CHORD Hugo TT2 Review (DAC & HP Amp)

[voodooless]

If the TT2 was reviewed 4.5 years ago when it was released, going simply by SINAD and putting price aside (as it was for the Tambaqui), would have got a "recommendation" review.

I already showed that you could come close with a $70 dongle even back in 2018.

Ultimately, if you think the TT2 performs bad, you are sorely mistaken.

Not, bad, but neither $ 6k good.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

I already showed that you could come close with a $70 dongle even back in 2018.

Not, bad, but neither $ 6k good.

If we go by both price and performance I think some products in the ranking will need to be reworked.
If we go by performance alone this one is good enough
If we go by price alone no Chord product can do well by this standard.

I think some members did bring up reasonable points, it'd be great if we can vote based on a singular standard, and in order for us to be on the same page with it Amir will have to announce what he thinks we should vote. Something like this is not recommended while something like Littledot MK3 earned the pass is odd.

 

[Lupin]

Rob has mentioned somewhere a while ago having the screen can add a RF like buzzing noise into the audio chain, so its been avoided.

CHORD really need to rethink their design if an always on display has negative influence on the performance of the DAC. IMHO
There are DACs that cost less than 1/10 of the price with always on displays that outperforms this glorified doorstop many times over.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

There is no more important issue in all audiophile communities that the still unproven statement that there is something else that humans can hear but can not be measured. current data tells us that human ears could not tell a difference between your Chord and Topping DAC. I am not trying to upset you, but this is an important issue, if you can tell the difference, it would be an extraordinary contribution if you can prove it.

You mean there is a Topping DAC that is portable, and has same or superior performance to Hugo2 or even Mojo2?
Which one?

 

[Lupin]

For $$$ Seven Thousand Dollars after tax/shipping I expect SOTA in all respects no compromises. You can buy a truck load of Kit for Seven Grand. Amir minimizes product’s price impact his assessment. But I and most other potential customers do. Factoring in Price for what you get here. Headless Panthers on Parade all day.

So many manufacturers in the Audio World more than willing and eager to take advantage of uninformed consumers. Amir working hard every day to change this industry to a more transparent and objective approach. One Product at a time, Slowly eating the Elephant a bite at a time! While surrounded by nefarious and devious actors whom wish us to fail. Keep calm and carry on Amir!

I totally agree!
I voted headless panther.

At the same time I do feel that the reviews could be (more) consistent when it come to the product price.
It either is or it isn't a factor, decide which one and go with it for every single review.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

Yes one could get together a very nice system for the same money as this overpriced TT2... or even multiple systems.


JSmith

Missed the minimalistic clause! didn't you?
Accidents happen, I am sure it was.
At any rate, my response was to a post questioning the use of super capacitors.

 

[KxDx]

I used to have a Datsun 2000 car with stick shift. For whatever reason, Datsun had reversed the H pattern so that where 1st gear usually is, was the reverse! I got used to it but more than once while filling up at a gas station, I went backward instead of forward by shifting the "wrong way!" Fortunately no one was behind me and so no accident. Chord is like that. It is complicating a design for which much simpler methods exist

I wish you had been in charge of the Windows UI/UX team. Everything post- Windows 7 has been a disaster.

 

[voodooless]

I think some members did bring up reasonable points, it'd be great if we can vote based on a singular standard

We do, it's called: gut feeling.

and in order for us to be on the same page with it Amir will have to announce what he thinks we should vote.

What would be the point of the vote then?

Something like this is not recommended while something like Littledot MK3 earned the pass is odd.

Why are people so obsessed with Amir's recommendation? Just looks at the facts presented, and make up your own mind... Who cares what a reviewer thinks?

 

[JSmith]

If we go by both price and performance I think some products in the ranking will need to be reworked.

The ranking is basically the SINAD chart and the TT2 has it's place there not far from the top and rightly so, it measures well. Unless you mean the member poll, or Amir's personal recommendation in the review index which can take into account cost and other factors?


JSmith

 

[diaolodoro]

Since Chord engineers (or any other high end company) are so skillful that can build a $6k DAC that's worth it, it would be really cool if they produced a product with state of the art measurable performance. Then they could easily show they can build something that "only" measures incredibly well and beats the competition, even if it might not sound as good as their other products "because measurements are not showing the whole picture".
Now that would shut some mouths. Otherwise, we'll keep talking.

 

[RustyGates]

I already showed that you could come close with a $70 dongle even back in 2018.

Not, bad, but neither $ 6k good.

The RME ADI-2 to the D90SE must also be a rip off and not recommended then relative to your cheapo dongle

I don't know about you, but last time I checked a $70 dongle has a tiny fraction of the TT2's drive capability, and no other features or I/O. Neither is it something I personally would want.

As per my previous post - TT2 is a boutique device, custom designed from the ground up, hand assembled in the UK, feels like a solid build, great aesthetics in all black (see it in person) and also performs great. I'd pay good money for that.

What do you expect $6k good to be? Something impossible like SINAD 140dB? Mola-Mola Tambaqui is more than 2x the price of the TT2 with a SINAD 5.5dB more. So, is that acceptable to you? What's acceptable?

 

[Sokel]

Mola-Mola Tambaqui is more than 2x the price of the TT2 with a SINAD 5.5dB more.

Mola-Mola is also a streamer and some more,not comparable.
Also low in the hiend prices.

 

[JSmith]

What do you expect $6k good to be?

I don't think it's possible for a simple DAC/HPA to be $6K of value in 2022... maybe after 20 years of inflation. Value is generally set by the market and this unit sticks out like a sore thumb costs wise when compared to the competition. A $6K DAC/HPA indicates to me to be nothing but a cash grab from their (Chord) own customer base, which comes across as quite dishonest.


JSmith

 

[RustyGates]

CHORD really need to rethink their design if an always on display has negative influence on the performance of the DAC. IMHO
There are DACs that cost less than 1/10 of the price with always on displays that outperforms this glorified doorstop many times over.

LCD's inject what is described as an "RF" / high frequency noise which can make the sound "harsh", and isn't picked up a 1kHz SINAD test... it a problem with any DAC/Amp. Either turn it off or have a different type of display like the A90D.

"hat outperforms this glorified doorstop many times over"

How so? In any audible sense? Nope. In drive capability? Nope.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

We do, it's called: gut feeling.

What would be the point of the vote then?

Why are people so obsessed with Amir's recommendation? Just looks at the facts presented, and make up your own mind... Who cares what a reviewer thinks?

You've already seen how our "gut feeling" turned into pages of discussions about how and why we should vote. We already have a ranking system, I think we can just play by the book that way. Whatever's great enough to land in the upper octaves, showing no malfunctions can result in a recommendation.

The facts presented here is that TT2 is a product good enough but very overpriced. The thing is there are also overpriced/very expensive products but they are still on the recommendation list/ranking system. Do you see the inconsistency here? What's Mola-Mola doing that resulted in a recommendation while it's much more expensive than TT2 and at this SINAD range we are already past audible threshold?

Of course every reader should decide for himself like you say, I'm just pointing out the inconsistency in what is praised or bashed here sometimes.

 

[voodooless]

The RME ADI-2 to the D90SE must also be a rip off and not recommended then relative to your cheapo dongle

On raw performance, almost. The D90SE is about 13 dB better than the dongle. The RME though has a slew of additional features that may just as well be worth the trouble. Obviously, the law of diminishing returns applies here.

I don't know about you, but last time I checked a $70 dongle has a tiny fraction of the TT2's drive capability, and no other features or I/O.

Therefore I added a $100 headphone amp

Neither is it something I personally would want.

You don't need to want it. It was there to illustrate that the apparent performance superiority regardless of price was non-sense even in 2018.

What do you expect $6k good to be?

SOTA at the very least, so let's say > 120 SINAD? It's 4 years old, it doesn't have SOTA performance anymore (and arguably never had), There is no point other than being well-performing audio jewelry.

Something impossible like SINAD 140dB? Mola-Mola Tambaqui is more than 2x the price of the TT2 with a SINAD 5.5dB more. So, is that acceptable to you? What's acceptable?

That's personal. Some find the current price acceptable. I find it ridiculous. The same goes for the Tambaqui for that matter. If I were in the market I'd probably buy the Topping G5.

 

[Phorize]

From a product design standpoint this is an absolute fail. At the price point Chord have the opportunity to do something elegant where form follows function ala Genelec or KEF. They choose instead to bring what is now good but nonetheless unremarkable performance with a tacky box, clearly paying no attention to usability or engineering elegance whatsoever. At this point Chord is little more than a mirror reflecting the pavlovian instincts of it's customers and the craven self interest of the likes of What Hifi. All I can say is that the emperor is truly not wearing any clothes.

 

[JSmith]

LCD's inject what is described as an "RF" / high frequency noise which can make the sound "harsh", and isn't picked up a 1kHz SINAD test... it a problem with any DAC/Amp.

I'd be interested in data on this... do you have an appropriate citation to share? I look forward to your response.


JSmith

 

[voodooless]

You've already seen how our "gut feeling" turned into pages of discussions about how and why we should vote.

What does it matter, people will tell what they think, removal of a poll at the top of the page will not change any of that.

We already have a ranking system, I think we can just play by the book that way. Whatever's great enough to land in the upper octaves, showing no malfunctions can result in a recommendation.

Again the obsession for one person giving a blessing over a product. Just stop that, it's stupid!

Of course every reader should decide for himself like you say, I'm just pointing out the inconsistency in what is praised or bashed here sometimes.

Yeah, that happens with a subjective judgment.

 

[pkane]

The thing is there are also overpriced/very expensive products but they are still on the recommendation list/ranking system. Do you see the inconsistency here? What's Mola-Mola doing that resulted in a recommendation while it's much more expensive than TT2 and at this SINAD range we are already past audible threshold?

Come-on, now, this is not a sport, and it's not like your favorite team just lost the championship.