Hugo woe

I wouldn't be surprised if Chord designs a better battery so that it can last 5 years.

had same failure ,twice .   life of battery is a problem/ recycling battery charging I guess. I no longer have hugo

audio1946 posted:

had same failure ,twice .   life of battery is a problem/ recycling battery charging I guess. I no longer have hugo

Oh you tease, okay then I'll ask- What DAC do you have now?

.sjb

[@mention:1566878603876139] - I'm assuming you've had no such problems with your TT...?

Battery issue was Part of the reason I opted for the 2quote but as Chord replace them free perhaps I should have tried a Hugo. 

nickpeacock posted:

[@mention:1566878603876139] - I'm assuming you've had no such problems with your TT...?

No issues, thankfully, 14 months in. 

.sjb

Sloop John B posted:

nickpeacock posted:

[@mention:1566878603876139] - I'm assuming you've had no such problems with your TT...?

No issues, thankfully, 14 months in. 

.sjb

Cool, thanks.

So was I the only person who assumed Nick was asking about a turntable and wondered what the relevance was, before realising it was the Hugo TT? (I know it's obvious from context, it just took hours for me to click.)

Hugo sent off for replacement batteries - had to do it via the dealer I bought from. Turns out my Hugo had lasted 3.5 years before replacements required - maybe because I did the occasional discharge/recharge thing. Well out of warranty, so expecting to pay - hey-ho.

(In other news, see my profile for my latest Hugo-related acquisition...)

mine lasted 2.5 yrs  and caused other problems.   repaired and sold on

nickpeacock posted:

(In other news, see my profile for my latest Hugo-related acquisition...)

Nice -- a big step up with the TT? Please share your impressions/assessment. 

 

It was just the thread title that gave me a wry smile. I'm sure you'll admit that the admiration of the Hugo has been rather overdone. Anyway, the good thing is that Chord are able and willing to fix them so readily. 

Not overdone at all. I can understand where you are coming from, but unless you have heard one for a few days, you wouldn't understand why so many people are fans of the Hugo.

Jonn posted:

Given this issue will continue and at some point  Chord will stop replacing the battery for free plus the inconvenience  only a fool would buy a Hugo Mk1 S/H.

Not necessarily so given the following info, especially if the used prices fall considerably with increasing awareness of this issue (and H2 now available), which could make it a real budget possibility for anyone having basic ability with a soldering iron, willing to put up with the occasional hassle to benefit from its great sound.

cat345 posted:

tonym posted:

cat345 posted:

Yep, the same happened to my Hugo twice... The non user-replaceable batteries need replacement. 

Anyone any idea what type of battery the Hugo uses? The "non-user replacement" label always triggers off a challenge with me. I've successfully replaced batteries in a couple of remotes. If Chord can replace them then it can't be too much of a job to do the same, can it? 

The batteries are Enix Energy  Ref. : MGL 2811 and are available in the UK. Of course, opening the Hugo case will void the warranty!

Available at £18.36 ea on Well known electrical website

Timo posted:

nickpeacock posted:

(In other news, see my profile for my latest Hugo-related acquisition...)

Nice -- a big step up with the TT? Please share your impressions/assessment. 

Well spotted! So far so good - putting a Hugo TT into the system after a week or so bare NDX brought back a nice big grin. Difficult to say yet whether it's an improvement over the Hugo but I greatly appreciate the TT features of it (including remote, good for headphone use).

Sloop John B posted:

audio1946 posted:

had same failure ,twice .   life of battery is a problem/ recycling battery charging I guess. I no longer have hugo

Oh you tease, okay then I'll ask- What DAC do you have now?

.sjb

ps audio dac.   sold hugo after battery/repair  .   batteries will always start to fail after a year or two.  prefare the psaudio.  also needed more connectivity.  listened to the dave but out of reach.  did consider the auralic too after trial , thought that dac was very good.    plenty of good dacs on the market all with a slightly different presentation.   running a auralic mini fitted with 2 tera digital out.  with a great ipad application.this unit also has a good internal dac all for 450£

Sorry to hear about the Hugo woes. Great technology in the DAC, but ion batteries will always present problems. (Having worked in the mobile phone industry, power management is the biggest constraining factor in technology progress).

There are intrinsic issues with these batteries becoming less effective over time, and generally - not always - these are exacerbated by being left on mains power for long periods. They are often optimised for complete cycles of empty/full, rather than constant charging. 

If I were a dealer, I would recommend Chord DACs that are mains powered, but not the Hugo.

Got my Hugo 1 back from Chord again, all repaired free of charge.. again... sounding better than ever or perhaps I just missed it... after a short break from them you forget how amazingly well they perform.

Have been toying with the idea of trying out a Hugo 2 with my NDX but, living in NZ, threads like this concern me.  Would the local agents Rappalo AV be able to replace the battery and if so, would they do so free of charge?  Or would it need to be returned to the UK?  In which case I would probably have to cover shipping costs etc... 

I have never really understood the worship and infatuation with the Hugo... I guess horses for courses but I perfect the sound of the Naim DAC's

King Size posted:

Have been toying with the idea of trying out a Hugo 2 with my NDX but, living in NZ, threads like this concern me.  Would the local agents Rappalo AV be able to replace the battery and if so, would they do so free of charge?  Or would it need to be returned to the UK?  In which case I would probably have to cover shipping costs etc... 

Try a 2Qute no batteries and mains powered some people have an issue with the gain which is quite high for Nac's but not Naim integrated amps I believe. I have mine into Nac 282 and although it is loud low down the volume dial it is not an issue for me.

King Size posted:

Have been toying with the idea of trying out a Hugo 2 with my NDX but, living in NZ, threads like this concern me.  Would the local agents Rappalo AV be able to replace the battery and if so, would they do so free of charge?  Or would it need to be returned to the UK?  In which case I would probably have to cover shipping costs etc... 

There has been some indication that the problem may have been confined to the earlier production of Hugo, though I don't know that we have enough info to be definitive. And of course it is likely to have been something Chord will have been concerned about themselves when revising the device.

Why not speak to your local distributor to find out if they do any servicing or repair themselves, and if that extends to battery replacement in the event of failure. Also worth contacting Chord themselves direct and asking about the battery given the history with the original Hugo, and see what they have to say.

Otherwise if you still feel it is too much of an issue there is 2Qute, as BtB has mentioned, though it is reputed not to sound quite as good as H1, and certainly not as good as H2 (unless they produce a 2Q2 in due course). There is alsoHugo TT, though it is a lot more expensive and perhaps not better sounding as it was only slightly better than H1 - whether that will now come down in price at all, or also be improved, of course are also unknown factors.

King Size posted:

Have been toying with the idea of trying out a Hugo 2 with my NDX but, living in NZ, threads like this concern me.  Would the local agents Rappalo AV be able to replace the battery and if so, would they do so free of charge?  Or would it need to be returned to the UK?  In which case I would probably have to cover shipping costs etc... 

The Hugo 2 has a "desktop mode", and it is claimed that this extends the lifetime of the battery significantly. I think it was suggested that it could last 10 years, as the battery is not effectively charged anymore in desktop mode. And apparently the Hugo 2 can run without battery. So maybe there is no battery issue anymore -- but of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating...

Yes my issue doesn't appear battery related but an issue with the internal PSU, as Chord are not replacing batteries at no charge. The internal power supplies in the Hugo are quite advanced devices. I also understand that the new advice from Chord for the Hugo 1 is not leave it connected to external power continuously, and occasionally discharge battery. This has changed from the initial advice. Regarding TT I borrowed one when my Hugo 1 was at Chord.. no comparison to my ears Hugo1 wins rather clearly, it really is quite noticeable. I have noticed this before. I will listen out for Hugo2, as DAVE wasn't my cup of tea. I do wonder if the original Hugo1 was a one off however, and I have found not all Hugo1 sound the same either especially with regard to the inner detail you experience, and before my failed completely it's performance had started to ebb, but now repaired all is restored.

Simon

DUPREE posted:

I have never really understood the worship and infatuation with the Hugo... I guess horses for courses but I perfect the sound of the Naim DAC's

Not sure who worships or is infatuated with Hugo, rather my impression from this forum is that a good proportion of those who have listened to it may adore or be in love with the sound the quirky little box produces, which having heard it I find quite understandable - though after a couple of blissful years together I ended up jilting mine after being seduced by Dave.