Chord Hugo, overrated or DAC of the century

[Igloo Audio]

For what its worth here are my thoughts on the Hugo. I have been using a Metrum Octave NOS DAC and Audio Note Signature DAC before that. I have also demoed quite a few DACs in recent months from the likes of Wadia Metrum Hex Jolida. The Metrum and AN Dacs were both NOS designs and since its those and particularly the Metrum that I am most familiar with and still own its that to which I have compared it. I loved the sound these NOS DACs provided very natural, open with a large sound stage and great Dynamics.

On first listening to the Hugo in my system i was underwhelmed. It didn't seem to be natural like the Metrum perhaps a little sharp and digital like in the upper frequency. It took a few discs to get used to the sound and when the penny dropped it was wow!

The HUGO is excellent it has way more resolution than the Metrum.Its far more focused around instruments and voices. Its has more tonal color to those elements than the Metrum. Its easier to follow individual instruments and there is a lot of information present that was previously masked and none appears to have been lost. Its far more how i recall music sounding in the Studio when i was regularly at Sonys Whitfield Street studios in the 90s and 2000s. Its well balanced form top to bottom the lower registers being particularly more defined and truthful than the Metrum. There is a pace to notes and overall musical flow that the Metrum does not match. Transients are excellent Timing again excellent Its more focused with no kind or romantic haze or smear to the sound but its by no means clinical or unmusical in fact quite the opposite.It perhaps looses out to the Metrum in terms of Dynamics but its close. Sound stage is is similar but i find it more layered and stable with the Hugo.

Let me put this in perspective the Metrum is and excellent DAC and the Hugo a good few hundred quid higher priced but the extra does seem to be more than worth it. Its early days and i will need to live with the Hugo a good while longer to ultimately rate it but i do consider it to be a landmark product. I bought it for Headphone use and it is excellent for that, driving my HiFi Man HE560s very well. The fact that it can equal or surpass other desktop DACs that I have listened to in a similar or higher price range is a testament to its designers ingenuity.

+1

Being a dealer, and indeed a long term audiophile for both these products, and many more besides, you can swing systems in the converters favour, so the customer's system and his/hers preference is essential in determining the best sound.

Objectively, and in terms of overall VFM, the Hugo is superb, as are many others; Hegel HD12, BM DAC2 HGC etc., given the features and overall flexibility on offer for the price, especially when replacing an expensive preamp.

The Metrum NOS converters are a blessing in many systems, so they are very much the converter to try if you have been disappointed elsewhere or find digital replay less enjoyable due to higher listening fatigue or other.

Peter

 

[Sloop John B]

The phrase NOS is thrown around as if we all know what it means, maybe most do but I certainly don't, anyone care to enlighten me?


SJB

 

[Purité Audio]

Non Oversampling in this case although sometimes New Old Stock.
Keith

 

[Igloo Audio]

The phrase NOS is thrown around as if we all know what it means, maybe most do but I certainly don't, anyone care to enlighten me? SJB

Please see here.

The enlightenment for many is in the listening

Peter

 

[Thetiminator]

Definitely go for the Qute at £700 if you can get one.

It's a fabulous sounding thing (I'd be surprised if the Hugo's dac section isn't the same), THEN add a power supply from MCRU (c.£200) to replace the wall-wart jobbie, it opens it up to it's full potentially and is significantly better than with the standard ps. All that for £900, you'd have to spend a great deal more to better it IMO. (£2-£4k)

 

[AndyU]

Definitely go for the Qute at £700 if you can get one.

It's a fabulous sounding thing (I'd be surprised if the Hugo's dac section isn't the same), THEN add a power supply from MCRU (c.£200) to replace the wall-wart jobbie, it opens it up to it's full potentially and is significantly better than with the standard ps. All that for £900, you'd have to spend a great deal more to better it IMO. (£2-£4k)

Wouldn't the new 2Qute at about a grand better a Qute + PSU? The 2Qute has the same DAC as the Hugo (which is most definitely not the same DAC as the Qute). And if you check the head-fi threads Rob Watt says he has done some very clever things with the power supply on the 2Qute, so you don't need to spend money on a 3rd party replacement.

 

[Thetiminator]

Wouldn't the new 2Qute at about a grand better a Qute + PSU? The 2Qute has the same DAC as the Hugo (which is most definitely not the same DAC as the Qute). And if you check the head-fi threads Rob Watt says he has done some very clever things with the power supply on the 2Qute, so you don't need to spend money on a 3rd party replacement.

Well probably, it depends on how much of a factor the money is. I haven't heard the Hugo personally so I don't know whether it's reputation is deserved or has been over blown by good marketing and very tempting dealer margins financed by the manufacturer.

I auditioned the Qute and the QBD76 together (I was assuming I would walk away with the QBD) after listening I couldn't justify the extra £3k. Maybe £500 but not £3k. I added the MCRU power supply which would have definitely pulled the performance up to QBD level....

So if cash is tight I could definitely recommend a Qute plus the upgraded power supply over a 2Qute or Hugo.

 

[Barry williams]

Well probably, it depends on how much of a factor the money is. I haven't heard the Hugo personally so I don't know whether it's reputation is deserved or has been over blown by good marketing and very tempting dealer margins financed by the manufacturer.

I auditioned the Qute and the QBD76 together (I was assuming I would walk away with the QBD) after listening I couldn't justify the extra £3k. Maybe £500 but not £3k. I added the MCRU power supply which would have definitely pulled the performance up to QBD level....

So if cash is tight I could definitely recommend a Qute plus the upgraded power supply over a 2Qute or Hugo.

How much money? is only a factor if you don't have enough.
All three new Chord DACs sound the same.
Its just a case of what model fills ones needs?
They are all still giant killers.
The English owned company will still be around for years to come so you can have trust in them.
Also because of how there DAC fish & chips are written now? They can be upgraded when needed.
So its a win win situation.

 

[Mongeddavid]

Depending on age the qute may have the older chip inside so not the same as the Hugo or new 2qute. Not having heard the qute I couldn't speculate how close it comes to the Hugo

 

[AndyU]

So if cash is tight I could definitely recommend a Qute plus the upgraded power supply over a 2Qute or Hugo.

.. despite the fact that you actually haven't listened to a 2Qute or Hugo?

And despite the fact that the guy that designed all three says the 2Qute and Hugo sound better? In fact better than even the most expensive DAC Chord made previously? Not to mention that the Qute is no longer in Chord's product range?

 

[windhoek]

Haven't heard one yet

I have a Naim DAC V1, but all the hype on the internet tempted to go for Chord Hugo. Can't audition before purchase

what's the big deal about this dac???

Do you live in the UK? If yes, many retailers are very happy to offer refund if after a limited period of time you don't like it if purchased by phone or internet. Some even offer this for in-store purchases!

 

[Thetiminator]

.. despite the fact that you actually haven't listened to a 2Qute or Hugo?

And despite the fact that the guy that designed all three says the 2Qute and Hugo sound better? In fact better than even the most expensive DAC Chord made previously? Not to mention that the Qute is no longer in Chord's product range?

No I haven't heard either but the dealer I bought mine from recently sold my upgraded Qute to a guy who was looking for a Hugo. The point I was making was don't underestimate the diff an external power supply makes.

Have you ever heard of a manufacturer saying that a new product sounds worse than the older model???

As for the giant slayer rep, the chord stuff is very good for the money and pound for pound was possibly the best bit of kit that I've ever had. But unfortunately if you want the best there's no way round chucking a pile of money at it. My boulder dac was off for an update a few months ago, so the Qute stood in for a while and compared to the Boulder sounded like a bag of nails.....

 

[Sloop John B]

My boulder dac was off for an update a few months ago, so the Qute stood in for a while and compared to the Boulder sounded like a bag of nails.....

I should know better but this type of statement just puts my blood pressure up.

Following this logic my SBT must sound like a cheap bag of nails - which it doesn't.

I'd even vote for Cameron if he could rid the world of this sort of crap.

SJB

 

[muzzer]

How much does that Boulder dac cost?

 

[Colin L]

So what upsets you SJB? The apparent hyperbole in the statement or perhaps that someone has better kit than you. Either way way there's definitely no reason, EVER, to vote for Cameron.

I'm sure the Boulder costs a lot more than the Qute. I use a Qute EX with a Hynes PS and its a good bit of kit, but there are far better DACs out there.

 

[Sloop John B]

So what upsets you SJB? The apparent hyperbole in the statement or perhaps that someone has better kit than you. Either way way there's definitely no reason, EVER, to vote for Cameron.

Quite clearly it's because someone has better kit than me.
Maybe a redistributive party are the answer?
Miliband all the way then.

SJB

 

[batleys]

I agree it's about the musical enjoyment at the end of the day. Last year I bought a Hugo, and was so pleased with it I sold my Naim DAC and 555PS which I had previously preferred over an Naim NDS/555Ps and used the Hugo as my main system DAC.
A year on I am still immensely enjoying it.. It gets me closer to my music. Sure, I am confident there are better DACs out there, but for me on my system it gives me (when the recording allows) that hair tingly performance in a small, affordable and mostly convienience design.
If I am honest, I also like how it's designer talks about it on various web forums..
Simon

 

[AndyU]

No I haven't heard either but the dealer I bought mine from recently sold my upgraded Qute to a guy who was looking for a Hugo. The point I was making was don't underestimate the diff an external power supply makes.

Have you ever heard of a manufacturer saying that a new product sounds worse than the older model???

As for the giant slayer rep, the chord stuff is very good for the money and pound for pound was possibly the best bit of kit that I've ever had. But unfortunately if you want the best there's no way round chucking a pile of money at it. My boulder dac was off for an update a few months ago, so the Qute stood in for a while and compared to the Boulder sounded like a bag of nails.....

Have you ever heard someone who spent a fortune on a DAC saying that it sounds worse than a much cheaper DAC (which he has't heard)?

 

[Yomanze]

Have we ever heard marketing coming out through the equipment we've just bought? At least we can say the Hugo is 'hyped', which means by default that better DACs slip by unnoticed. Marketing always tries to overrate something, to make it stand out, and thus for the price of the Chord Hugo there is some cottage industry dude somewhere that will kill it for the same money if not for looks, flexibility and brand. This doesn't mean the Hugo isn't an excellent DAC and ideal for peoples' wants, but at £1400 this shifts it into some very very serious competition from a purely sonic perspective.

 

[eelmaster]

Have we ever heard marketing coming out through the equipment we've just bought? At least we can say the Hugo is 'hyped', which means by default that better DACs slip by unnoticed. Marketing always tries to overrate something, to make it stand out, and thus for the price of the Chord Hugo there is some cottage industry dude somewhere that will kill it for the same money if not for looks, flexibility and brand. This doesn't mean the Hugo isn't an excellent DAC and ideal for peoples' wants, but at £1400 this shifts it into some very very serious competition from a purely sonic perspective.

Have you actually heard one?

Many who have (myself included) would say that it does indeed compete with some "very serious competition from a sonic perspective".

Do you know of any "cottage industry dude" produced DACs that are better at the same price or is this just surmising? I'd be interested to know if you have (this is not meant facetiously by the way).