Chord Hugo TT 2

Just incase anyone was wondering about sound differences between these two I am going live tomorrow 2/27/2021 at 1pm PST hope to see you there!

8 Likes

Hi! Has anyone used it as an Amp / Dac combo and the Aeolus or VC? Thanks!

1 Like

@TylersEclectic comes to mind. The more I hear about the TT2, the more I feel the need to give it a try


3 Likes

I would recommend against it.

I was perfectly happy with what I had, and then I tried a TT2, and had to spend a lot of money.

6 Likes

Yep.

Hugo TT2 pairs wonderfully with all of Zach’s dynamic headphones. I was running mine as a secondary rig in the bedroom, were it got used almost exclusively with various ZMF cans (mostly the VĂ©ritĂ© Closed), and it made for frequent sleepless nights.

Excellent piece and is a great complement to ZMF’s lineup.

5 Likes

I have a TT2 in my suitcase as I picked it up while visiting family out of town. I have an Aeolus set to be delivered right after I return home. I can’t tell you how happy this thread is making me.

5 Likes

Hi!
I would like to ask you for advice, as you have enough experience with similar equipment that I use daily. I currently have Meze Empyrean and TT2, and am very happy with this setup. TT2 lifted Empyrean to new heights.
I currently have two head-fi goals for the future: ZMF Verite closed and M-Scaler. The problem is that I can not buy both at the same time, and have to decide on one of them.
Purely subjective, which purchase would you make first? VC or M-Scaler?

3 Likes

I’d go with the VĂ©ritĂ© Closed first.

It’ll be a much bigger, and very obvious, sonic difference to the Empyrean vs. what the M-Scaler will yield.

The M-Scaler is more subtle initially, though once you’ve spent some time listening with it you’ll find its absence quite obvious. And while subtle, the differences are important when it comes down to getting the most out of your music - but it is something I would only add once you have the source, amp and selection of headphones you want.

12 Likes

Could always try the VC and use HQplayer with your tt2 for the time being. @Jsim and I use it with roon.
VC is sweet!:ok_hand:

2 Likes

Well, I went into the shop to pick up a Hugo 2 and left with a TT2. :wave:

17 Likes

Welcome to the family! Hope you enjoy the TT2, and nice mechanical keyboard! I have the DROP SHIFT with Halo Clear switches and white Pudding keycaps!

2 Likes

Nice! I love a good keyboard. This is an older Vortex Race 3 w/ clear cherries.

1 Like

My TT2 blew up today. I turned it on, heard a pop, then the glass window filled with smoke. Very thankful for the warranty, but debating whether I should even get another one. Is this a common issue? I don’t see a lot of chatter about, so it might just be a fluke and maybe a replacement will be just fine. :grimacing:

I was using the USB input and stock power supply. It blew up while ‘charging’.

3 Likes

Early on in the Hugo TT2’s life, I heard of several units that experienced PSU failures. In fact I believe the original poster of this thread experienced this. Some such failures were internal, some were the external brick. None were as dramatic as what you described. They just wouldn’t power on one day.

I haven’t read, nor heard, about similar issues since early 2019.

I had mine for about a month shy of 2 years, with no issues.

4 Likes

I bought this TT2 from a local shop that doesn’t sell a lot of these, so it’s possible it’s an early unit. Thank you for the context.

3 Likes

I have minor issues with my TT2. I dont know if they are common or not. TT2 is connected with a usb from a Macbook Pro.

  1. If I disconnect the power and start it up, it doubles the bit rate from 44 to 88. I have to restart it to play at the correct bit rate.
  2. When I start up after standby, with the headphones connected, there is a wrong balance between the right and left channels. I have to take the headphones in and out again for the balance between the channels to be correct.

Is this common issues, or should I contact the retailer before the warranty runs out?

1 Like

I never experienced either of those things with my Hugo TT2. Though I only ever disconnected the power from my Hugo TT2 maybe half a dozen times while I had it. I’ve never heard of anyone else experiencing those issues, either. So you should contact Chord and ask them.


With my DAVE, before I had an M-Scaler in front of it, sometimes starting playback from Audirvana 3.5 would result in DAVE saying it was being fed data at double the bit rate it was. Stopping playback and restarting it always fixed this, however, and I assumed it was just one of Audirvana’s many bugs. It wasn’t something I ever saw from Roon or via TIDAL or Qobuz clients.

That didn’t involve powering off (via the switch on the back, which the Hugo TT2 doesn’t have) or disconnecting power, either. It did only ever happen right after bringing DAVE out of standby mode, though.

3 Likes

Thank you for your feedback.
I take this further with the seller, before I possibly contact chord. I use linear power supply, recommended by seller (S booster). Hope it does not affect the functionality of TT2 in a negative sense.

I add the experience around this in this thread, in case others come across the same issues.

If the Sbooster is properly rated (15V @ 4A) then in theory it shouldn’t have any effect one way or another.

It seems a somewhat odd thing to do with the Hugo TT2 though, given that its supply is fully decoupled internally. That’s what all the super capacitors are for 
 the external PSU just charges those, and the internal power supply stages in the TT2 draw from them.

I’ve heard all sorts of claims about using LPS with the TT2, and even replacing the internal SMPS in the DAVE with an LPS (that cost almost as much as the DAVE unit itself). Yet to hear any of them make any audible difference to either (in both blind and sighted listening), nor have I been able to measure any change at the output of the DAC with such things in place.

There ARE devices where I’ve seen beneficial results (on the limits of reasonable audibility, but definitely measurable) by switching their stock SMPS for an LPS. The old drop MCTH was one such unit. Though in that case, the LPS cost more than the amp 
 for some 3-4 dB reduction in noise (that was already at a low enough level that it was on the limits of audibility). Chord’s stuff doesn’t seem to show any difference.

Anyway, does your TT2 do the same thing when run off the stock Chord PSU?

If not, then it may be some interaction with the Sbooster. But if the behavior is consistent with both PSUs then it’s something with the TT2 itself.

7 Likes

I almost hate to pose the question, but are there any owners of the TT2/M-Scaler combo who are happy with having upgraded their cables? I’m thinking of the Silver Dragons which represent the absolute ceiling in what I can (as a relatively new hobbyist) pay, but cannot get myself to click on the “purchase” button. Which is either my gut talking or the feeling I need to hear that others have found it worthwhile.

Not looking to relitigate the “are big dollar cables worth it” debate; more interested in anecdotal experiences.

My chain is Lumin U1 Mini —> M-Scaler —> TT2 —> (a) Parasound P6 preamp —> Parasound A21+ amp, or (b) ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation tube amp.

I have searched through this community and others but can’t quite find an answer to this particular question/option. Any help/advice/admonitions would be appreciated. Thanks!