and with more bass
The Hugo² has more bass than Mojo and DAVE – therefore I decided to decrease the 31 Hz band by 0.4 dB and the 62 Hz band by 0.2 dB. Some may even prefer the Hugo²'s warmer timbre, its more «analogue» touch
Sometimes is hard to explain in words what exactly has been improved, but i can say that everything.
Bass, sub bass, soundstage, music sounds more realistic, more transparent , completely organic and very punchy, powerful
The substantial increase in bass depth over 2Qute
I owned Mojo and Hugo, and I am very happy with Hugo2. The sound has a seducing, addictive quality that was absent from Hugo or Mojo. As others stated, the bass has more impact and slam, generally the sound is more spacious and precise. To use an analogy with the visual world, Hugo or Mojo presented a nice and realistic image, while Hugo 2 offers a more 3D experience.
I like the Hugo2 for these:
- clearer separation of all instruments, including piano, violin etc.
- more natural sound for instruments and voices
- stronger bass, more weight
- more air, more spacious, more clear
- overall better grip on the music, more command and clear,
- closer to live music
- not tiring to listen to
- fun to rediscover the music library and enjoy the songs more than before
- the design and built quality
- the volume button (over Mojo's)
- the joy of listening to music
Not as bright as the original Hugo and not as dark as the TT. I would say the TT is the warmer/darker. The Hugo 1 was a bit too much on the bright side, the Hugo 2 is voiced closer to the DAVE.
The Hugo 2 adds a lot of body to the sound, fleshes out much more detail, but ultimately exposes the technical deficiencies across the FR.
- power in the bass,
- precision and space in the middle, in particular with respect to singing, and
- the sparkling in the highs is now back.
Compared to Hugo 1 it sounds clearer, more resolved and full bodied.
However, I think I prefer the Hugo 2. It’s more interesting to listen to it. Besides, the music becomes more coherent.
When I switched to Hugo TT, I had the impression the music fell apart. Maybe the individual sounds were more realistic, but they were less connected to each other than they are with the Hugo 2.
The Hugo 2 excels at low volume. Right now the piano is crystal clear. It sounds magnitudes better than the TT.
less boomy bass vs mojo.
2. Questions
Is hugo 2 really doing 7 hours battery. (Mojo quoted by Chord as ten hours.)
Is Hugo Li=Po or Li-ion?
Does Hugo 2 switch off when no music signal present for ten minutes.
(A. Page 152, post 2276, Yes. The auto shut-off is disabled in desktop (magenta) mode - that's where you plug in the charger for longer than 24 hours.)
Does it stay in desktop-mode, if you turn it off but leave the charger in for more than 24 hours?
Does Hugo 2 get hotter than Mojo when charging and playing, thus tripping cut-out? --- Has three thermal trips. --- Operates in desktop mode, so no worry.
Page 413 - post 6186 I can confirm that in desktop mode, it is cool to touch, but other times it will be hot in desktop mode. So that would suggest some sort of charging cycle right?
(When its in desktop mode and the unit is on, then it will indicate magenta. Disconnecting the charger will reset desktop mode. In terms of longevity, Li batteries do not care if you run to 80% and then charge; you will get the same life if you discharge to 0%; so a 20% discharge will allow 5 times more charge/discharge cycles. In desktop mode, the battery is no longer being charged or discharged, so effectively battery life is not dependent upon charging and discharging.)
Does Hugo 2 remember settings like volume -- (Yes it remembers all settings - except for 3v pre-set until you adjust the volume...Rob Watts page 182, post 2795.)
X-feed code is same for Hugo 2 and DAVE.
Does Hugo 2 come security sealed like the Mojo? -- A. It has a clear plastic seal, but not a security type one as with the Mojo. Holographic security seals, although the early ones didn't.
Setting line level
Yes the OP voltage into 300 ohms is the same as Mojo, with the same colours. But using the volume wheel does not give you a click down; and like mogo, it has two colours - one side of the wheel is lit by one LED, the other side by another. And same colour is for two steps.
So if you wish to click down step by step, then just one click the volume on the remote; but keeping the remote depressed will set a constant change.
(0 clicks down from 3Vrms preset = 3 Vrms output voltage max
1 click down = 2.67 Vrms output voltage max
2 clicks down = 2.38 Vrms output voltage max
3 clicks down = 2.1 Vrms output voltage max
4 clicks down = 1.9 Vrms output voltage max)
1. And will the number of clicks down from that be the same as below:
3 clicks down = 2.1 Vrms output voltage max
4 clicks down = 1.9 Vrms output voltage max
Click to expand...
Rob Watts - Yes its the same. And the remote has a nice click action to it too...
Currawong: The easiest way: Turn on the Hugo 2. Turn the volume to green for standard 2V line level output. Turn it to blue for Chord's higher than standard 3V output.
Post 1064 Rob Watts seems to say that optical is completely galavanically isolated on laptops. (Again in post 1757, page 118.)
(These sound improvements: I could hear better depth, instrument separation and focus, and a less splashy SQ on difficult tracks, which are the SQ improvements I have wrought recently (with better measurements too).
Post 1169 Rob Watts explained RF ground filter added to Hugo
Post 1666 Rob explaining the new Hugo 2 presentation from slides etc. (page 112)
Red = 16 FS + HF
Orange = 16 FS - HF
Green = 256 FS + HF
White = 256 FS - HF
Higher FS - better ability to hear starting and stopping of notes.
Bit more about filters from Rob on page 125, post 1865
Rob Watts page 132, post 1967 talking abuot battery voltage = 8.1v - 8.4v
BATTERY AND CHARGING FROM ROB WATTS:
And commenting on battery life. I have talked about this before, but it's tucked away earlier in the thread. Battery life is dependent upon two functions - the number of charge discharge cycles, and the sustaining voltage. If a Li-ion battery is not on a charge discharge cycle, and the sustaining voltage is low, then it will last for many years.
So what I do when the charger is connected for more than 24 hours, and Hugo 2 is on, is to go into desktop mode. In this mode, the charger supplies current that matches the current needed for Hugo 2, current from the battery is only provided for dynamic current surges, so it's effectively no longer in a charge discharge cycle. Secondly, when in desktop mode, the sustaining voltage is reduced to ensure maximum life. If you want to charge it to the max, ready for portable use, simply turn Hugo 2 off, when it will charge it to 100% and turn off the charger. The auto shutdown is disabled in desktop mode.
Thirdly, I made sure that Hugo 2 will function with no batteries connected at all, just the charger. So if you intend to use it as a desktop DAC, you do not need to worry about battery life.
It will be in desktop mode as long as the charger is connected. If you turn Hugo 2 off, then it will charge the battery to 100%, then turn off the charger. Normally, you would leave it on all the time in desktop mode, as it only consumes 2W, the battery voltage won't wear the battery out, and the battery is not being charged / discharged, as charger current matches Hugo 2 current draw. This strategy gives the maximum life possible; also the power supply is such that if the battery capacity falls to 0%, Hugo 2 will still function with the charger connected.
RF filtering on the USB has been improved a lot on Hugo 2,
3. POTENTIAL DESKTOP SPEAKERS
Neat Motive SX3
PMC Twenty: 22
Dynaudio Emit M10 (I own these. Need some space behind. My desk is in a window area, leaving about 30cm behind it. Sounds good to me. They sit at the rear of my desk and are good straight off.)
Dynaudio Emit M20 (Need space too - see reviews.)
4. EXTRA:
thePhones, talking about supercapacitors. Page 324, post 4859, Hugo 2 thread
DAPS work with Hugo 2. Page 398, post 5963.
Anyway this post is going to look like an unarranged article from start to finish. It's just copies and pastes from the Hugo 2 thread as I read. I had some questions, and the answers for which I put by my questions.
If you're looking at the Hugo 2 with interest, this thread may be the shortcut to reading the whole Hugo 2 thread.
Sections:
1. Opinions - all copied and pasted from Hugo 2 users in the Hugo 2 thread
2. Questions
3. Desktop speaker suggestions
4. Extra
Just skim through it and I bet you'll see what you were thinking about. I am not suggesting not to read the Hugo 2 thread, by the way. This is just what I was thinking.
Hugo 2:
1. OPINIONS: all copied and pasted from Hugo 2 users in the Hugo 2 thread
more refined, smoother, more detailed, better speed, more power and impact, more musical, extra space
One of the things I personally remember about Hugo 2 was that it sounded more rounded and more full-bodied than Hugo 1. This meant that everything came across as smoother and more natural but also more detailed. I noticed right away that Hugo 2 is much more coherent with complex piano passages, for example, than Hugo 1 ever was.
Compared to the Hugo 1 I would say the Hugo 2 is less bright and less lean. I would say it is much fuller and with more bass
The Hugo² has more bass than Mojo and DAVE – therefore I decided to decrease the 31 Hz band by 0.4 dB and the 62 Hz band by 0.2 dB. Some may even prefer the Hugo²'s warmer timbre, its more «analogue» touch
Sometimes is hard to explain in words what exactly has been improved, but i can say that everything.
Bass, sub bass, soundstage, music sounds more realistic, more transparent , completely organic and very punchy, powerful
The substantial increase in bass depth over 2Qute
I owned Mojo and Hugo, and I am very happy with Hugo2. The sound has a seducing, addictive quality that was absent from Hugo or Mojo. As others stated, the bass has more impact and slam, generally the sound is more spacious and precise. To use an analogy with the visual world, Hugo or Mojo presented a nice and realistic image, while Hugo 2 offers a more 3D experience.
I like the Hugo2 for these:
- clearer separation of all instruments, including piano, violin etc.
- more natural sound for instruments and voices
- stronger bass, more weight
- more air, more spacious, more clear
- overall better grip on the music, more command and clear,
- closer to live music
- not tiring to listen to
- fun to rediscover the music library and enjoy the songs more than before
- the design and built quality
- the volume button (over Mojo's)
- the joy of listening to music
Not as bright as the original Hugo and not as dark as the TT. I would say the TT is the warmer/darker. The Hugo 1 was a bit too much on the bright side, the Hugo 2 is voiced closer to the DAVE.
The Hugo 2 adds a lot of body to the sound, fleshes out much more detail, but ultimately exposes the technical deficiencies across the FR.
- power in the bass,
- precision and space in the middle, in particular with respect to singing, and
- the sparkling in the highs is now back.
Compared to Hugo 1 it sounds clearer, more resolved and full bodied.
However, I think I prefer the Hugo 2. It’s more interesting to listen to it. Besides, the music becomes more coherent.
When I switched to Hugo TT, I had the impression the music fell apart. Maybe the individual sounds were more realistic, but they were less connected to each other than they are with the Hugo 2.
The Hugo 2 excels at low volume. Right now the piano is crystal clear. It sounds magnitudes better than the TT.
less boomy bass vs mojo.
2. Questions
Is hugo 2 really doing 7 hours battery. (Mojo quoted by Chord as ten hours.)
Is Hugo Li=Po or Li-ion?
Does Hugo 2 switch off when no music signal present for ten minutes.
(A. Page 152, post 2276, Yes. The auto shut-off is disabled in desktop (magenta) mode - that's where you plug in the charger for longer than 24 hours.)
Does it stay in desktop-mode, if you turn it off but leave the charger in for more than 24 hours?
Does Hugo 2 get hotter than Mojo when charging and playing, thus tripping cut-out? --- Has three thermal trips. --- Operates in desktop mode, so no worry.
Page 413 - post 6186 I can confirm that in desktop mode, it is cool to touch, but other times it will be hot in desktop mode. So that would suggest some sort of charging cycle right?
(When its in desktop mode and the unit is on, then it will indicate magenta. Disconnecting the charger will reset desktop mode. In terms of longevity, Li batteries do not care if you run to 80% and then charge; you will get the same life if you discharge to 0%; so a 20% discharge will allow 5 times more charge/discharge cycles. In desktop mode, the battery is no longer being charged or discharged, so effectively battery life is not dependent upon charging and discharging.)
Does Hugo 2 remember settings like volume -- (Yes it remembers all settings - except for 3v pre-set until you adjust the volume...Rob Watts page 182, post 2795.)
X-feed code is same for Hugo 2 and DAVE.
Does Hugo 2 come security sealed like the Mojo? -- A. It has a clear plastic seal, but not a security type one as with the Mojo. Holographic security seals, although the early ones didn't.
Setting line level
Yes the OP voltage into 300 ohms is the same as Mojo, with the same colours. But using the volume wheel does not give you a click down; and like mogo, it has two colours - one side of the wheel is lit by one LED, the other side by another. And same colour is for two steps.
So if you wish to click down step by step, then just one click the volume on the remote; but keeping the remote depressed will set a constant change.
(0 clicks down from 3Vrms preset = 3 Vrms output voltage max
1 click down = 2.67 Vrms output voltage max
2 clicks down = 2.38 Vrms output voltage max
3 clicks down = 2.1 Vrms output voltage max
4 clicks down = 1.9 Vrms output voltage max)
1. And will the number of clicks down from that be the same as below:
3 clicks down = 2.1 Vrms output voltage max
4 clicks down = 1.9 Vrms output voltage max
Click to expand...
Rob Watts - Yes its the same. And the remote has a nice click action to it too...
Currawong: The easiest way: Turn on the Hugo 2. Turn the volume to green for standard 2V line level output. Turn it to blue for Chord's higher than standard 3V output.
Post 1064 Rob Watts seems to say that optical is completely galavanically isolated on laptops. (Again in post 1757, page 118.)
(These sound improvements: I could hear better depth, instrument separation and focus, and a less splashy SQ on difficult tracks, which are the SQ improvements I have wrought recently (with better measurements too).
Post 1169 Rob Watts explained RF ground filter added to Hugo
Post 1666 Rob explaining the new Hugo 2 presentation from slides etc. (page 112)
Red = 16 FS + HF
Orange = 16 FS - HF
Green = 256 FS + HF
White = 256 FS - HF
Higher FS - better ability to hear starting and stopping of notes.
Bit more about filters from Rob on page 125, post 1865
Rob Watts page 132, post 1967 talking abuot battery voltage = 8.1v - 8.4v
BATTERY AND CHARGING FROM ROB WATTS:
And commenting on battery life. I have talked about this before, but it's tucked away earlier in the thread. Battery life is dependent upon two functions - the number of charge discharge cycles, and the sustaining voltage. If a Li-ion battery is not on a charge discharge cycle, and the sustaining voltage is low, then it will last for many years.
So what I do when the charger is connected for more than 24 hours, and Hugo 2 is on, is to go into desktop mode. In this mode, the charger supplies current that matches the current needed for Hugo 2, current from the battery is only provided for dynamic current surges, so it's effectively no longer in a charge discharge cycle. Secondly, when in desktop mode, the sustaining voltage is reduced to ensure maximum life. If you want to charge it to the max, ready for portable use, simply turn Hugo 2 off, when it will charge it to 100% and turn off the charger. The auto shutdown is disabled in desktop mode.
Thirdly, I made sure that Hugo 2 will function with no batteries connected at all, just the charger. So if you intend to use it as a desktop DAC, you do not need to worry about battery life.
It will be in desktop mode as long as the charger is connected. If you turn Hugo 2 off, then it will charge the battery to 100%, then turn off the charger. Normally, you would leave it on all the time in desktop mode, as it only consumes 2W, the battery voltage won't wear the battery out, and the battery is not being charged / discharged, as charger current matches Hugo 2 current draw. This strategy gives the maximum life possible; also the power supply is such that if the battery capacity falls to 0%, Hugo 2 will still function with the charger connected.
RF filtering on the USB has been improved a lot on Hugo 2,
3. POTENTIAL DESKTOP SPEAKERS
Neat Motive SX3
PMC Twenty: 22
Dynaudio Emit M10 (I own these. Need some space behind. My desk is in a window area, leaving about 30cm behind it. Sounds good to me. They sit at the rear of my desk and are good straight off.)
Dynaudio Emit M20 (Need space too - see reviews.)
4. EXTRA:
thePhones, talking about supercapacitors. Page 324, post 4859, Hugo 2 thread
DAPS work with Hugo 2. Page 398, post 5963.
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