Chord Hugo TT2
Chord Electronics’
domination of the premium digital-to-analogue converter market has been spectacular. From the portable Mojo to the high end DAVE, it has swept aside all-comers, winning loads of five-star ratings and Awards in the process.
But, while the likes of the Mojo, Qutest, Hugo and DAVE were all-conquering superstars at their respective price points, the original TT was, relatively speaking, merely very good. The Mk 2 version seeks to move the TT out of the shadows cast by the rest of its talented family.
Physically, it sticks to the squarish template set by its predecessor. The Mojo’s stylistic influence is felt strongly here, with a refinement of the porthole windows and cosmetic flourishes the company has become known for. Build quality is excellent, with the unit feeling suitably solid and luxuriously finished.
The heart of Chord digital products is a powerful FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) running in-house software, which performs all the decoding, filtering and other processing tasks, and gives the company an advantage in performance over rivals that use standard off-the-shelf DAC solutions. The TT2’S processing power is twice that of the standard Hugo 2, and it has a more generous power supply arrangement to boost performance further – only the flagship DAVE has more number crunching ability.
We’re unconvinced by the unit’s revised ergonomics. Chord has chosen to control the TT2 with a scrolling menu system. It is a pain when you have to scroll past numerous other parameters to change the input. The best way around this is to use the supplied remote handset – much easier.
Multi-talented DAC
The TT2 is a high-quality DAC and a headphone amplifier, and it can even drive a power amplifier or active speakers directly. At the press of a button, you can also get it to have a fixed output so that it can be plugged straight into your existing amplifier and work like a conventional hi-fi DAC.
Connectivity is good, with a USB, a pair of opticals and two coaxials (using BNC connectors). Use Chord’s Blu MKII CD transport with built-in up-scaling and this pair of BNC inputs can work together to accept a signal up to 24-bit/768khz. Aptx Bluetooth is also in the menu, and the Chord connects to our smartphone quickly and without issue. You can add single-ended RCA and balanced XLRS to the list of outputs too.
The sound from our iphone’s Bluetooth is good through the Chord. It’s nice and clear, showing a good degree of insight and resolution. It doesn’t come close to the quality delivered through the Chord’s physical connections, but sometimes convenience takes priority We connect our Apple Macbook, loaded with CD and hi-res music files, to the Chord’s USB input, and the TT2 delivers a performance far closer to the high-end DAVE than its namesake. That’s saying something when you consider the price difference between the two.
With a demanding piece of music such as Orff’s Carmina Burana, the Hugo TT2 paints a vivid picture brimming with attack and a sense of cohesion few can better. It’s a wonderfully detailed and expressive presentation, displaying the music’s dynamic shifts with fluidity. Compared with the original version, the Mk2 is undeniably clearer and more insightful. It sounds more focused and precise, without being overly analytical.
Tonally the Chord is even-handed, though on the lean side of neutral, and the stereo imaging is excellent. This DAC paints an expansive soundstage that locks instruments in place regardless of how complex the music gets.
Driving force
We use a number of headphones including our reference Beyerdynamic T1s, our long serving Grado RS-1S and Shure’s SE425S in-ears, and the Hugo drives them all without issue. We move to Neneh Cherry’s Broken
Politics and fall in love with the way the Chord handles the album’s understated polyrhythms. There’s a level of rhythmic confidence here that only the likes of the DAVE can better. The TT2 portrays the momentum of the music beautifully, conveying the mood and emotion of each track in a convincing manner. We connect the Hugo TT2 into our main reference system to see how it performs as a digital hub in a traditional set-up and it works flawlessly. It has plenty of poke, sounding robust and capable of punch when the music demands. This Chord is equally adept when it comes to transparency and finesse. In both respects it’s class leading.
In performance and feature terms it’s possible to make a strong case for the Hugo TT2 to be considered the best value DAC the company makes. You’ve got to have a mighty transparent system to justify the use of the DAVE over this.
So, Chord’s digital bandwagon rolls on with yet another class leader. The Hugo TT2 may have flawed ergonomics, but in every other respect it’s a stunner.