Chord Hugo 2 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[balletboy]

I can see your points. People who like Chord products and "Hi-End HiFi" in general will not care about SINAD, objective performances and so on.... They want whatever remaining % to pure satisfaction they can get, and they are willing to pay whatever they feel like for it.

But that's just a group of customers. It'd be fine if that type of customers can easily fulfill the purchases necessary for western-based companies to stay relevant and leveling up. But other consumers, the less wealthy and bold customers are leaning toward more affordable products, the kind of products that at the same time have both strong subjective & objective remarks. And in that standard chinese companies have been doing it so well in recent years. For example JDS Lab Atom once took the spot as probably the best $100 headphones amp one can buy, but now the market is so diluted and competitive I'm not sure out of 10 recommendations how many will go to Atom anymore (although I'm sure JDS Lab is still doing well).

I'm aware that Topping did not invent cheap DAC. My observation is that the recent uprising of products from China changed the landscape quite a bit. Look at headphones, iems, dacs and amps nowadays you will see that they are very popular and probably more profitable than other same price bracket offerings from the West. I also noticed some smaller audio brands here and there (both in asia & west) have dissolved because they cannot adapt to this situation.

I think the JDS Atom is the only standalone DAC remaining in this house! It's in a box upstairs, long forgotten. The difference is that it was made in the USA.

John Westlake describes the nightmare of getting stuff made in China 30 years ago. Things have obviously changed a lot, and companies like JBL are getting award-winning products designed in China. The reality is that a lot of Chinese factories are still very short-sighted, will cut corners, close down and start up again days later, but there are lots of really good ones. IAG is a good example of a Chinese success story, I think John Westlake designed their Audiolab M-DAC, a hugely successful product. I owned the M-DAC+.

Most of the audio product in my house was manufactured in China. My son was involved in a lot of the procurement, which he said was a "difficult", but the product itself is magnificent.

 

[Jim Shaw]

You may want to study the company because you are very wrong. Their designs are the total opposite of what you say. They create their own circuits using programmable ASIC. They don’t use off-the-shelf chips.

Well - gotcha covered: I might be wrong because I used the word might. Sorry to get your shorts in a tangle. [Actually, it was kinda expository.]
....
But what ultimately is the difference in use between a quality, stock, modern, application-specific chip, and handmade firmware running on a programmable ASIC? Where I come from, experimental firmware on a programmable ASIC is usually the precursor to a special purpose production chip. For tinkering.

And, there are far too many extant companies to study. Whyever might I pick this one? Because they stand out in the crowd or are pivotal to a market?

 

[threni]

The UK has 5 years warranties as part of consumer laws, if I recall correctly.

No, it doesn't have anything in the way of warranties. It has EU legislation that provides for up to 6 years of support regarding manufacturing faults but good luck getting anyone to take it seriously, and expect to have to spend ages emailing/writing/phoning and ultimately having to go for court. I don't know anyone who's managed to remedy problems after 12 months and I think fairly recent changes have made this 6 months in practice.

 

[PeteL]

Where I come from, experimental firmware on a programmable ASIC is usually the precursor to a special purpose production chip. For tinkering.

Then you must "come" from a "silicon" company, not from an audio products manufacturers background.

 

[Trell]

No, it doesn't have anything in the way of warranties. It has EU legislation that provides for up to 6 years of support regarding manufacturing faults but good luck getting anyone to take it seriously, and expect to have to spend ages emailing/writing/phoning and ultimately having to go for court. I don't know anyone who's managed to remedy problems after 12 months and I think fairly recent changes have made this 6 months in practice.

I don’t know of any EU country that has five years warranty for this class of devices now that UK has left the EU.

The key words are “up to”, but please give examples of where I’m wrong.

Currently I’ve an Earthworks SR314 microphone in for repairs where (where or were) its internal preamplifier died. Bought it less than two years, but more than one, ago from Thomann.de living in Sweden. Still waiting for the repair, though, but no hassle otherwise.

 

[balletboy]

No, it doesn't have anything in the way of warranties. It has EU legislation that provides for up to 6 years of support regarding manufacturing faults but good luck getting anyone to take it seriously, and expect to have to spend ages emailing/writing/phoning and ultimately having to go for court. I don't know anyone who's managed to remedy problems after 12 months and I think fairly recent changes have made this 6 months in practice.

It's 2 years manufacturer warranty in UK and EU and I've relied on it several times, most recently a $200 shredder bought on Amazon. It blew up after 15 months, the supplier paid to ship it from UK to Germany, fixed it and sent it back.

 

[sarumbear]

Where I come from, experimental firmware on a programmable ASIC is usually the precursor to a special purpose production chip. For tinkering.

As well as for small production. That’s probably why practically every weapon uses ASICs FPGAs

And, there are far too many extant companies to study. Whyever might I pick this one? Because they stand out in the crowd or are pivotal to a market?

No, because you were publicly letting us know your views on one of their devices, which was categorically wrong.

Besides, Chord does stand out in the crowd not because of their odd shape and UI but because they are the only (AFAIK) company who doesn’t use the type of off-the-shelf chips that you based your post about.

 

[sarumbear]

No, it doesn't have anything in the way of warranties. It has EU legislation that provides for up to 6 years of support regarding manufacturing faults but good luck getting anyone to take it seriously, and expect to have to spend ages emailing/writing/phoning and ultimately having to go for court. I don't know anyone who's managed to remedy problems after 12 months and I think fairly recent changes have made this 6 months in practice.

The EU legislation is 2 years.

FAQs|Guarantees on goods bought in the EU - Your Europe

FAQs - Read how to claim the 2-year legal guarantee or the commercial guarantee of durability for EU purchases, know the difference, read what the EU guarantee label means, how to get a repair, replacement or refund.

europa.eu

 

[Zensō]

Chord’s recipe = extraordinary claims + OK performance + weird industrial design + high price. No wonder their products are so popular among audiophiles.

 

[sarumbear]

Chord’s recipe = extraordinary claims + OK performance + weird industrial design + high price. No wonder their products are so popular among audiophiles.

At least they gave decent performance unlike many products covered in Stereophile.

 

[DonR]

The Hugo 2 uses an off-the-shelf FPGA by Xilinx I think. Nothing application specific about it.

 

[sarumbear]

The Hugo 2 uses an off-the-shelf FPGA by Xilinx I think. Nothing application specific about it.

I stand corrected. I should have said FPGA. I will correct my posts.

Thank you.

 

[Trell]

The Hugo 2 uses an off-the-shelf FPGA by Xilinx I think. Nothing application specific about it.

The programming of the FPGA is what is important.

 

[Trell]

I stand corrected. I should have said FPGA. I will correct my posts.

Thank you.

Now you get it!

 

[Jimbob54]

Have you used the Hugo 2 DAC?

(I haven't, only the earlier Hugo, mainly as a source for testing some headphones, I bought a pair and I ended up buying a Mojo because, well, why not?)

No. But that's not my point. Whether you, me or anyone else has heard it. The assertion was along the lines of everyone thinks it sounds superb.

I don't doubt it sounds good, the measurements suggest nothing wrong audibly. But I don't think it gets all that praise because of its sound. I think it gets all its praise because people really like to love Chord products.

 

[sarumbear]

Now you get it!

I simply used the wrong acronym. There’s no change in my understanding and arguments.

 

[DonR]

The programming of the FPGA is what is important.

All FPGA's are progammable. That is what the P is for.

 

[Trell]

All FPGA's are progammable. That is what the P is for.

Exactly, but this programming is very expensive and far exceeding the cost of the FPGA, which was my point.

Speaking as a software developer but not for FPGA.

 

[JanesJr1]

Yes. Even at that price I'd be hard pressed to find a use for it. Does anyone still use wired headphones for mobile listening? When travelling on public transport all I see is the ubiquitous Apple wireless earbuds or wireless noise-cancelling headphones from mostly Sony and Bose ...

Well, I'm only one voice, but my answer is: Of course I listen to wired headphones mobile every day!

I move between two offices and home with current-hungry DCA Noire over-ear headphones. But thank heaven I don't have to drag something as clunky as a Chord Hugo to do it. (I listen to the radio in the car, and use PC+dongles wherever I land.) My headphones need power, but I have two USB dongles that can deliver the necessary current to make the headphones sing. And either of them will out-perform the Hugo 2, albeit without a built-in battery.

My answer is: why not max out the fidelity of my listening wherever I land? Who needs noise cancelling and 20 other wireless functions when most of my audiophile listening time is away from home? Why compromise the main purpose of listening to music?

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

Some retailers offer 5 year warranties on some stuff - such as John Lewis in the UK. I have a Schiit amp which has a 5 year warranty (from the manufacturer) in the states but sadly only a two one here, but the fact they offer a longer one anywhere gives me hope it'll last (and I'd already had it a few years). I've not bought stuff just because of the lack of warranty though. And I'd want it for free, too. The point is - I'm already paying for it. I shouldn't have to pay extra for it to last 5 years (or get fixed/replaced for free). The £500 TV I bought failed after around a year and John Lewis replaced it (admittedly with a refurb). Without longer support it's just like you're renting it for a year and are expected to buy a new one after that. It's part of the reason I build my own desktop PCs, and put together Pi-based players rather than some more expensive solution - if a part fails I just swap it out. It's why I don't like expensive non/less-fixable items like laptops; it's why I get cheaper phones.

I can relate to you quite well on this part. I don't know why but with audio products (at least headgear products, as I am not familiar with speakers) there is a concerning lack of supports/after-purchase customer service. I'm not talking about just warranty, things like parts replacement, answering questions from old customers and more can be quite underwhelming at times, although it also depends on the manufacturer as I've also seen my fair share of good testaments from other users.

I have a few expensive headphones that I am always paranoid about their sudden demise and while everything is fine so far I can't help but feel like once they stop working (by themselves) I have little options but to buy them again. Part of me understands that once the warranty is over they basically have no responsibility to take care of the thing I bought, and there's nothing illegal about that. I just wish they can offer some kind of support or opportunity for their old customers so they can have an easier time acquiring the replacement.

By the way, I like your style the thoughtful process you go through to decide what's good to buy or not. If I was able to be more logical like you I'd have saved myself some money lol.