Although I had to buy a connector for my Apple Ipod touch to connect the Hugo, in every other department, this DAC is worth it. Small, visible, attractive, easy to use once you spend 15 minutes watching the video on how to, it perfectly matches my Focal Utopia headphones and my Beyerdynamic A1 amp so that my listening pleasure of mainly improvised music and classical music has hit a lifetime sweet spot. Headphones are now my listening preference as the adjustable sound stage and filters of the Hugo give me some control over my preferences - I'm especially sensitive to the effective reproduction of the contra bass sound as well as acoustic piano. I have no psychological reservations about playing my music now as I used to before my headphone conversion - partner or ... MoreAlthough I had to buy a connector for my Apple Ipod touch to connect the Hugo, in every other department, this DAC is worth it. Small, visible, attractive, easy to use once you spend 15 minutes watching the video on how to, it perfectly matches my Focal Utopia headphones and my Beyerdynamic A1 amp so that my listening pleasure of mainly improvised music and classical music has hit a lifetime sweet spot. Headphones are now my listening preference as the adjustable sound stage and filters of the Hugo give me some control over my preferences - I'm especially sensitive to the effective reproduction of the contra bass sound as well as acoustic piano. I have no psychological reservations about playing my music now as I used to before my headphone conversion - partner or neighbours now appreciate my silence.

Auditory Bliss!

I previously had the Chord Mojo and loved the impressive sound it had while out on the go. I had been hearing rave reviews about the Hugo 2 and wanting to take advantage of a Desktop/Mobile DAC/AMP player. I currently use my Hugo 2 for my Gaming Desktop PC and portable Home use. I use the Mojo if I leave the house and will be mobile. When I first listened to the Hugo 2 while listening to music through the Tidal Music app, I was extremely pleased. This little sturdy, well built unit, puts out amazing sound on my Audeze LCD-X headphones. It’s easy to use and identify when a feature or filter has been turned on or to a different mode. Chord uses led colors for everything. It’s very intelligent in its use. This little powerhouse competes with many headphone Dac/Amps in ... MoreI previously had the Chord Mojo and loved the impressive sound it had while out on the go. I had been hearing rave reviews about the Hugo 2 and wanting to take advantage of a Desktop/Mobile DAC/AMP player. I currently use my Hugo 2 for my Gaming Desktop PC and portable Home use. I use the Mojo if I leave the house and will be mobile. When I first listened to the Hugo 2 while listening to music through the Tidal Music app, I was extremely pleased. This little sturdy, well built unit, puts out amazing sound on my Audeze LCD-X headphones. It’s easy to use and identify when a feature or filter has been turned on or to a different mode. Chord uses led colors for everything. It’s very intelligent in its use. This little powerhouse competes with many headphone Dac/Amps in the $2,000 range easily. This can power higher impedance headphones as well, so don’t worry about that. You can definitely trust the Chord name and enjoy pure auditory bliss, at the same time!

Chord Electronics HUGO 2

It takes some courage to spend £2,000 (including cables) on a small box of tricks that you are not sure quite what it does. The Hugo 2 is the single best investment I have made in the past ten years.The Hugo 2 is not just for audiophiles. It adds to the quality of your musical experience, whether you are using the Bluetooth to play a low res music stream, or paired with your SACD player. The set up is simple, and you start getting the benefits almost immediately.I will leave others to explain why it works so well, I will simply vouch for how well it works.The Hugo 2 also transforms the experience of listening to your TV. I use an Arcam amplifier and PMC speakers with a Samsung 4K TV. Either Sky TV, or a Blu-Ray is transformed by the Hugo. Movies are amazing ... MoreIt takes some courage to spend £2,000 (including cables) on a small box of tricks that you are not sure quite what it does. The Hugo 2 is the single best investment I have made in the past ten years.The Hugo 2 is not just for audiophiles. It adds to the quality of your musical experience, whether you are using the Bluetooth to play a low res music stream, or paired with your SACD player. The set up is simple, and you start getting the benefits almost immediately.I will leave others to explain why it works so well, I will simply vouch for how well it works.The Hugo 2 also transforms the experience of listening to your TV. I use an Arcam amplifier and PMC speakers with a Samsung 4K TV. Either Sky TV, or a Blu-Ray is transformed by the Hugo. Movies are amazing and sports simply sounds better.It took some persuading to spend a not insignificant sum of money, but I am delighted that I did. If you can afford it then it is money well spent.

Chord Hugo 2, great multi talented dac

Designed by rob watts of chord electronics, this dac sounds extremly close to works best chord Dave dac at a fraction of price. The first impression is of extreme clarity but with the refinement only possible with best analog gear. Sound instantly reminds of a vinyl record but with lot more bass extension. It works as a digital pre so one can attach a power amp directly saving the cost of high end pre and interconnects. Sound is neither warm nor cold, in fact it is on very slight warmer side as compared to Hugo 1. It is suited to all kind of music be it in lossless or lossy format. Vocals are extremely communicative and focused. Simply add a good power amp ( or even integrated amp ) and you have a system which can beat many much more expensive high end systems. It ... MoreDesigned by rob watts of chord electronics, this dac sounds extremly close to works best chord Dave dac at a fraction of price. The first impression is of extreme clarity but with the refinement only possible with best analog gear. Sound instantly reminds of a vinyl record but with lot more bass extension. It works as a digital pre so one can attach a power amp directly saving the cost of high end pre and interconnects. Sound is neither warm nor cold, in fact it is on very slight warmer side as compared to Hugo 1. It is suited to all kind of music be it in lossless or lossy format. Vocals are extremely communicative and focused. Simply add a good power amp ( or even integrated amp ) and you have a system which can beat many much more expensive high end systems. It requires though 50 to 80 hours burn in , preferably with isotek burn in track.

Great sound and portable!

I picked up the Hugo 2 as a step towards my endgame setup. It is serving nicely as the intermediary between my MacBook and Felix Audio Envy PE with great detail retrieval. The main reason why I picked this DAC/Amp combo, however, is that I can take it with me when working elsewhere and bring my IEMs for an awesome on-the-go musical treat. It can't quite give me enough for my HD800 but that was not my use case and as such, I am very happy with the Hugo2, the filters it offers and how it works well for multiple scenarios. Also worth noting that the interface does take a little getting used to but it SHOULD NOT sway someone from not jumping into this unit. It is easier than the Mojo2 to manipulate and very quirky in its lights/aesthetics and serves the purpose very ... MoreI picked up the Hugo 2 as a step towards my endgame setup. It is serving nicely as the intermediary between my MacBook and Felix Audio Envy PE with great detail retrieval. The main reason why I picked this DAC/Amp combo, however, is that I can take it with me when working elsewhere and bring my IEMs for an awesome on-the-go musical treat. It can't quite give me enough for my HD800 but that was not my use case and as such, I am very happy with the Hugo2, the filters it offers and how it works well for multiple scenarios. Also worth noting that the interface does take a little getting used to but it SHOULD NOT sway someone from not jumping into this unit. It is easier than the Mojo2 to manipulate and very quirky in its lights/aesthetics and serves the purpose very well. Bravo Hugo2 and thanks to Justin and Headamp for the help!

Magical DAC but be patient.

I’ve had this for 2 weeks now and although have enjoyed listening to it for that time it’s only recently that it’s started to fulfil its potential. I was after a DAC upgrade and the reviews online and on YouTube made this look like a great, although pricey buy. I had seen one YouTube review that said you need to burn it in for at least 2 weeks. I poo pooed this idea but have used it a lot during the last 2 weeks then today, wow it is just producing seriously magical sounds! I am listening to complete albums that I haven’t played for years as I am enjoying every track and hearing stunning sounds. So don’t feel disappointed if it doesn’t get you instantly, IT WILL. I listen to both Qobuz and Spotify via my iPod and IPad through Meze Empyreans. It is relatively ... MoreI’ve had this for 2 weeks now and although have enjoyed listening to it for that time it’s only recently that it’s started to fulfil its potential. I was after a DAC upgrade and the reviews online and on YouTube made this look like a great, although pricey buy. I had seen one YouTube review that said you need to burn it in for at least 2 weeks. I poo pooed this idea but have used it a lot during the last 2 weeks then today, wow it is just producing seriously magical sounds! I am listening to complete albums that I haven’t played for years as I am enjoying every track and hearing stunning sounds. So don’t feel disappointed if it doesn’t get you instantly, IT WILL. I listen to both Qobuz and Spotify via my iPod and IPad through Meze Empyreans. It is relatively expensive but if you can afford it’s well worth it.

Significant Upgrade on the Mojo/ESS Dacs

Bought this recently following its large price drop. Usual excellent service from Richers Norwich.NB. The following relates to the Hugo used in a 2 speaker HiFi system - I haven't tried it with headphones.I ran it in on my sitting room TV & Computer system (normal DAC an integral ESS in my Quad Vena amp). It was tried with the Vena & a couple of valve amps. Sounded sharper than the ESS DAC, but not unduly so. Tried it with my Icon valve amp set to zero feedback, which mellowed the sharpness but still conveyed the detail.It made most music files sound better, although it also highlighted imperfections in recordings - e.g. echo on recordings that had sounded ok with ESS DACS now had too much. The largest improvement was in CD quality files – HiRes improved, but to ... MoreBought this recently following its large price drop. Usual excellent service from Richers Norwich.NB. The following relates to the Hugo used in a 2 speaker HiFi system - I haven't tried it with headphones.I ran it in on my sitting room TV & Computer system (normal DAC an integral ESS in my Quad Vena amp). It was tried with the Vena & a couple of valve amps. Sounded sharper than the ESS DAC, but not unduly so. Tried it with my Icon valve amp set to zero feedback, which mellowed the sharpness but still conveyed the detail.It made most music files sound better, although it also highlighted imperfections in recordings - e.g. echo on recordings that had sounded ok with ESS DACS now had too much. The largest improvement was in CD quality files – HiRes improved, but to a smaller degree – LoRes also showed less improvement (in some cases none).Once run in, it was transferred to my main system – fanless computer from “Quiet Computers”, Klipsch La Scala speakers (104 Db 1 watt) driven by a Mojo DAC, which also drives an old Hewlet Packard amplifier which drives 2 open baffle (homemade) subwoofers (KEF B139 drivers, goes down to 23 Hz, though power handling at lower frequencies is a bit limited). The Hugo was substituted for the Mojo.The eventual plan is to put the Hugo nearer to the speakers & control it with the remote, but for now I used the long speaker cables I need to keep the Mojo near enough to alter the volume.The effects of the Hugo were as above, but even more pronounced. The sound was also less sharp – possibly due to the Scalas rolling off at c. 16 kHz (supertweeter project planned).I love it – but...Niggles and suggested upgrades for the Hugo 3:1. The lights have 2 settings – too bright & too dim. Needs a middle setting.2. I had hoped that the narrowing function (meant for headphone use) would be useful for my early hard left & right “stereo” recordings. Helped a bit, but needs a stronger blend setting. Also seemed to make the sound a very tiny bit less clear.3. Uses a micro B usb port – easily damaged (and ditto re the cable plug), a C usb port, or ideally a full sized usb B port would be better.4. The remote is heavy and unbalanced. Also, holding it to operate the volume control (hand underneath, thumb presses the buttons) means that a change of grip is necessary to operate the other buttons.5. Some XLR outputs would be good.6. Filters had little effect (perhaps I need a better system!) but I didn’t feel I needed them anyway.Verdict:Love the sound improvement, especially with CD quality files – would like to hear it with Chord’s upsampler; maybe when I win the lottery!!Ergonomics could be better, but soon get used to them.

Superb sound

Bought the Hugo 2 a month ago to power a pair of Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones. I run Tidal through it from a MacBook. The sound is outstanding. It's almost a cliche to say I heard things in my favourite music I've never heard before... but that's exactly what happened. Detail, space, clarity--everything I get out of the Hugo 2 justifies every penny I spent on it. It's made me dig up stuff I haven't listened to for years, just to see what it sounds like through such a quality setup.I also find the colour-coded lights in the 'porthole' are really useful. I can see the bitrate of each file at a glance. CD-quality (red) sounds excellent. Move up to the yellows and greens of 96/192 kbps files, and you'll hear fingers on strings and musicians turning the pages of ... MoreBought the Hugo 2 a month ago to power a pair of Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones. I run Tidal through it from a MacBook. The sound is outstanding. It's almost a cliche to say I heard things in my favourite music I've never heard before... but that's exactly what happened. Detail, space, clarity--everything I get out of the Hugo 2 justifies every penny I spent on it. It's made me dig up stuff I haven't listened to for years, just to see what it sounds like through such a quality setup.I also find the colour-coded lights in the 'porthole' are really useful. I can see the bitrate of each file at a glance. CD-quality (red) sounds excellent. Move up to the yellows and greens of 96/192 kbps files, and you'll hear fingers on strings and musicians turning the pages of their scores. Doesn't matter what genres you're listening to, either--I've tried buy Hugo 2 with everything from heavy rock and electronica to film scores and classical, and it brings out the best in all of them. Highly recommended.

The best at what it does.

I bought this as an upgrade from a Mcintosh MHA-50 which costs about 1/4 of the price of a Hugo-2. The MHA 50 has the advantage of Apple Certification, so no Camera Adapter is required. But that is where the advantages end. The Hugo-2 sounds clearer and cleaner with better definition of instruments and a much greater sense of front to back depth of soundstage. The colored buttons take some adjustment, but work very well...especially the volume control which is much easier to use than the haptic control of the 50. I was surprised at how light the unit was so no problems with transporting it in the luggage. I bought this as an open box item and the shipping and packaging were first rate! Highly recommended.

Wow, what a DAC

this is my first high-end DAC after using a couple of different OPPO units for a desktop headphone setup for several years. I had read so much about the Hugo2, I finally decided to upgrade. Everything I have read about this unit is true. It is like no DAC I have ever experienced before. The soundstage size can be tailored to your liking, and the musical separation is unbelievable. I can clearly hear all instruments and the clearly centered vocals pull it all together. I have truly re-discovered a lot of my FLAC, mostly hi-rez collection. The amount of detail the Hugo2 pulls out makes it difficult for me to listen while doing something else because there is so much musicality. I feed the unit Roon exclusively.The on-board amp, I mean, the analogue output stage as ... Morethis is my first high-end DAC after using a couple of different OPPO units for a desktop headphone setup for several years. I had read so much about the Hugo2, I finally decided to upgrade. Everything I have read about this unit is true. It is like no DAC I have ever experienced before. The soundstage size can be tailored to your liking, and the musical separation is unbelievable. I can clearly hear all instruments and the clearly centered vocals pull it all together. I have truly re-discovered a lot of my FLAC, mostly hi-rez collection. The amount of detail the Hugo2 pulls out makes it difficult for me to listen while doing something else because there is so much musicality. I feed the unit Roon exclusively.The on-board amp, I mean, the analogue output stage as Chord calls it, is excellent. It has no issue driving my Senn HD800 300ohm cans. ~50% volume is the max I can listen to safely-there is plenty of power left on tap. I can't see me needing an outboard amp for this DAC (although the Headamp GS-X mini has been calling my name!)Highly, highly recommended.