Hugo 1 battery problems

All batteries wear out in time, and I haven't seen any evidence that Hugo batteries have a poor lifespan or performance. Maybe worth checking if replacement can be done by a dealer or Australian distributor to avoid having to send it back to the UK?

I have read quite a few posts here and elsewhere where people have had to send their Hugo's back for warranty repair because of battery problems.

What would be interesting to put battery life in context is how people who have had to have batteries replaced used them: e.g. always plugged into mains and on; running with mains connected when in use, but only powered up when in use; regularly running on battery power until bateries drained then recharging; etc.

otherwise all I can say is that in 2 years mine ran without a hitch. Most of the time I ran with mains connected, leaving permanently powered up.

That would be interesting to know. When you say 2 years, is that until a problem or replacement or just how long you had it?

AussieSteve posted:

I have read quite a few posts here and elsewhere where people have had to send their Hugo's back for warranty repair because of battery problems.

I am not aware of any battery problems pre se, but there was an issue with early Hugo internal power supply electronics which Chord Electronics did repair. My early Hugo was repaired free of charge by Chord.. it was approx 2 years old at the time and all handled by my dealer.. I was without it for two weeks. 

why is it a "major problem"

that's like saying Iphones have a major problem or laptops have a major problem because they use batteries. (My iphone 6 battery ran out after 2 years and I replaced it, now it works like brand new)

When the battery goes bad, and in the case of a Hugo this has a planned battery life of 5 years at least, then a Chord Dealer will arrange to replace them.

Hugo is not used like a phone or a laptop, so 5 years is a fair and reasonable expectation. 

Also Hugo can be switched off, and only takes 5 to 10 minutes to warm up again and sound good. 

But the battery should be used once a month, remove the charger and let the battery drain to 50 % at least once a month.

Simple things really, and nothing to get worried about at all.

Ali, when I inquired with Chord/dealer whether I needed to anything with the internal battery, and whether leaving it permanently connected to the PSU was harmful, I was told no, I can just plug it in and forget and I have done so ever since...

AussieSteve posted:

That would be interesting to know. When you say 2 years, is that until a problem or replacement or just how long you had it?

 

Just how long I had it before upgrading to Dave.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Ali, when I inquired with Chord/dealer whether I needed to anything with the internal battery, and whether leaving it permanently connected to the PSU was harmful, I was told no, I can just plug it in and forget and I have done so ever since...

---

 

I asked the same question to Chord who said the same but added that you should occasionally unplug and allow it to power cycle

My battery, or its regulator, died after just under two years.  Chord replaced it free of charge and I had it back within two weeks or so.  I don't consider it to be a major problem and would be perfectly willing to have the battery replaced every two years in return for the SQ I get from the device

My experiences are exactly the same as Dayjay's. I wasn't expecting the battery to die and was a bit disappointed at first but via my dealer it was quickly sent back and returned free of charge which was a nice touch because it was actually out of warranty at the time. So I really can't complain. 

What does a new battery cost?

AussieSteve posted:

What does a new battery cost?

 

A question, I suggest, for either your local distributor or Cchord themselves - or both, as it seems most mentioned on this forum have so far been replaced foc whether or not  under warranty.

Same experience for me . My 32 month old Hugo's battery died 3 weeks ago , it was replaced no questions asked and free of charge . From what I can gather  it was a problem with early Hugo's thats been rectified . All batteries need replacing at some point and its a small price to pay for the performance received . 

I would buy it again in a heartbeat . 

My Hugo battery died just after the 2 years warranty. My dealer send it to the North American distributor but I had to pay for repair. Those Lithium-Ion batteries are not available in Canada and Enix Energy would not ship them overseas. I don't know why Chord did not design the Hugo with user replaceable batteries...

cat345 posted:

I don't know why Chord did not design the Hugo with user replaceable batteries...

I don't know why Apple didn't design their iPhones with user replaceable batteries..

...neither company did . I don't why that is.

BigH47 posted:

cat345 posted:

I don't know why Chord did not design the Hugo with user replaceable batteries...

I don't know why Apple didn't design their iPhones with user replaceable batteries..

...neither company did . I don't why that is.

Well, I changed the battery in my iPhone 4 about 3 or 4 years ago...

I've been quoted £120 plus fitting from my dealer to replace my duff Hugo batteries.

Not 

Innocent Bystander posted:

BigH47 posted:

cat345 posted:

I don't know why Chord did not design the Hugo with user replaceable batteries...

I don't know why Apple didn't design their iPhones with user replaceable batteries..

...neither company did . I don't why that is.

Well, I changed the battery in my iPhone 4 about 3 or 4 years ago...

Not exactly user friendly or easy though? I'm just sorting out an old Samsung 3, clip the back out comes battery, replace and put case on that's user replaceable, to me. No spluggers, sluggers , hammers or what ever. 

Although I've no experience of the Hugo compared with a cartridge rebuild it seems a very reasonable price to me.  

Regards,

Lindsay

Chord may well get themselves into a pickle with regard to free / charged for battery replacements. At some point they'll have to stop doing it for free.

Does a 'duff' battery stop the Hugo completely, or can it still be used when plugged into the mains?

Gavin B posted:

Does a 'duff' battery stop the Hugo completely, or can it still be used when plugged into the mains?

That's the problem unfortunately... when the battery goes, the unit won't work at all whether connected to the mains or not.

Yeah my duff batteries meant I had no power but the charge light would show inside. The power is taken from the batteries not the wall wart so it renders it useless until its repaired.

If a battery replacement cost $250 Australian, it makes me wonder if that additional cost every X number of years warrants buying one. I have no doubt they are fabulous, however come time to shop I'll make sure I test a few out including Naim's updated? DAC. I would really like a new Naim DAC like the V-1 in size, with a HiCap sized upgrade as a power source so as to fit in one rack shelf.

The 2qute is supposed to be the straight DAC version with no battery but it's reckoned to not be as good by many who've compared it to the hugo, is this just because of the fixed output level compared to a hugo set to turquoise on the attenuator? Does a hugo set to fixed output still beat a 2qute? 

2qute on attenuator plugs anyone?