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Improving the performance of the Hugo TT2

Hi Scott
Don’t throw money at an MScaler and no need to change the excellent TT2. You need to replace the Mac Book as the source.
It’s literally impossible to find a worse source for music than a PC or laptop.

Keep the Dac and fry a half decent hifi streamer or server…
 
Thetiminator said:
Hi Scott
Don’t throw money at an MScaler and no need to change the excellent TT2. You need to replace the Mac Book as the source.
It’s literally impossible to find a worse source for music than a PC or laptop.

Keep the Dac and fry a half decent hifi streamer or server…
Click to expand...


I agree with this. For around the price of a Macbook you can get a used Antipodes EX, which is a superb source. You can try the preinstalled HQ Player for no cost, which also does million tap sinc upscaling like the M scaler. I have demoed the M scaler and after trying HQ Player I don’t feel the need to buy one. HQP is probably not quite as good, but it is very close - plenty of user reviews on Roon forum and headfi agree.

I own the TT2 and have tried Auralic Aries mini, Innuos Zen 3, Antipodes EX and finally Antipodes CX/EX. Each time I changed the digital source, sound quality improved. Bits aren’t bits.

For the cheapest possible way to explore the notion that digital sources matter, try a chromecast audio as a roon endpoint into the TT2 via optical. It is surprisingly good (apparently not so good on the google casting software, so Roon is a must).
 
Certainly worth trying a dedicated streamer, particularly if one incorporates HQPlayer. I tried out the concept of long filters with HQ Player and came to the conclusion that there were worthwhile gains to be had. I couldn’t get on with the user interface so went with the m-scaler about a year ago, since when I’ve stopped wondering why digital didn’t sound quite right. Of course other solutions are available and they all make one thing clear and that is that reconstructing those bits into analogue isn’t quite as simple as we first, and some still insist, thought. Add in noise pollution and there is much potential for turning digital from adequate but not quite right to superb.

The one thing that puts me off getting a dedicated streamer is that one is restricted to their own app or roon. No problem when playing my jazz and rock albums but most aren’t up to browsing a large classical collection, hence why I still use JRiver configured exactly for my own use.

The one thing I don’t like about Chord is the ergonomics of their equipment, and if the sound quality wasn’t so damn good I would have gone elsewhere. In practice one gets used to it and the TT2 volume control is rather nice under the fingers.
 
Very many thanks for all the very helpful and constructive replies.

Today I bought the Bluesound Node N130 as an experiment. It took literally 5 mins to set up and connect via BNC to the TT2. The app control interface is absolutely superb and I am controlling the streamer running Tidal HIFI from multiple devices (Mac Mini, Ipad, PC laptop, iphone) around the house.

The difference in sound quality is literally night and day so the old Macbook must have been doing a very bad job! The TT2 has finally come to life and sounds very good indeed. It has ignited my interest in streamers and I expect I will look for my end game streamer over the next few months.
 
andrewd said:
For the cheapest possible way to explore the notion that digital sources matter, try a chromecast audio as a roon endpoint into the TT2 via optical. It is surprisingly good (apparently not so good on the google casting software, so Roon is a must).
Click to expand...
The above implies that a Chromecast connected via optical is audibly superior to a Mac running bit-perfect playback software connected via USB. Is this a widely held view?
 
I’ve had a Hugo TT2 and M-Scaler for over two years and listen to music through them daily. For me, a superb combination. Adding the M-Scaler is the obvious way to “make the TT2 really sing”. It’s easy to switch the upscaling in and out of circuit so you can quickly do an A-B comparison. The original poster’s system features the top range Naim 552 pre-amp which, at its brand new price, costs several times the cost of the two Chord boxes. The system is, I would suggest, in spend terms rather unbalanced. The TT2 can also act as a pre-amp, thereby rendering the 552 redundant. This is a configuration the OP could test at minimal cost.

Although I’m not suggesting it as appropriate here, the TT2 can even act as a power amp for playing music at low to mid volume and works brilliantly for me in my particular scenario.
 
Thank you for your thoughts.

I am certainly interested in the M Scaler and I expect it is the natural path now that I have TT2. Now that I have sorted out the digital source weakness the TT2 really sings. It is a truly superb DAC.

I would certainly not ever consider parting with the 552. It is the most lucid and engaging preamp I have ever heard and works superbly with the NAP300DR. It is also critical in the chain for delivering the signal from the Rega RP10 (which is my primary source).
 
scottcarpenter said:
Thank you for your thoughts.

I am certainly interested in the M Scaler and I expect it is the natural path now that I have TT2. Now that I have sorted out the digital source weakness the TT2 really sings. It is a truly superb DAC.

I would certainly not ever consider parting with the 552. It is the most lucid and engaging preamp I have ever heard and works superbly with the NAP300DR. It is also critical in the chain for delivering the signal from the Rega RP10 (which is my primary source).
Click to expand...
I’ve found something similar. The beauty of Chord DACs and amps are that they are very neutral with high resolution and form an ideal basis for adding a touch of flavour if desired. I use a MBL pre, which strictly speaking isn’t necessary, but it gives a touch of warmth and lucidity of the sort that can’t be obtained by adjusting the frequency response, and without affecting the merits of the Chord components. Perhaps more luck than judgement but works extremely well for me.
 
Thetiminator said:
Hi Scott
Don’t throw money at an MScaler and no need to change the excellent TT2. You need to replace the Mac Book as the source.
It’s literally impossible to find a worse source for music than a PC or laptop.

Keep the Dac and fry a half decent hifi streamer or server…
Click to expand...


Very true , the problem here is the Mac, feed the TT2 with a good source, and your done, and change its fig 8 power lead, and a good USB lead, for me I preferred Innuos Zenith and Quetest , over my NDX / 555. and with the TT2 it was just on another level.
 
Is your TT2 being used in dac mode into 552 ?
I started like this with the Tt2 into a Nac 52. Found the 2.5V fixed op too much though with recently acquired higher sensitivity speakers. Poor volume control. 8,9 clock very loud. Instructions say in this case use dac in amp mode. Low gain. Much better I found.
I use Tt2 fed by an Audiolab cdt 9000. Great sound. Replaced my old Naim Cds3 which is a superb player I really liked. The cdt9000/ TT2 is a definite upgrade though.
 
Having recently added an MScaler to my TT2 it did make a significant improvement. Also the dealer I bought it from gave a big discount, maybe a replacement is in the pipeline although they said there was not.
 
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