CHORD Hugo TT2 Review (DAC & HP Amp)

[srkbear]

I think you have erred in referring to Rob as a scientist. He's a businessman first, and an engineer second.

Oh, I’m just appealing to his own self-adulatory eminence. I have no illusions as to his credentials. I would put “crook” before businessman personally.

 

[srkbear]

I think you have erred in referring to Rob as a scientist. He's a businessman first, and an engineer second.

I have a very hard time picking an audio brand I like the best—too many to choose from. Which ones I despise is a piece of cake!

 

[Jimster480]

Oh, I’m just appealing to his own self-adulatory eminence. I have no illusions as to his credentials. I would put “crook” before businessman personally.

I understand your viewpoint lol

I have a very hard time picking an audio brand I like the best—too many to choose from. Which ones I despise is a piece of cake!

Same; there are so many good brands today that I don't really have a "favorite". I have a few "favorites" which I will check first, but it can still be hard to choose!

 

[Robbo99999]

I think we should lay off the personal attacks against the designers of these or any audio gear. I've never really looked at Head-Fi, but I was reading in their forum just now after one of you dropped a link to them....it's true it doesn't look good if we abuse the product designers personally. We're not all doing that, but it can start evolving into that direction as one post builds upon another. We already know what we need to know about the DAC from the review, it measures fine/good but costs a bomb. People can be pleased that there are less costly, equal or better measuring gear out there.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I think we should lay off the personal attacks against the designers of these or any audio gear. I've never really looked at Head-Fi, but I was reading in their forum just now after one of you dropped a link to them....it's true it doesn't look good if we abuse the product designers personally. We're not all doing that, but it can start evolving into that direction as one post builds upon another. We already know what we need to know about the DAC from the review, it measures fine/good but costs a bomb. People can be pleased that there are less costly, equal or better measuring gear out there.

Well said.

 

[amirm]

The product designer is also the sole marketing person. He is spreading misinformation left and right about things that are just not possible. While I would not go after him personally, his claims need to be dealt with and strongly. Ditto for when he says what we are doing here is useless, not real measurements, etc. He made the bed, he needs to sleep in it.

 

[Garrincha]

The product designer is also the sole marketing person. He is spreading misinformation left and right about things that are just not possible. While I would not go after him personally, his claims need to be dealt with and strongly. Ditto for when he says what we are doing here is useless, not real measurements, etc. He made the bed, he needs to sleep in it.

I agree, nothing too personal (but he brought his mother in the game!), but the bullshit he is circulation really needs to be dealt with. Thats why I think it was so important that the impulse reponse and filter tap number have been dealt with in this review and by @pkane https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-a-16k-one-lets-find-out.36793/#post-1294292. The whole story of the extraordinary nature of Chord DACs simply collapses. For everybody with strong guts, there are many preposterous claims he makes here:

Basically all other DAC manufacteres are doing it wrong and are changing sounds and so on (especially from minute 12). It's ridiculous. But good news, he is working on the ultimate DAC!

 

[TabCam]

The product designer is also the sole marketing person. He is spreading misinformation left and right about things that are just not possible. While I would not go after him personally, his claims need to be dealt with and strongly. Ditto for when he says what we are doing here is useless, not real measurements, etc. He made the bed, he needs to sleep in it.

I think Chord Electronics have their own marketing and I do not know if Rob Watts is being paid for his public exposure of Chord technologies. The same can be said about Bruno Putzeys who also does marketing and, although in a far lesser degree, spreads misinformation.

I think this attitude to ridicule other people only polarizes, most likely chase away undecided audiophiles and enforces group think. The figures speak for themselves and let readers themselves decide if they want to buy the cheapest or pay more for a "bad interface", looks, reputation, operation without pops and clicks or even pride of ownership or whatever else readers perceive as important.

If you want to garner attention, it certainly will happen with such tactics like ridicule but at the same time you will distance a lot of people not liking such tactics. It is maybe a cultural thing Europe is different as is Azia. You make the same bed over here at ASR if you allow it to continue.

 

[Robbo99999]

The product designer is also the sole marketing person. He is spreading misinformation left and right about things that are just not possible. While I would not go after him personally, his claims need to be dealt with and strongly. Ditto for when he says what we are doing here is useless, not real measurements, etc. He made the bed, he needs to sleep in it.

I think we deal with it strongly by virtue of the review & measurements rather than any surrounding vitriol. We all know each of us "makes the bed & sleeps in it". I too think his approach appears to be misguided & thereby misguiding to others, especially after I watched that video posted by @Garrincha above......but you know, the site is doing it's job by your reviews - virtually no one would choose to buy this product if they're a regular here at ASR, as simply you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to get the same transparency in a DAC/amp, so saving people the trouble of unnecessary cash seperation and unnecessary time & stress wasted comparing DACS through uncontrolled subjective listening testing, which is what I or many people would have done in the past without this site here.

I think Chord Electronics have their own marketing and I do not know if Rob Watts is being paid for his public exposure of Chord technologies. The same can be said about Bruno Putzeys who also does marketing and, although in a far lesser degree, spreads misinformation.

I think this attitude to ridicule other people only polarizes, most likely chase away undecided audiophiles and enforces group think. The figures speak for themselves and let readers themselves decide if they want to buy the cheapest or pay more for a "bad interface", looks, reputation, operation without pops and clicks or even pride of ownership or whatever else readers perceive as important.

If you want to garner attention, it certainly will happen with such tactics like ridicule but at the same time you will distance a lot of people not liking such tactics. It is maybe a cultural thing Europe is different as is Azia. You make the same bed over here at ASR if you allow it to continue.

I think you're right about that

 

[Purité Audio]

I think Chord Electronics have their own marketing and I do not know if Rob Watts is being paid for his public exposure of Chord technologies. The same can be said about Bruno Putzeys who also does marketing and, although in a far lesser degree, spreads misinformation.

I think this attitude to ridicule other people only polarizes, most likely chase away undecided audiophiles and enforces group think. The figures speak for themselves and let readers themselves decide if they want to buy the cheapest or pay more for a "bad interface", looks, reputation, operation without pops and clicks or even pride of ownership or whatever else readers perceive as important.

If you want to garner attention, it certainly will happen with such tactics like ridicule but at the same time you will distance a lot of people not liking such tactics. It is maybe a cultural thing Europe is different as is Azia. You make the same bed over here at ASR if you allow it to continue.

He deserves the ridicule, his designs ( apart from the MScalper) technically are good the BS is simply not necessary and for me is a hugely negative factor.
Keith

 

[DSJR]

I suspect that less than 5% of their customers even know about forums such as this. Maybe that's changing if they look on YouTube, but I suspect to them, ASDR is seen as 'Bah Humbug' spoiling the party for 'everyone else.' The High End is a law unto itself and an exclusive 'club that many want to belong to. Same with high end cars, although there does seem great acceptance of a particular high end motor's 'characteristics' which draws some people to one marque and others to another - I'm looking at enthusiast petrolhead circles, rather than the 'Real Housewives' types who buy what's trendy this month and flashiest to show off to their pals.

Anyway, one fan claims to 'hear a beneficial difference' with his M-Scaler, so in that respect, let 'em get on with it. It's their money and their hobby. Just present the measured results and invite the designer to comment if they see fit. Recent posts indicate that Head-Fi is one 'bunker' and ASR another, taking pot shots at each other - and we have enough of that happening in real life already sadly

 

[Purité Audio]

No this ‘I heard a difference so even though it doesn’t really exist’ just invites charlatanism, it has to be stamped out.
Keith

 

[JSmith]

It's ridiculous.

Two things are ridiculous there... the product and the "reviewer". I guess people love a good fiction story... whatever form it comes in. It is difficult to ascertain how some overcome the cognitive dissonance.


JSmith

 

[Jimbob54]

No this ‘I heard a difference so even though it doesn’t really exist’ just invites charlatanism, it has to be stamped out.
Keith

Sadly, aint going to happen whilst ever the acquisition and discussion of kit is a hobby. No tweaks/ upgrades= no forums, or at least in the current form.

 

[Kevbaz]

I cant believe Chord are planning an Ultimate DAC which will cost even more than the DAVE.
If and when that product lands would be great to see it measured.

What makes me laugh is, if the difference with a Chord DAC is so obvious, Rob Watts could silence all this with a blind ABX test.
The fact that one has not been done or as far as I can tell planned shows that there is no night and day or even subtle differences that would allow Rob to tell the DAVE from equally level matched 3rd party DACs.

Kev

 

[Thomas savage]

His mother should have told him that once he becomes an adult, to not continue acting like a child. What happened to industry people acting professional?

Doesn't apply to a ' cottage ' industry, these are not ' industry ' professionals they are ' cottage ' industry professionals.

Big difference.

 

[Geert]

The same can be said about Bruno Putzeys who also does marketing and, although in a far lesser degree, spreads misinformation.

That's new to me. What misinformation is he spreading?

 

[Thomas savage]

Sure. The display is always off so you don't know what the sample rate, volume or settings are as far as gain. Yes there is a light show as far as volume but I will be damned if I going to memorize those colors. And even if I did, they are nowhere near as good as a dB level on an always on display.

Yes, you can hit a key on the remote to wake up the display for a short period but doing so changes that value! You can't just wake it up to know the current setings.

Why is there no menu button on the remote?

Why is it that there is poor key debounce on the remote causing it to go two steps instead of one?

If the filter is the star, why isn't a fast way to cycle through them on the remote or front panel?

Why should I have to wait 15 seconds every time I change modes? It is not my problem that they have to screw around with their supercaps to allow this to function instantly.

Why does it look so ugly and hodgepodge? A dot matrix green LED? What is that doing there? Why is there a crease in the cover that makes it near impossible to read?

Try even reading the manual. It is faded gray over gray. Why oh why?
View attachment 226525

All this could be cleaned up with a modicum of usability testing.

I had a Hugo, years ago when it came out .

Had it hooked up to a hifi at my then GFs , her niece had been introduced to music by me and at 1 month old would dance about on my chest when I was listening to rage against the machine on my headphones ..

So when she was 2 or so we had a incident, like you say the light display is confusing and uninformative.., ended up briefly blasting out something at 100% volume , scared her half to death and she's been afraid of speakers ever since .

I think Rob is a fan of ' close encounters of a third kind' but maybe he should stick to playing with his mash potato and free us of the shit interface on his DACs .

If he's really passionate about advancing the state of the art he'd take his ' talent ' elsewhere, to a industry requiring advancement.

As it is he's just a boy playing in a sand box , a over indulged one at that .

 

[JSmith]

spreads misinformation

I'd suggest it's Rob Watts who is spreading misinformation. Addressing same and proving a number of points as being incorrect or misleading is not ridicule. I would further suggest as an example of petty ridicule is the reference to the measurements posted here as being "faux" and referring to ASR as "click-bait".


JSmith

 

[DonDish]

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!

Price to performance/feature is what brought me to RME. When you factor with price, ADI-2 PRO/DAC could take on apex predators like DCS, MSB or whatever. Ok so the box is small and tinny, but the sound is top notch and the DSP functions are impeccable. So nobody is going to tell me at just north of 100 grand a DCS Vivaldi sounds 50 - 60 times better than an ADI-2 PRO and you get none of those nifty DSP features. It may look 50 times better though, with its four boxes its quite an impressive stack.