Thank you Marlon!
The TT 2 really is a great piece of gear!
Lol…yes your wallet can blame it on me 
Thank You Christopher!
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Very good review Jeremy. Full of detail which I like. Great job.
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Hey Jeremy,
thank you for your review. It was very good. I had planned to read it later this evening, with some more focus, though after setting the bookmark, i had to throw a short look on it and your writing grabbed me.
So, well done buddy!
I hope you are ok with your remaining setup, after you had to send the TT2 back 
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Can I use the adapter below on the TT2 to get a “balanced” headphone output from a female 4-pin XLR? I used this adapter with the RME ADI-2 PRO and I was wondering if it could be used with the TT2. Thanks in advance.
No.
You’d just wind up with a single-ended connection but in MONO - specifically both sides of the headphone would be playing the left channel from the DAC.
What you CAN do is get an adapter that comes off the dual 3-pin male XLRs outputs on the back of the unit and yields a 4-pin female XLR that you can plug your normal balanced headphone cables into. That yields proper balanced output and the usual increase in power.
I made such an adapter for my modular headphone cable system (same idea, just terminates in a different connector on the headphone cable side of things).
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Got it. Thank you Ian. I guess I won’t be using the balanced headphone out option on the TT2 because I’m using the rear 3-pin XLR taps to output to the HSA-1a.
You could put a passive Goldpoint XLR switch (you’d want the SW2X-O) between the Hugo TT 2 and HSA-1a, and then use it to decide if the output goes to the HSA-1a or your headphones.
That’d mean an extra cable, but you could leave everything connected and just use the switch to change outputs. No electronics in the path, just high-quality mechanical switches.
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Thanks again Ian. I’ll be getting this little box for sure.
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One other thing …
You’ll want to switch the Hugo TT 2 to DAC mode when feeding the HSA-1a and to AMP mode when driving headphones from the rear XLR outputs!
Optionally, you can leave it in AMP mode, and make sure you turn the volume on the Hugo TT 2 down to line-level when feeding the HSA-1a, since DAC mode just selects a 2.5V output level and locks out the volume ball.
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Sometimes, even during a lockdown, when a good deal comes around, it’s hard to pass up. Like getting a brand new Chord Hugo TT2 with full warranty for $4200 instead of $5500! Even then, I wasn’t sure just how much better the Hugo TT2 will be at more than twice the price of the Qutest.
Boy, was I surprised! I can’t believe how much clearer, more natural, and more resolving it sounds compared to my Qutest. I was able to hear instruments amongst other instruments and notes inside chords more distinctly, and made the Qutest sound congested by comparison. The Qutest is no slouch, and it was already going to the Cayin HA-300, which is my SET 300b tube amp with the fast, resolving Psvane ACME 300b tube, so this is just a testament of just how much more the Hugo TT2 can pull out of not only the amp, but also the Audeze LCD-3F.
Also gone is the sometimes overly aggressive treble peak from piano, as well as some of the dissonant harmony that I sometimes catch with the Qutest. Harmony and compley layering just seem so effortless with the Hugo TT2.
And its headphone amp is really good, but I get a much bigger soundstage and sweeter sound on my HA-300 tube amp to my LCD-3F!
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Great setup. Sorry you got jumped on on Reddit. It’s not a good place to go sometimes.
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Lol, I saw that, and posted a huge ROFL on it. Most of them has not spent the time to listen to not just that set up, but a lot of setup. I spent hours at Shelley’s Stereo, The Source Av, Upscale Audio, Eddie Current, Amd&Sound, and Donald Audio listening to a lot of different amps with my own Qutest and LCD-3, so I have first hand experience.
Granted, I did buy the Cayin HA-300 without listening, but it was a review unit with full warranty and 60 days return from the dealer, and combined with the Hugo TT2, I’m very happy.
So why would I care about their petty bickering, they haven’t put the time and effort to get to where I am, lol 
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Experience is not replaceable that is for sure! =) also, Reddit is full of inexperienced followers with mob mentality…dangerous place for sure, kind of like a wild animal as a pet…you never know when it will turn on you lol
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Exactly what I that’s why every time someone wants to challenge me on the whole this or that doesn’t help your system, I ask them, have you tried it, have you listened to it?
Even when they said, but it measures the same, I ask, have you measured it? How many different usb cables did you measure? Which type of measurements did you do and how many? Afterwards, did you put those cables away or did you plug it in to a system? How resolving is that system?
Yes, I do agree some component like usb cable a and cable b may not differ all that much, but that doesn’t mean all usb cables are similar or are the same.
I also ask, which is more important to you, if two components measure the same but sound noticeably different or if two components measure differently but sound the same?
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Exactly! Even if they had the same headphones, it is very unlikely they have the same audio chain. Down to, cables (RCA/XLR/USB/etc) to different motherboards, music quality…too many small factors to large factors (amps, DACs, specific tubes, etc), to be able to tell anyone they are wrong or right…on what they are hearing…
Plus, we all like different sound signatures…and personally, I like what I like! You like what you like, have fun and don’t be a Richard (Dick) lol 
*the Richard part isn’t aimed at anyone in particular more people that feel the need to belittle others…aka Dicks
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And that’s the funny part, everyone is like, but measurements! Then people say you can’t depend on people’s hearing because the mind is gullible, so I’m like, so what do you do, measure audio components, then put it away without listening to it?
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They listen with their eyes 
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I should have my TT2 review done by the end of this week. Hopefully my opinions go over well with the Chord community. 
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Mob mentality is very strong there. I just don’t like it when people just jump on posters for no reason whatsoever. It puts lots of people off posting and makes the whole Audio/Headphone crowd seem disingenuous dicks.
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I have a few custom iem cables myself and don’t mind spending a little extra for quality. Now whilst I aren’t that into expensive USB cables I don’t begrudge anyone who is. If they hear a difference and it makes their listening experience better for them the carry on. It’s your money and you’re entitled to spend it in anyway you wish.
I also wish people would try things for themselves instead of spouting ASR measurements as if it’s the be all and end all of everything. If your into measurements then fine if not the also fine. Just stop the conflict it’s not always what people are looking to see. Although it can make for good entertainment. Lol.
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