NDX and Chord Hugo

Posted by: Foxman50 on 18 April 2014

I have been contemplating adding a DAC to my NDX/XPS2 to see (or should that be hear) what it can bring to the party. And so thought it about time i made inroads into Having a few home demos. After looking around at products that are within my budget i came across the Chord Hugo DAC.

 

Although it is meant to be a portable headphone unit, it can be used as a full line level fixed DAC.

 

The dealer lent me a TQ black digital coax lead, which have twist grip plugs. This was required as the present batch of Hugo's have a case design fault that wont allow any decent cable to fit, soon to be rectified. Thankfully the TQ just manages to hang on to the coax port.

 

Once all connected and gone through the minimal setup procedure of the Hugo, what does the red LED mean again, i left it to warm up for half an hour.

 

Poured a beer and sat down for an evenings listening.

 

What was that, where did that come from, that's what that instrument is. OMG, as my little'n would say, Where is it getting all this detail from.

 

After spending last night and today with it, all i can say is that it has totally transformed my system from top to bottom. I never considered my NDX to be veiled or shut in, not even sure that's the correct terms. All i can say is its opened up the sound stage and space around instruments. Everything I've put through it has had my toes, feet and legs tapping away to the music.

 

Even putting the toe tapping, the resolution the clarity to one side, what its greatest achievement for me has been in making albums that I've had trouble listening too enjoyable now.

 

One added bonus is that it has made the XPS redundant. I cannot hear any difference with it in or out of the system.

 

While i thought a DAC may make a change in the degree of the jump from ND5 to NDX, i was not prepared for this. Anyone looking at adding a PSU to there NDX may want to check this unit out first.

 

For me this has to be the bargain of the year.

 

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by natnc

I didn't see any negative posts about Naim. Just observations of another product. This forum has always been an excellent source of information about Naim, music and higher end audio products. Some people may prefer another brand for a particular component, but all of us love and use Naim products. Otherwise, there would be no reason to be reading. 

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by George J:

One thing that worries me about anything with a built in and rechargeable battery is that to change the battery - and all batteries wear out in the end - would constitute a repair job.

 

I wish the rechargeable cycle lights and something like the Hugo were equipped with a opperator-removable rechargeable battery, so that the battery may be exchanged without a visit to the repair shop.

 

Just two penneth worth.

 

ATB from George

Hi George

 

As i mentioned before an XPS needs a recap. Is that not a repair job. I'm sure that the battery will die much sooner, i agree, but i would imagine much simpler to change.

 

But to be honest at the speed at which DACs are changing, i can see me having it for years.

 

Graeme

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by Foxman50

Jan

 

i agree with your battery concerns, but for me at this price its gonna do me. I'll be the first to complain if indeed it starts to degrade. However it will be on charge permanently.

 

Graeme

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by analogmusic:
Indeed, and until Chord sort this out, the Hugo is product with a major design flaw.
 
 
 

 

 

Yawn

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by analogmusic:
Indeed.
 
How polite Naim are to allow Foxman to keep posting negative posts about Naim.
 
If he likes the Chord so much as he says he would be too busy listening to music on it.
 
But anyway - it's good to hear both sides, and certainly I remain unconvinced that a battery powered DAC can equal or beat an XPS power supply with NDAC or NDX.
 
Whatever... as I keep saying, there are many, many Me too DAC's out there.
 
So what?
 
 
 
 
 

 

Yawn yawn yawn, bored bored bored, blah blah blah

Posted on: 30 April 2014 by lovethatsound
Well I always leave the hugo plugged In, the same as I do with my brilliant hdx, the battery should last about 5 or 6 year's,  just about the right time for a service. At the end of the day it's all about the sound, about the music we all love, ive demo alot of dacs, some costing £5000 or more, and hugo sounds better than all of them, I'm listening 2 my music more than ever now , that says it all really, I'm sure the people at naim have got a hugo and r  amazed by it as well, and in time will bring a new dac out 2  counter this amazing hugo.
Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Jasonf
As far as I understand it, it's primarily a portable headphone DAC.

Having just read up on it , it sounds almost ideal for what it's designed for and quite a unique and interesting approach.  I don't do headphone music, but those that do, I can see its strong appeal.

Jason.
Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Fokkelman

A friend of mine demoed the Hugo against a NDS/XPS dr and he was flabbergasted how good the Hugo sounded, taken the price difference in consideration. He's opting to buy the Hugo. WOW!

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by james n
Originally Posted by Frank F:

Jan-Erik, this is another American conn.  You can see this by the extensive missive on the web site.  Let's go back to the humble Sony Pro Walkman - that became "top of the tree" by the simple use of a Naim authorised modification to a SNAPS to give 6 v, I know, I have one.

 

There must be a way to make the direct connection of a SNAPS to HUGO without adding extra converters.

 

FF

Battery technology and general low voltage circuit design has moved on quite a bit from the Pro Walkman days so adding a Naim power supply into the mix may not be the answer here - Hugo is really designed for portable use. Given the latest WTA implementation in the Hugo i suspect this will find it's way into the Qute HD and other Chord DAC products soon, so if the battery supply concerns you hang on a bit for this to propagate across the rest of the DAC family.

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Jude2012
Greame,

There isn't one web site that has all the tweaks IME, the best way is to do an internet search on something like 'optimising the Mac mini for audio'.  Mojo Audio's site in particular was helpful in giving guidance for configuring Mac OS and reversing them.

As I use Audirvarna, it does some of the optimisations to Mac OS itself.

There are also lots of threads on this forum.  Most of these have been applied to a Mac mini connected to a Naim DAC, with various forms interfaces in between. The Naim DAC is generally thought of in this forum to be sensitive to the input source and interface.  Not sure about the V1.

In the end, it's about experimenting and seeing whether any of the tweaks reveal a change in SQ in your specific set up.

I use USB for music and have the TV sound via coax SPDIF.  IMO, the USB sounds better (nothing wrong with the SPDIF sound), this may be different for you or others.

Jude :-)
Posted on: 01 May 2014 by cat345

The little Chord is already recognised as one of the very best. It is expected that third party power supply providers will try to take advantage of it. Same with professional audio reviewers who are looking for recognition and try to find flaws to the Hugo's sound qualities.

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Jan-Erik Nordoen

That's a very cheap shot cat345, or whatever your real name might be. I'm not looking for recognition, simply trying to better understand what I'm hearing. 

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by BigH47

What is a NAIM DAC 555? I don't see that listed as on the product page. NAIM DAC or Dac V-1. Unless you mean the dac of a CD555?

 

 

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Harry

That'll be a Naim DAC with a 555PS power supply. Very tasty and hugely enjoyable.

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by BigH47

Ah that explains it. I don't buy SACDs so need for a player although I think my Sony DRP S-373 might actually play them, don't know anything about DSD either.

I'll just revel in my ignorance i think.

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by Jude2012:
Greame,

There isn't one web site that has all the tweaks IME, the best way is to do an internet search on something like 'optimising the Mac mini for audio'.  Mojo Audio's site in particular was helpful in giving guidance for configuring Mac OS and reversing them.

As I use Audirvarna, it does some of the optimisations to Mac OS itself.

There are also lots of threads on this forum.  Most of these have been applied to a Mac mini connected to a Naim DAC, with various forms interfaces in between. The Naim DAC is generally thought of in this forum to be sensitive to the input source and interface.  Not sure about the V1.

In the end, it's about experimenting and seeing whether any of the tweaks reveal a change in SQ in your specific set up.

I use USB for music and have the TV sound via coax SPDIF.  IMO, the USB sounds better (nothing wrong with the SPDIF sound), this may be different for you or others.

Jude :-)

Jude

 

Many thanks i will do a bit of searching around. Im in no rush but would like to see if i can get something to sound comparable to my NDX Going down the computer audio route.

 

The problem as i see it is if i want to upgrade my NDX the only place to go is the NDS which quite framkly i cant afford. If i can break this down with software on a PC into a DAC it makes the expense a little easier to bare.

 

Thanks again

 

Graeme

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Foxman50

Jan

 

re reading through your post i wonder if this quite correct with regard to the thinness, I'm wondering if indeed this is what i was hearing on some female vocals. Now i have no idea if this is down to the battery or its just the sound of the Hugo. 

 

If it is indeed the battery i'm sure this will become evident when inevitably Chord release a boxed version that will no doubt cost close to 4k to replace the QBD DAC. 

 

However how much of a problem this is to the listener is down to personal preference and i would say system dependent too. This maybe why in my system i've found the NDX to be quite dark sounding.

 

Anyway Hugo arrives in my home tomorrow, so i'll report back how im getting on with it in a few weeks for those that are interested,  Clearly analogues on the edge of his seat  

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by lovethatsound
Well foxman I think your in for a treat, because the more you run it in the better it gets, had it just over a week now, and I just can't stop listening 2 it.this dac just wants 2 keep making u listen 2 your music over and over again,well I hope u enjoy it as much as I am.
Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Fred11
Originally Posted by Foxman50:

Jan

 

re reading through your post i wonder if this quite correct with regard to the thinness, I'm wondering if indeed this is what i was hearing on some female vocals. Now i have no idea if this is down to the battery or its just the sound of the Hugo. 

 

If it is indeed the battery i'm sure this will become evident when inevitably Chord release a boxed version that will no doubt cost close to 4k to replace the QBD DAC. 

 

However how much of a problem this is to the listener is down to personal preference and i would say system dependent too. This maybe why in my system i've found the NDX to be quite dark sounding.

 

Anyway Hugo arrives in my home tomorrow, so i'll report back how im getting on with it in a few weeks for those that are interested,  Clearly analogues on the edge of his seat  

Hi to all!

1. Beeing a bit biased in this context with my ndx-ndac-xps, of course, I started with the ndx, before owning a Akurate ds/0. I found it less detailed than the Linn, but to me it was more musically flowing, analogue, faster, punchier with much better bass. There is many detailed brands out there, and to me Naim is not about detail and glare. Its about creating live, punchy engaging music. Not saying you are describing the Hugo as only about detail, but the wow-effect of some products can give a deceiving adrenaline effect. Sometimes it can results in certain group-think processes.

2. I have been running a Linn renew ds (klimax/0) against my ndx-xps, earlier, and the Renew was nice. More details, bigger soundstage probably and a certain smoothness. But, especially on rock it almost made me fall asleep. The Ndx-xps was much more lively, dynamic and punchy. Much more engaging. My point is that dacs and streamers are to me not only better and worse, but different. I miss the nuances in this post, which some people on this forum are great to describe. 3. My latest upgrade, the ndac was mind blowing. Its certainly not only details, but live and kicking musicians standing in front of me. By the way I run this into hiline- 202-hicap-napsc-200-SBL mk2. 

Having indeed read this thread, I was just wondering, now that you describe the possible thinness, do you find something the ndx actually does better? I see you have a Sugden, maybe its a synergy thing also.

OR maybe the hugo dac is a new Nait 1, NAD 320, LP 12 game-changing piece of equipment. Looking forward to more nuanced and detailed listening experiences, and of course many more testing this little thing over time, when adrenaline, desire and group-processes calm down a bit. 

 

With all respect, you might find a bunch of people here finding your XPS-anagram a bit lame. 

 

Regards

Fred

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by lovethatsound:
Well foxman I think your in for a treat, because the more you run it in the better it gets, had it just over a week now, and I just can't stop listening 2 it.this dac just wants 2 keep making u listen 2 your music over and over again,well I hope u enjoy it as much as I am.

 Lovethatsound

 

Its been nearly two weeks without the loan unit, and its always a good judge of something if you miss it when its gone and i have really missed this little unit. Music just isn't the same.

 

Just the enjoyment and fun that it brought is enough to warrant its purchase. I just hope its sounds good straight out of the box.

 

Graeme

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by cat345
Originally Posted by Jan-Erik Nordoen:

That's a very cheap shot cat345, or whatever your real name might be. I'm not looking for recognition, simply trying to better understand what I'm hearing. 

Sorry if you didn't like my comments. I enjoy your reviews in a certain audio magazine but I'm fed-up of meaningless words like "emotional connection" "structure of music" "sublime sound but no music", etc, etc.. It's about time that reviewers come out of that worn out flat earth mantra.

 

Please take it with a pinch of salt as it's only my opinion and I could be way off track!

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Fred11

....4. Another thing that make me a little skeptic is that some, a few actually, physical laws does not apply to the "little man". Among some, the point that source does not matter. When people can hear changes from a digital cable, then theres something not smelling right. Or maybe Hugo is like superman who answers to other physical laws: ) 

Regards

Fred

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Foxman50

Hi Fred

 

My XPS anagram was meant very much in jest, and a bit surprised that it may have been taken otherwise, but I'm well aware that text can be read the wrong way.

 

I have been purchasing audio equipment for many many years now and fully appreciate what you are saying, however i think I've come to the point where i can tell the difference between bright and sparkly and something that keeps me entertained and enthralled. After all this was on constantly for 4 days, not just a 5 min test.

 

I do wonder if my setup, not using Naim amps, may counteract some of this thinness, if this is what it was. Only longer listening period will make me certain if it is thinness now that we have been speaking of it. But it certainly has a different presentation to the NDX.

 

I'm not a lover of saying this is better than that, after all you say the Linn is more detailed than the NDX, but the NDX is more musical. So which is better?? i don't think that can be answered its just what you prefer.

 

Also would you prefer the detail of the Linn with the musicality of the NDX. Probably yes. My point is nothing is perfect, its about putting a system together that suites the individual for a given price.

 

The Hugo won't be perfect, but for what i appreciate in music and at this price, for me its a bargain.

 

Others may well appreciate other aspects and want a different system. It would be very boring if we were all the same.

 

Graeme

 

 

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by Foxman50
Originally Posted by Fred11:

....4. Another thing that make me a little skeptic is that some, a few actually, physical laws does not apply to the "little man". Among some, the point that source does not matter. When people can hear changes from a digital cable, then theres something not smelling right. Or maybe Hugo is like superman who answers to other physical laws: ) 

Regards

Fred

This was not my finding. Indeed the two sources i tried sounded very different indeed, as i would have expected to be honest

 

Graeme

Posted on: 01 May 2014 by analogmusic

Dear Fred

 

Thanks for this useful post. I too find the same thing, the Naim is all about creating a live experience, compared to focus on details.

 

As the founder of Naim said, "music is about people. If you cannot hear what the people on the recording are doing, there isn't much point"

 

SO that's why I find these kind of excitement about chord Hugo a bit useless, because while it probably sounds smoother, if it puts one to sleep (I found my previous Linn Sneaky lifeless and boring and sold it in 3 weeks), what's the point?

 

I don't quite understand Graeme's agenda on this forum? 

 

 

 

 


Hi to all!

1. Beeing a bit biased in this context with my ndx-ndac-xps, of course, I started with the ndx, before owning a Akurate ds/0. I found it less detailed than the Linn, but to me it was more musically flowing, analogue, faster, punchier with much better bass. There is many detailed brands out there, and to me Naim is not about detail and glare. Its about creating live, punchy engaging music. Not saying you are describing the Hugo as only about detail, but the wow-effect of some products can give a deceiving adrenaline effect. Sometimes it can results in certain group-think processes.

2. I have been running a Linn renew ds (klimax/0) against my ndx-xps, earlier, and the Renew was nice. More details, bigger soundstage probably and a certain smoothness. But, especially on rock it almost made me fall asleep. The Ndx-xps was much more lively, dynamic and punchy. Much more engaging. My point is that dacs and streamers are to me not only better and worse, but different. I miss the nuances in this post, which some people on this forum are great to describe. 3. My latest upgrade, the ndac was mind blowing. Its certainly not only details, but live and kicking musicians standing in front of me. By the way I run this into hiline- 202-hicap-napsc-200-SBL mk2. 

Having indeed read this thread, I was just wondering, now that you describe the possible thinness, do you find something the ndx actually does better? I see you have a Sugden, maybe its a synergy thing also.

OR maybe the hugo dac is a new Nait 1, NAD 320, LP 12 game-changing piece of equipment. Looking forward to more nuanced and detailed listening experiences, and of course many more testing this little thing over time, when adrenaline, desire and group-processes calm down a bit. 

 

With all respect, you might find a bunch of people here finding your XPS-anagram a bit lame. 

 

Regards

Fred