Chord Hugo 2 desktop DAC - QUTEST

Like most manufacturers one needs to create new models to help with demand and revenue targets, however talking to the Mr Watts recently I got the distinct impression, it’s only DAVE and it’s transport pre processor which he sees as a significant technical advancement on the original Hugo, and his explanations why were interesting and even here there were some unknowns and paradoxes and so perhaps DAVE2 might be on the horizon?. Sure there haven some usability advancements since Hugo and cost reduction techniques, but to me they are mostly irrelevant for SQ. Mr Watts understandably comes across as exceedingly proud of the original Hugo and DAVE.

Edit NQ interesting... and yes since I have adopted that routine no failures my end either...

Mine was not the very first batch with the small openings,but as soon as they opened those sizes up,I got one,I would think that was about three years ago now.I also left it powered on all the time,with the wallwart connected all the time in my home setup.my friend that has it now does the same.As far as the Hugo goes,Rob Watts might think of it like a first born child,so it is very dear to him,but in my eyes/ears,the Hugo 2 is a LOT better.

MP posted:

 QUTEST + Melco should be fine pair. 

Yes this looks very interesting. The configurable output is a bonus too as I was looking for something suitable to drive my Nait 1 with.

Most modern sources are too high an output level for older kit (as others have mentioned) so the 1v setting looks to be ideal.

James

Yes indeed Hugo laid the foundation for the next DAC's like Mojo, TT,  Dave and Blu2 - so is very special to Rob, but Hugo 2  was not released done for commercial reasons, Hugo 2 is considerably better than Hugo 1, and closer to Dave than closer to Hugo 1 in performance.

Indeed there was some concern at Chord that Hugo 2 might eat into Dave sales. 

Still as Rob Says himself "Hugo 2 ain't no Dave" but has (I mean the Hugo 2 and now Qutest) the big advantage of being upgradeable with a Blu2 processor (something that was only possible with Blu2 being paired with only Dave before)

analogmusic posted:

Hugo 2  was not released done for commercial reasons

 

Really? Have we already overcome capitalism and I missed it? 

no  - there is a clear technical improvement compared to Hugo 1.  

the FGPA is more advanced, has more processing capability and is able to accept the dual outputs of a Blu2 upscaler to take it to a million taps.

I would argue it was very generous of Rob, otherwise they very well could have left the last (Blu2 compatible) capability out and only reserved for Dave 

But then I'd like them to be a lot more generous and lower the price of the DAVINA when it released.

8000 GBP for Blu2 is a LOT of money. 

analogmusic posted:

 

I would argue it was very generous of Rob

Now it's getting really bizarre... 

Hmack posted:

This may have come along at just the right time for me.

I came home from holiday over the Christmas period to some pretty horrible sounds emanating from my Hugo (1) based second system. Initially, there was a a huge amount of distortion which quickly became total silence from both the SPDIF and USB HD outputs, and a single channel of sound from the USB SD output. In fact, my microRendu now cannot see the Hugo DAC at all. Initially, I wasn't at all sure that the problem was the Hugo and not my speakers or my AV amp until I swapped in my Klimax DS/1 from my other system which played perfectly over the system. 

If the Qutest matches the audio quality of the Hugo2, then at the price that is forecast, it may be the perfect DAC for my AV system. If it also happens to be galvanically isolated, then I might also be able to ditch my Gustard U12 USB to SPDIF converter. 

Great news.

 

Accidentally I have the same issues since a couple of days with my microrendu and Hugo dac (v1). Only pulling out the power cable of the microrendu seems to fix the issue. I do see hints of errors in the Roon log but have not taken the time to do a thorough investiagation (their logs are quite verbose!).

Timo posted:

analogmusic posted:

 

I would argue it was very generous of Rob 

Now it's getting really bizarre... 

Not really. Try to read up a bit on the Blu2 upscaler or better still, hear one.

A million taps digital filter is the peak of technology when it comes to the Chord hierarchy. No company in the world other than Chord is offering this, at any price, not even DCS which costs a shit load more money,

It was only previously available to owners of the DAVE DAC. There was no plans to allow this to Hugo 2 owners by the way initially

But now it is available to Hugo2 owners and also the new QUTEST dac.

All I can say is I got a first pressing of the Vinyl of New Jersey by Bon Jovi, 20 years old, and the CD replay from Dave sounds better than that first pressing. This is an all analog recording on Vinyl.

Never thought I'd hear this (digital sounding better and more musical than the original all analog Vinyl) happen, but hey ho... 

analogmusic posted:

Timo posted:

analogmusic posted:

 

I would argue it was very generous of Rob 

Now it's getting really bizarre... 

Not really. Try to read up a bit on the Blu2 upscaler or better still, hear one.

A million taps digital filter is the peak of technology when it comes to the Chord hierarchy. No company in the world other than Chord is offering this, at any price, not even DCS which costs a shit load more money,

It was only previously available to owners of the DAVE DAC. There was no plans to allow this to Hugo 2 owners by the way initially

But now it is available to Hugo2 owners and also the new QUTEST dac.

All I can say is I got a first pressing of the Vinyl of New Jersey by Bon Jovi, 20 years old, and the CD replay from Dave sounds better than that first pressing. This is an all analog recording on Vinyl.

Never thought I'd hear this (digital sounding better and more musical than the original all analog Vinyl) happen, but hey ho... 

 

Okay -- a lost cause; he doesn't get it...

no - I do get it, you clearly don't understand the technology and the prices involved. 

Please check prices of DCS Vivaldi full stack first.

The four components are: the Vivaldi DAC ($34,999, slightly more than the original Elgar-Purcell-Verdi combo), which, using can decode every digital resolution, from MP3 to DSD to DXD (a 24-bit/358.8kHz PCM format used primarily for editing DSD files) and everything in between; the Vivaldi Upsampler ($19,999), which can upconvert the lowest-resolution MP3 data to 24/384, DSD, and DXD or any format in between; the Vivaldi Master Clock ($13,499), containing two groups of four clock outputs, which can be independently set; and the Vivaldi Transport ($39,999), a smooth, quiet, quick-booting SACD/CD drive based on TEAC's Esoteric VRDS Neo disc mechanism, considered by many to be the world's finest (footnote 1). This is controlled by dCS-designed signal-processing electronics, and can also upsample CDs to DSD or DXD.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

[I do like Chord DACs. But I get why some here are rather annoyed/irritated by the "evangelists"...]

Rob Watts actually had kind of a “eurika” moment with the blu2,he discovered that 1 million taps is basically just as good as an infinite number of taps...or processing.He was so excited,that he wanted to share this breakthrough with all of his loyal customers as quickly as possible.This is why he is “upgrading”all his DACS so quickly,NOT some attempt at making all previous DACS worthless,he is releasing these products,kind of as he invents them,which has turned out to be much quicker than he originally thought was possible.In my opinion,the man is a genius,and he frequently posts on Head-fi forum,sharing more information than he probably should.As analog said,the Blu2/Dave combo IS the best digital source out there,I have heard it on many occasions at my local dealers house.

Timo posted:

analogmusic posted:

 

I would argue it was very generous of Rob

Now it's getting really bizarre... 

First Naim Audio and now Rob Watts of Chord these two philanthropic titans of hifi neither of whom are in it for money.

they aren't. Rob Watts and all the engineers at Naim are driven by a single minded goal to achieve the best musical performance in hi-fi.

And they are not making footballers salaries 

I'm going to try the QUTEST, as finally Chord have made a DAC that makes sense to me.  For all the praise Hugo received around here, I couldn't be bothered with a battery powered DAC and the associated issues.  The output level of the 2Qute put me off that, and DAVE is just too expensive for my liking.  This though, makes a lot of sense to me.  Looking forward to hearing one. 

One thing that does fry my head a bit though is the 5v USB power input.  With all the talk around here about dedicated mains spurs, mains cables, a 555PS in to nDAC for good measure, and yet a 5v USB power input is sufficient to power a DAC that can rival anything Naim, or just about anyone else makes.....apparently.  Ultimately, I'll be the judge of that, but at £1200, I hope it's true.

Songstream

there is already a Chord Qutest head-fi thread/forum started,Rob himself addresses the power supply on page 10.

No quarter posted:

Songstream

there is already a Chord Qutest head-fi thread/forum started,Rob himself addresses the power supply on page 10.

Thanks.  Got it.

Tom-in-Amsterdam posted:

Hmack posted:

This may have come along at just the right time for me.

I came home from holiday over the Christmas period to some pretty horrible sounds emanating from my Hugo (1) based second system. Initially, there was a a huge amount of distortion which quickly became total silence from both the SPDIF and USB HD outputs, and a single channel of sound from the USB SD output. In fact, my microRendu now cannot see the Hugo DAC at all. Initially, I wasn't at all sure that the problem was the Hugo and not my speakers or my AV amp until I swapped in my Klimax DS/1 from my other system which played perfectly over the system. 

If the Qutest matches the audio quality of the Hugo2, then at the price that is forecast, it may be the perfect DAC for my AV system. If it also happens to be galvanically isolated, then I might also be able to ditch my Gustard U12 USB to SPDIF converter. 

Great news.

 

Accidentally I have the same issues since a couple of days with my microrendu and Hugo dac (v1). Only pulling out the power cable of the microrendu seems to fix the issue. I do see hints of errors in the Roon log but have not taken the time to do a thorough investiagation (their logs are quite verbose!).

 

I am sure that the problems we share are a complete coincidence, but have you had any luck with your microRendu issues yet?

I thought I may have jumped the gun in assuming that my problem lies with the Hugo and not the microRendu, so I have carried out a few tests using headphones rather than with the units plugged into my hi-fi system. It now appears that the Bluetooth and USB SD inputs on the Hugo are working, although my microRendu occasionally does not recognise that a DAC is connected. 

However, the USB HD input on the Hugo doesn't appear to be working. My microRendu simply does not find the Hugo DAC via the USB HD input at all, and a USB connection from an old iPad (the only other USB source I can lay my hands on at the moment) also works via the USB SD input but not via the USB HD input.

I am not sure if this is potentially related to the battery issues a number of people have reported. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem with the Hugo?

I guess that now it appears that the problem does lie with my Hugo, the QUTEST may now go to the top of my shopping list for my AV system.   

Remember your device needs the appropriate drivers to drive the HD USB interface on the Hugo.. though I think it’s only Windows that needs a new driver download.. but worth checking on your USB device.

Hmack posted:

Tom-in-Amsterdam posted:

Hmack posted:

This may have come along at just the right time for me.

I came home from holiday over the Christmas period to some pretty horrible sounds emanating from my Hugo (1) based second system. Initially, there was a a huge amount of distortion which quickly became total silence from both the SPDIF and USB HD outputs, and a single channel of sound from the USB SD output. In fact, my microRendu now cannot see the Hugo DAC at all. Initially, I wasn't at all sure that the problem was the Hugo and not my speakers or my AV amp until I swapped in my Klimax DS/1 from my other system which played perfectly over the system. 

If the Qutest matches the audio quality of the Hugo2, then at the price that is forecast, it may be the perfect DAC for my AV system. If it also happens to be galvanically isolated, then I might also be able to ditch my Gustard U12 USB to SPDIF converter. 

Great news.

 

Accidentally I have the same issues since a couple of days with my microrendu and Hugo dac (v1). Only pulling out the power cable of the microrendu seems to fix the issue. I do see hints of errors in the Roon log but have not taken the time to do a thorough investiagation (their logs are quite verbose!).

 

I am sure that the problems we share are a complete coincidence, but have you had any luck with your microRendu issues yet?

I thought I may have jumped the gun in assuming that my problem lies with the Hugo and not the microRendu, so I have carried out a few tests using headphones rather than with the units plugged into my hi-fi system. It now appears that the Bluetooth and USB SD inputs on the Hugo are working, although my microRendu occasionally does not recognise that a DAC is connected. 

However, the USB HD input on the Hugo doesn't appear to be working. My microRendu simply does not find the Hugo DAC via the USB HD input at all, and a USB connection from an old iPad (the only other USB source I can lay my hands on at the moment) also works via the USB SD input but not via the USB HD input.

I am not sure if this is potentially related to the battery issues a number of people have reported. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem with the Hugo?

I guess that now it appears that the problem does lie with my Hugo, the QUTEST may now go to the top of my shopping list for my AV system.   

HMACK

The very first Hugo 1 I had, would not work at all through the HD USB input,I thought i was doing something wrong with the settings.I brought it back to my dealer,and He swapped it for another one he had there,it worked right away.Have you ever had the HD input working,or is it just recently it will not work?There is a chance that that input has some issues,I saw them first hand,and it was very frustrating for me at first.

Thanks for the replies, No Quarter and Simon.

Yes, I have had the Hugo for a number of years now, and have exclusively run the DAC via the HD USB input, firstly with an ND5XS as source and then for the past year and a bit with the Sonore microRendu.

It had been working perfectly (via the HD USB input) up until just before Christmas. I noticed the problem for the first time when I returned from Holiday at the weekend and powered up my system. It did work initially and very briefly, but with quite a bit of distortion from one of the channels, but then very quickly gave up the ghost entirely. I haven't been able to get my microRendu to recognize the Hugo at all over the HD USB input since then.   

Hmack posted:

Thanks for the replies, No Quarter and Simon.

Yes, I have had the Hugo for a number of years now, and have exclusively run the DAC via the HD USB input, firstly with an ND5XS as source and then for the past year and a bit with the Sonore microRendu.

It had been working perfectly (via the HD USB input) up until just before Christmas. I noticed the problem for the first time when I returned from Holiday at the weekend and powered up my system. It did work initially and very briefly, but with quite a bit of distortion from one of the channels, but then very quickly gave up the ghost entirely. I haven't been able to get my microRendu to recognize the Hugo at all over the HD USB input since then.   

 

I had the same problem right after the latest W10 Creators edition update. I asked Chord about it and they send me new drivers that work. I had to uninstall old drivers first. 

cat345 posted:

Hmack posted:

Thanks for the replies, No Quarter and Simon.

Yes, I have had the Hugo for a number of years now, and have exclusively run the DAC via the HD USB input, firstly with an ND5XS as source and then for the past year and a bit with the Sonore microRendu.

It had been working perfectly (via the HD USB input) up until just before Christmas. I noticed the problem for the first time when I returned from Holiday at the weekend and powered up my system. It did work initially and very briefly, but with quite a bit of distortion from one of the channels, but then very quickly gave up the ghost entirely. I haven't been able to get my microRendu to recognize the Hugo at all over the HD USB input since then.   

 

I had the same problem right after the latest W10 Creators edition update. I asked Chord about it and they send me new drivers that work. I had to uninstall old drivers first. 

I assume that you were using a Windows based PC or laptop as the source for the Hugo. 

I have uploaded the W10 Creators edition update onto my PC and laptop, but since I don't use a Windows based device as my music source with my Hugo this should have no bearing on my problems connecting my microRendu and Hugo.

Sorry HMACK, I didn't realise you are not using your W10 laptop as a source.