Chord Hugo ?

No one is comparing the Hugo to a Lampi here but lets make a couple of things very clear: it is at an entirely different level from the Qute line, this is a reference caliber dac. I listened to both versions of the Qute and its a really good dac, the Hugo is really great. Secondly, it is far from thin or lacking in dynamics....somebody is either talking out of their bum or have an agenda. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the only way I could imagine someone thinking the Hugo is thin is they were listening through very inefficient cans. It may or may not compare with other dacs in the opinion of a given user but this dac is extraordinary on its own merits.

Chord themselves consider this an accidental reference dac. They admit they discovered its extraordinary performance after prototyping. While I'm interested in others opinions and system implementations, the excellence of the Hugo is obvious to even the casual listener. Peace.

Winson - I do not expect the Qute format for quite some time. The next product seems to be a QBD type product, but I am not sure it will have more taps. Depends on the chip maker.

As Ghasley says, the number of people who think Hugo is thin is pretty small, at least on the Head thread. There are undoubtedly a small group obsessed with the power supply, but it is a small group. Given their obsession, I am pretty sure they will announce enormous gains by disabling the battery and connecting a linear power supply. Meanwhile, others with enjoy the Hugo as is.

The Hugo is, by most accounts, significantly better than the EX. You might want to skip the EX and go to Hugo. Making a comparison of the EX and a Lampi does not show how the Hugo will compare. By most accounts, Hugo is a significant upgrade from the HD or EX.

I agree that a QBD should be better than Hugo, but it will do so at a much higher price. I think you are not giving the Hugo the credit it deserves, especially at the price.

Guys,

I know much more about this Dac and its development than you can imagine. I do not speak out of turn. If you do enough reading about to, other than the HF thread, you will understand and yes MORE taps are in the works.

Let me make it clear no way in hell it is better than a Lampi Big7!!!!

Now a tapped up QBD with LPSU who knows?

And let me restate, i think the Hugo is a wonderful and significant development.

Wisnon, so, you've made your point that you are positive that the Hugo is not better than a Big7. I'll concede since I've never heard a Lampizator and likely never will. Once again, no one is saying that it is! It's probably not competitive with a DCS stack either....nor an ARC reference dac.....nor many others.

The point I believe we are trying to make here is that in general there are some really cool developments happening in the digital world right now. Specifically we are saying that the Hugo moves the needle in what may be possible at a reasonable price point presently. the qute dacs, while very good are not at the level at which the Hugo performs. You may disagree, which is terrific....especially in light of the fact that I can not possibly imagine the depth of your immense knowledge of the development of this DAC. Be sure to pick up your telephone when called upon by Chord's r&d department, your input will likely be crucial to their very survival. peace.

Where did I disagree with the digital advances of Hugo???
If I somehow gave you that impression I apologise.

Also, the snide R&D comment is uncalled for. I merely tried to show you guys that I have my own contacts from long ago and I had long ago read the HF thread. I am NOT new to Chord nor to Hugo developments. i was Chord when Chord was yet cool! LoL

I have a Qute precisely because of the FPGA tech. The only point of small disagreement with the tech is that I dont think its the best DSD approach to decimate to 2048FS PCM!

The analog side of Hugo is the weakpoint and its not a real issue as it's a portable battery powered Dac. In full blown desktop version, those shortcomings will very likely be solved and we will see the full potential. Rob Watts is VERY talented. The Qute/QBD currently have the advantage of better power supply and that is half the battle in Digital audio. It seems people forget that analog is the end goal of digital audio and that even the digital data is physically represented by analog constructs (electricity).

I am a fan of Hugo too, but i think the Head-fi site has it overblown as much as this site has it disrespected and ignored (relatively)