Hugo 2

Kermit posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

I agree Nick. Though when does reasonable and sensible become tedious and obsessive? 

That is how your mind interprets what you are reading, may be worthwhile having a more open mind to the fact that there are other manufacturers and other products out there. Saying that I've owned Hugo's and didn't rate them one bit.

My initial comment about Chord was triggered by a number of recommendations to get one, seemingly regardless of what the OP was looking to do. For example, improving a streamer, and getting the response to sell it and replace it with a computer and a Chord Dac. The response was much more 'do it because that's what I've done' rather than 'before you go in one direction, you may like to consider another'. The Chord promotion is just a little OTT. I've been criticised for over-recommending the 272 and now take great care to suggest it only when appropriate. If someone with an NDX and a 202 wants to make an improvement I'm not going to suggest getting shot of them both for a 272.

I don't doubt that these Chords are super products and perhaps others are right in that it's a dearth of innovation by Naim that is driving people to look elsewhere. 

I was intrigued though to see one eminent forum member moving back to a full Naim system after an extended dalliance with a Chord Dac that was being used as a preamp as well. There is certainly a rightness about a fully integrated setup, and when you introduce something with a different sonic signature, does it become better or just different? And is something lost in the process?

Anyway, this thread is about the Hugo 2, so enough of this twittering about Naim...

From the initial reports of people listening to hugo 2 at events it seems it may well be closer to Dave rather than original Hugo in sound quality.

Not great news for naim source owners is that Hugo 2 uses a 3.5mm jack coax input, finding appropriate cable terminations could prove problematic.

Emre posted:

Meanwhile I may get a hugo2 as a headphone amp if it is far better than a mojo

 

I have a Mojo and a Hugo. I use these on on trips away when I only have recourse to music on iPhone or iPad. Mojo if flying and Hugo if we are travelling by car and have more space. Neither disappoints, but I reckon that you get 80%of the performance of a Hugo from a 30% cost Mojo. And that is an estimate based in headphone listening only.

Halloween Man posted:

From the initial reports of people listening to hugo 2 at events it seems it may well be closer to Dave rather than original Hugo in sound quality.

 

Oh dear! That'd be a pity if true. 

Emre posted:

Still going on foreign dacs and Stuff!

 

For me any product or brand( other than lp12 which is a step sister) surfacing here, is a sign of a good product, if the users of this forum talks about them a lot, that means there is something to it, enough to spoil nice looking rack visual full of classics with colored balls funny named gadgets, who prefers to do that in this Forum? 

We want a naim dac that will stop this non sense strange name products Asap!  And a headphone Amp! Classic looks Please! 

Meanwhile I may get a hugo2 as a headphone amp if it is far better than a mojo

 

A good point Emre, most people on this forum love their music and want to hear it at its best.  Any product discussed on here is worth a listen in my view.  For me it's quite simple - the Chord gives me better sound quality than I could get for anything remotely close the cost. Believe me, if Naim brought out a dac that sounded better, and that didn't cost ten times the price I'd buy it, it would look lovely with my other boxes too 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Kermit posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

I agree Nick. Though when does reasonable and sensible become tedious and obsessive? 

That is how your mind interprets what you are reading, may be worthwhile having a more open mind to the fact that there are other manufacturers and other products out there. Saying that I've owned Hugo's and didn't rate them one bit.

My initial comment about Chord was triggered by a number of recommendations to get one, seemingly regardless of what the OP was looking to do. For example, improving a streamer, and getting the response to sell it and replace it with a computer and a Chord Dac. The response was much more 'do it because that's what I've done' rather than 'before you go in one direction, you may like to consider another'.

As someone who has gone beyond simply suggesting Hugo when a DAC is being considered, and has indeed made the specific suggestion that HH cites, namely that of a computer and chord DAC I feel a little defensive, and so will take pains here to set the record straight - these comments of course only apply to my own submissions. 

I must point out that when I have done this, it has been to make the inquirer aware of the option I present as an alternative to what they or others have identified, either being one that they might not have considered, or to give more information to help them make a decision if it is already an identified option. In many cases the occasions when I have presented this particular possibility have been in relation to one particular streamer option (and/or power supply), against a backdrop of my wishing I had been aware of that particular possibility at the point where I made the decision that led down the path the inquirer is considering, because to me the alternative proved to be better, and it would have saved me time and money if I had had that information myself at the time. When it fits the context I also give examples of alternatives that I believe may give similar benefit to my solution, though I am cautious where I don't have direct experience so will make it clear if something is just an impression I have from others' posts.

When I write my contributions I try to make it clear that what I present is just an alternative, never saying anything to the effect of 'do this', and I am always at pains to cite my experience to allow the reader to put my comments in the context of whatever their position is, and never meaning or suggesting that someone should do it because I have. Of course, there is always the risk, as has happened, that if anyone skim-reads they could either form an erroneous impression of the latter, or if they come to it with an incorrect preconception of my motive then simply take it as reinforcement of what they already think.

Defensive behaviour over - back to Hugo2...

Halloween Man posted:

From the initial reports of people listening to hugo 2 at events it seems it may well be closer to Dave rather than original Hugo in sound quality.

Not great news for naim source owners is that Hugo 2 uses a 3.5mm jack coax input, finding appropriate cable terminations could prove problematic.

Yes, Coax electrical input (SPDIF) appears to have changed to 3.5mm jack, so an adaptor cable would be needed from standard SPDIF outputs (whether BNC as on Naim streamers, or RCA). USB and optical seem unchanged.

I somehow doubt it will approach Dave, though presumably we should expect it to sound better than Hugo1. If indeed it approaches Dave, fantastic for everyone else, but those of us who have bought Dave may feel a little peeved that we didn't wait a few months!

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

Halloween Man posted:

From the initial reports of people listening to hugo 2 at events it seems it may well be closer to Dave rather than original Hugo in sound quality.

Not great news for naim source owners is that Hugo 2 uses a 3.5mm jack coax input, finding appropriate cable terminations could prove problematic.

No such problems really , Chord cables made me a Hugo friendly  Signature TA BNC-RCA and its a damn fine cable too IMO . 

Halloween Man posted:

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

A Dodo?

Hungryhalibut posted:

Halloween Man posted:

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

A Dodo?

*chortle*

Hungryhalibut posted:

Halloween Man posted:

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

A Dodo?

Or perhaps a Mojave..?

No, possibly too dry...

Surely a Dojo - 

Richard Dane posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Halloween Man posted:

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

A Dodo?

Or perhaps a Mojave..?

No, possibly too dry...

Mojito?  

Too minty

Hugo 2 has 49000 Taps WTA filter, Dave 168,000 tap WTA filter

Hugo 2 has 10E pulse array DAC, Dave has 20 E (element)

Hugo 2 has a 49 core FPGA, Dave has 168 cores.

The Blu2 upsampler will have something like 760 cores to render a million taps, and those million taps are only available in combination with Dave.

It can upsample to 500,000 taps to the lesser brethren like Hugo 2 though, and also to a non-chord DAC like NDAC 

We've got four taps in our bathroom but it's rubbish at making music, terrible accoustics and nowhere to put speakers, not sure if there has ever been a pulse array in there though.  

dayjay posted:

We've got four taps in our bathroom but it's rubbish at making music, terrible accoustics and nowhere to put speakers, not sure if there has ever been a pulse array in there though.  

Is this another plug?

G

analogmusic posted:

 

Hugo 2 has 49000 Taps WTA filter, Dave 168,000 tap WTA filter

Hugo 2 has 10E pulse array DAC, Dave has 20 E (element)

Hugo 2 has a 49 core FPGA, Dave has 168 cores.

The Blu2 upsampler will have something like 760 cores to render a million taps, and those million taps are only available in combination with Dave.

In 2018 Salisbury, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator arrives from 2039 and steals guns and clothes. Shortly afterwards, Analogmusic, a hi-fi enthusiast from 2039, arrives. He steals clothes and evades the police. The Terminator begins systematically killing men named Rob Watts, whose addresses he finds in the telephone directory. He tracks the third Rob Watts to a audio manufacturer in Kent, but Analog rescues him. The two steal a car and escape with the Terminator pursuing them in a police car.

As they hide in a Hi-Fi shop, Analog explains to Rob that a sophisticated DAC based around the Watts Time Alignment Filter and with a Centillion taps, will become self-aware in the near future and initiate a nuclear holocaust....

(Apologies to James Cameron) 

analogmusic posted:

 

Hugo 2 has 49000 Taps WTA filter, Dave 168,000 tap WTA filter

Hugo 2 has 10E pulse array DAC, Dave has 20 E (element)

Hugo 2 has a 49 core FPGA, Dave has 168 cores.

The Blu2 upsampler will have something like 760 cores to render a million taps, and those million taps are only available in combination with Dave.

It can upsample to 500,000 taps to the lesser brethren like Hugo 2 though, and also to a non-chord DAC like NDAC 

Well that explains everything.  Do you know what any of that actually means?  I sure don't.

Also, if the answer to my last question is 'yes', please don't try and explain it, because I couldn't care less.

My predictive powers suggest that the next comment will begin with the words 'Rob Watts says'.

ha ha, had a good laugh reading the responses, the terminator one was really amusing.

will a Hugo 2 sound like a DAVE? don't know, and honestly I don't want to find out either 

Ignorance is sometimes bliss 

Damn, I was wrong.  

Steve Sells says that it's not easy to improve on an icon.  

The Tap rate must surely be to do with PRAT and that foot tapping nodding your head connection

Halloween Man posted:

I wouldn't worry too much IB. My guess would be about halfway between a Mojo and a Dave.

Wasn't it already There? 

Tabby cat posted:

The Tap rate must surely be to do with PRAT and that foot tapping nodding your head conection

So if you're not into foot tapping, Hugo's lesser siblings may be better than the higher ones?