Is anyone not impressed by the Hugo

Analogmusic,,

I assume that you have now bought the offending device, and that your silence is due to the audio nirvana that you are now experiencing!

Surely you weren't trying to wind us up again?

I am impressed about the amount of coverage of the Hugo on this forum. I hope to have a listen to the animal in some time - to just get why all rave about it.

I have a UQ, a NAP100 and speakers. Where would the Hugo go in that chain? And could I still use N-Stream? And how would I control the volume, etc?

Thanks!

Alex

The Hugo would take its feed from the digital output of the UQ. The Hugo's analog output would feed the NAP 100. However, you would lose volume control and balance of the UQ, because the UQ's digital output is taken before the volume and balance controls.

The UQ will then be a streaming device (no DAC) and nStream will still work.

Volume control would be manual, on the Hugo. To maintain remote control of volume would require a DAC with a remote volume control function.

Or the use of a pre-amp with remote volume control between Hugo and NAP100 (which is a power amp of course)

Number of unimpressed, so far..

and counting..!!

It may be a pain to have to get up to change the volume but the Hugo sounds fantastic straight into a Nap100,  I find it difficult to believe there woild br any advantage in a preamp spart from remote control

You probably already know but the uq2 digitises the tuner signal which means you also get very good radio from your uq through Hugo. Best upgrade I have ever made

I may try and borrow a phono/XLR lead to see what the Hugo sounds like straight into the 500 but it wouldn't be a practical solution because of the vinyl side of the system.

I suspect that's a jest and also that it would sound damned good through your preamp! Would be very interesting to hear how it worked if you did though 

I'll be trying the same thing this weekend into the 250, with the Hugo and with the Mirus. All the gory details next week...

The problem in my case is I'd have route the signal into my Stax headphone amplifier and from there to my 200, but this would mean I'd have turn the 200 off every time I wanted to listen to the headphones and I really prefer to leave Naim stuff on all the time not least because switching on/ off actually shortens smoothing capacitor life........ So I think I'm going to stick with my 202 pro tem.

There is always one.  

You guys set me up to be blown away.  I'm a nordost cable guy so according to the doubters i should experience expectation bias and love Hugo to bits.

Well I have a Hugo on loan at the moment.  Its very good, .........but!  

Firstly its fresh out the box, so take note of others comments on burn in and temper my comments.

My system uses Vivid B1s, Valhalla cables and Conrad Johnson tube amps (with KT 120s for a cleaner sound).  I have invested a lot optimising my Naim DAC, all carefully auditioned prior to purchase.  Some of that effort is lost going to the Hugo.  The dedicated high current line, the Nordost Odin power cord that feeds my system, the Valhallas that feed the XPS2DR and DAC. Resonance feet don't play ball with the lightweight Hugo.  Even good cable dressing is lost on the Hugo as the weight of the cables tip it slightly. Much of this didn't come cheap of course so my nDAC implementation was expensive.

The differences i heard were more a matter of personal preference.Yes you get greater separation of instruments on Hugo but it also seemed like spotlighting and everything was smaller.  The Naim sound fills the space and the bottom end is much fuller.  Listening to piano the Naim has weight and you get a feel for the the guts of the instrument.  With the Hugo i got the keys but the body was not there ( run in maybe).  Vocals.  You could say the Naim was more chesty, but i just cared more and enjoyed more about was being sung via the Naim.  I should qualify that i like listening a moderate levels, which is probably why i ended up with a tube amp.

Practicality as a home component is questionable.  When you switch on you need to set up line level volume and source selection.  Buttons are worthy of a $200 walkman, not $2400.  It feels like you would get 12 months before switching problems start.  My line level out WBT connects were about 1mm apart.  I also worry about scratching the unit when pressing the tiny tiny buttons, a big worry when auditioning gear and/ or trying to keep it pristine.

i put the Naim gear back on and so far i am struggling to generate enough interest to switch back to the Hugo.   This reminds me of my audition of the Weiss 202 DAC.  On that occasion i also lost interest in the AB process pretty quickly.

So, great for what it is, but clearly not for everyone ( like everything).  Great gadget for the money though, definitely worth a listen.  i had thought my system was a shade too cuddly but for me this audition just made me appreciate what my system does well and the build quality of Naim.

Thats my 2 cents worth.

Briz, interesting post.. It shows the importance of system matching and preference.. Ie you should always audition before you buy.

Intrigued by the spotlighting as many find the Hugo smoother and more veiled than they are used to.. but clearly that's how it sounds in your system to you. I do find interconnects important, and remember to correctly to match the Hugo for your Naim pre input. Also I assume the borrowed unit is well run in?

Simon

He said it's fresh out of the box so I doubt it's run in. Briz, put it back in the system and leave it running for four days. I didn't like it particularly when new but after about 100 hours it's a different beast, especially where the bass response is concerned. Be patient and give it a chance.

Steve

Update.  I have taken Steve Js advice and its back in.

To start with it was as much before, maybe a little less of the spotlight thing.  Then i began thinking outside the box.  I have 2 Valhalla power cords and a set of sort cones on the Naim gear.  So i moved the preamp to the DACs lofty perch and used its better Valhalla power cord.  The Paul Hynes PS for the digital components went in the preamps slot on its cones and it also got a Valhalla Instead of its stock cord.

Ok, this combo wins, its clearly less grainy, open and lets face it, its better than any other option.  I will run this for the rest if the weekend.  

I'm playing Naim labels Meet me in London at the moment.  Nothing is lacking really.  i'm starting to enjoy playing with the setup now, although i seem to have run out of options to play with.  This layout would allow me to put the preamps brahma on the phono pre and the Tyr (which was going back to the shop because it WAS too short ) on my phono preamp.  So maybe vinyl gets a boost as well.

I held one on my hands today.

The dealer (not my usual one) rated it very highly. I asked how it compares to the NDS and he reckoned it was down to personal taste. He mentioned a customer who had returned it after trying on  an NDX, but he said others had preferred it. When I asked if it was less harsh or more analogue than the NDS he pointed out that the NDS is neither harsh nor digital sounding - did I agree? - Yes - Well then!

Will I try or buy? No, or at least, not yet. I don't want to sell the NDS as I want to stick with Naim streaming so I'd be looking at the thick end of two grand, including decent interconnects, which is not what I want to do right now (with a Dynavector XX2 still on my credit card!). He suggested that NDS owners can justify it as an outstanding headphone amp and a nice alternative to the main DAC. I agree, but would need to buy better headphones than my £50 AKGs. 

So it's as good/better than an NDS, according to taste, seemingly. Where does that leave Naim? Well, a DAC555 will need to be be "night and day" better than the NDS (two 555 power supplies needed when coupled with an NDS, pressumably?!). Alternatively, they could surprise us by making it unexpectedly cheap :-o

Would I buy an NDS today, knowing that it struggles to better a product that costs more than £10k less. Er... Well... I guess a Hugo audition would be a "no brainer". 

Keith

Very interested in your revised thoughts on the Hugo. Looking at a Chord DAC myself, either a Hugo or the QBD76 HDSD DAC (or it's replacement).

Not sure what you are after, but I want more detail/resolution (but no hardness that can come with like some other DACs out there) and I don't want to give up the bass reach & detail the n-DAC/555PS gives me either.

It looks like you are in Australia, no Chord Electronics in any Perth dealer I am afraid. 

A special note of thank's to the NAIM Forum MOD's are in order I think. Not many company owned forums would allow such detailed discussions on competitors products vs NAIM products I would have thought 

The Hugo was returned.  The cables it freed up made it a tempting proposition but basically its a portable. The QBD76 is a different monetary proposition.  The amazing value aspect would be lost and it would only free up one of my power cables. If Chord brought out a version for home use that was still battery powered but just had proper packaging ( proper case and switches and that didnt require you to reset the thing each time you switched it on) i would be happy.

i would be happier if Naim just updated the NDAC because then I could trade in mine.  I think a DAC555 would not make sense as the Hugo gives you the performance at such a low price point.  I would pay more than the Hugo price for a decent package but not that much more.

Back to my NDAC, frankly its still a very good DAC If you already have one, its just that things have moved on.  My only dilema right now is where to put my not quite so good Brahma power cord vs my Valhalla, DAC or Preamp.  Put the lesser cord on the DAC and the vocals slip into the mix but the preamp is more open and less grainy.  Put the lesser chord on the peramp and you get more grain but  the DAC has more detail and the vocals are more immediate and seemingly more detailed.  With a battery DAC i could put Valhalla cables on everything which removed the compromises.

Yes, i could buy another Valhalla but they are worth significantly more than a Hugo.  This is the big drawback of mega multi box systems now that we recognise the value of things like the powerline and similar products.

I haven't listened to one, so take this with as much salt as you want, but having looked at one and picked it up I won't be buying a Hugo. It's just not something that attracts me. This is just down to personal priorities - I have a system that sounds great to me, so if the aesthetics aren't right I'm not going to upgrade..

If Chord bring out a product with the Hugo SQ and the kind of look and feel that suits me, I'd definitely audition one. I'll also be interested in what the competition do, as competitive advantage in technology doesn't tend to last very long. I'll wait.

There is no such thing as a perfect product, if it doesn't fit your needs then its not for you.  I don't mind the looks to be honest, and the buld quality is unfairly malliged in my view but the difference in sq for the money paid makes it a no brainer for me.  Wether its for you or not we will all benefit because I suspect other companies will sit up and take notice and raise their game and that should lead to innovation and improved products

There will be a black version coming shortly, but in the same casing.

You also get used to the look. I have my. Hugo on a top shelf Fraim and I think the small minimalist look now looks cool and uncluttered, although at first it looked strange as it replaced the NDAC/555PS boxes. The variable coloured indicator LEDs are a great piece of design.

i like the robust case with the minimalist input selection switch.

I leave my  Hugo switched on for optimum sound quality and the current draw is minute.

Going  back to a larger DAC now would be an unattractive proposition, unless it offered a significant performance improvement over the Hugo.

i would say the only downside to the Hugo is that the USB connectors feel slightly flimsy as they are the micro types, but I usually use the SPDIF optical and electrical connectors and I leave the unit in situ.

Simon

Mine has use as a single source only, so no worries about switching. It sits relatively out of sight and was purchased with the single criterion of improved sound (over ndx:555PS or ndac:555PS).

G