Chord Electronics Hugo DAC

[cvrle59]

Interesging comparison between PS Audio DirectStream DAC (£5250) and the Chord Hugo (£1400).
http://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/ndx-a ... go?page=30

[nige2000]

Got introduced to Hugo today
Truely is worth all the
Praise
With PCM it seems to have more body and detail
than the cuinas
Also seems to have higher volume output than either the cuinas or Meitner so will need closer volume matching during comparisons
Was particularly impressed with DSD seems like a very natural sound
pity it isn't more of a common recording format
Has great speed and
Detail
Even the conversions are good

Congrats to all Hugo owners

Nige

Very nice to hear you like it as well.

Regarding out level. If you activate the volume 'bypass' (which isn't a bypass at all) it starts at a preset level of (I recall) 2.11V (which is already high for some, as it is for my 75mV sensitivity 282) and can be turned up to about 3V with the volume knob.

Rob Watts says lowering volume will not degrade sound even though it is done in the digital domain. Reading the block diagram, volume control is done inside the FPGA-stages of processing right after the WTA filter stages, so I believe he is right. i don't notice any obvious degradation.

Id you 'play' with different types of input or was it all USB? Did you notice differences between various inputs?

Sounds like you had a nice day again!!

Cheers

Aleg

Only used usb with pc ppa card and my Silverstone modded one and rear mobo port

Another thing to note is it seems less responsive to the swap between rear mobo port and usb cards and therefore likely Just more immune to source quality which is interesting
Not that any dac I've used is remotely immune to source quality but there does seem to be variables

This Hugo is a bit of a game changer for the big names in dacs as they will simply have to raise the bar

[Aleg]

Only used usb with pc ppa card and my Silverstone modded one and rear mobo port

Another thing to note is it seems less responsive to the swap between rear mobo port and usb cards and therefore likely Just more immune to source quality which is interesting
Not that any dac I've used is remotely immune to source quality but there does seem to be variables

This Hugo is a bit of a game changer for the big names in dacs as they will simply have to raise the bar

True, Rob Watts said he tried to design it in such a way as to minimise variations between different inputs. Though he himself prefers to use optical SPDIF. My favourite input is the coax SPDIF from my SonicWeld.

[nige2000]

Only used usb with pc ppa card and my Silverstone modded one and rear mobo port

Another thing to note is it seems less responsive to the swap between rear mobo port and usb cards and therefore likely Just more immune to source quality which is interesting
Not that any dac I've used is remotely immune to source quality but there does seem to be variables

This Hugo is a bit of a game changer for the big names in dacs as they will simply have to raise the bar

True, Rob Watts said he tried to design it in such a way as to minimise variations between different inputs. Though he himself prefers to use optical SPDIF. My favourite input is the coax SPDIF from my SonicWeld.

how does the hugo usb input compare to the sonicweld?

[Ken Moreland]

Good news for Hugo users is that PPA Studios(Pang ) have made me a USB cable with Micro USB connector and it fits into the awkward Hugo socket without any need to carve anything. Here's a link http://ppaproduct.blogspot.tw/2013/07/usb-cable.html and as you can see he's already advertising it as suitable for Hugo.

Sound quality is exceptional with the USB3 card http://ppaproduct.blogspot.tw/2013/07/a ... -card.html.

Response and delivery are prompt.

KM

[sbgk]

Only used usb with pc ppa card and my Silverstone modded one and rear mobo port

Another thing to note is it seems less responsive to the swap between rear mobo port and usb cards and therefore likely Just more immune to source quality which is interesting
Not that any dac I've used is remotely immune to source quality but there does seem to be variables

This Hugo is a bit of a game changer for the big names in dacs as they will simply have to raise the bar

True, Rob Watts said he tried to design it in such a way as to minimise variations between different inputs. Though he himself prefers to use optical SPDIF. My favourite input is the coax SPDIF from my SonicWeld.

can you still hear changes in player software when using the optical spdif ?

[Aleg]

Only used usb with pc ppa card and my Silverstone modded one and rear mobo port

Another thing to note is it seems less responsive to the swap between rear mobo port and usb cards and therefore likely Just more immune to source quality which is interesting
Not that any dac I've used is remotely immune to source quality but there does seem to be variables

This Hugo is a bit of a game changer for the big names in dacs as they will simply have to raise the bar

True, Rob Watts said he tried to design it in such a way as to minimise variations between different inputs. Though he himself prefers to use optical SPDIF. My favourite input is the coax SPDIF from my SonicWeld.

can you still hear changes in player software when using the optical spdif ?

I only use my Sonicweld which is coax spdif.
I don't have TOSLink outputs, so can't use optical input of Hugo.
Compared with USB out, but find SPDIF better.

Cheers
Aleg

[block]

There's a 2nd hand hugo dac going for about £1000 on avforums if anyones interested.

[tony]

There's a 2nd hand hugo dac going for about £1000 on avforums if anyones interested.

Does that mean the bubble has burst! What is the story on your own quest are you still searching or did you dive in?

[nige2000]

There's a 2nd hand hugo dac going for about £1000 on avforums if anyones interested.

Does that mean the bubble has burst! What is the story on your own quest are you still searching or did you dive in?

doubt it

but id imagine chord have something else on the cards to supercede the hugo