NDX and Chord Hugo
Posted by: Foxman50 on 18 April 2014
I have been contemplating adding a DAC to my NDX/XPS2 to see (or should that be hear) what it can bring to the party. And so thought it about time i made inroads into Having a few home demos. After looking around at products that are within my budget i came across the Chord Hugo DAC.
Although it is meant to be a portable headphone unit, it can be used as a full line level fixed DAC.
The dealer lent me a TQ black digital coax lead, which have twist grip plugs. This was required as the present batch of Hugo's have a case design fault that wont allow any decent cable to fit, soon to be rectified. Thankfully the TQ just manages to hang on to the coax port.
Once all connected and gone through the minimal setup procedure of the Hugo, what does the red LED mean again, i left it to warm up for half an hour.
Poured a beer and sat down for an evenings listening.
What was that, where did that come from, that's what that instrument is. OMG, as my little'n would say, Where is it getting all this detail from.
After spending last night and today with it, all i can say is that it has totally transformed my system from top to bottom. I never considered my NDX to be veiled or shut in, not even sure that's the correct terms. All i can say is its opened up the sound stage and space around instruments. Everything I've put through it has had my toes, feet and legs tapping away to the music.
Even putting the toe tapping, the resolution the clarity to one side, what its greatest achievement for me has been in making albums that I've had trouble listening too enjoyable now.
One added bonus is that it has made the XPS redundant. I cannot hear any difference with it in or out of the system.
While i thought a DAC may make a change in the degree of the jump from ND5 to NDX, i was not prepared for this. Anyone looking at adding a PSU to there NDX may want to check this unit out first.
For me this has to be the bargain of the year.
If chord have produced such a good sounding DAC in Hugo, how much better can they make it to sell as the upgrade to the QBD. i understand the diminishing returns argument, but each step up in cost still has to supply a sizeable upgrade in SQ.
But then i suppose this is all dependent on the funds one has to spend.
Graeme
I'm not sure Chord have to produce a better sounding DAC, they IMO, need to make a better product. Being clear, in my mind, the SQ and the Product are two different things.
A better product for me, and no doubt some others, would be having the Hugo SQ with the features of the V1 or strip out the Headphone, 'pre-amp' and battery, selling it as a pure DAC.
Unless, I have missed something in this thread, I have not seen accounts of the Hugo being used directly into a NAP.
This is all good news, even if the Hugo tech comes out in another Chord, Naim, or another brand's product in the future.
J 
I applaud Naim for allowing this thread to flourish.
+1
Me too. Maybe vervent will make Chord an offer they can't refuse
Just to say, there is definitely a burn in period as others have said with the Hugo. Brand new it sounds quite good, but it then hardens and sounds (quite disturbingly) more conventionally digital over the next 20 hours or so, and then at approx 24~26 (well at least for my model) hours continuous play it starts to sound like a Hugo (I must admit I was a little relieved ) , ie that natural clear textured rendering with complete absence of etch or digital sharpness comes back into my music room...
Maybe they are also appreciating Hugo also and singing along