Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 Review

Headphone Drive-ability

The Hugo TT2 is said to have no difficulty driving headphones from 16 to 800 Ohms impedance. It provides 7.3W into an 8 Ohms load, which would translate to roughly 1.8W into 32 Ohms load. So plenty of power on paper. But power isn’t everything in my opinion. The 3.5mm output of the TT2 suggests, that it can also be used with portable headphones and even IEMs. For the sake of the experiment I wanted to know how the noise floor would be with my sensitive IEMs. I tested this with the FiR Audio M4 and it did reveal audible hiss. Although not as much as I would have thought.

The Chord Electronics sure doesn’t have any problems with pushing volume into the headphones. Even my HiFiMAN Susvara got plenty loud. But as we all know loud does not equal right. The Susvara does sound well driven, but in my opinion it doesn’t reach its full potential. It’s in the authority of the bass, the stage construction and generally just its ability to keep control. With the TT2 it does sound very enjoyable and musical, with a great sense of space and superb layering. But at the same time, I feel like there’s something missing. It doesn’t get to the same level of rendering and precision as I know it.

With easier to drive headphones like the Diana V2 by Abyss the picture is a different one. It sounds fast, precise and very well resolved, while also keeping its focus on musicality, enjoyment and crafting a beautiful venue. It’s a pairing to dive into and relax with. The Abyss also comes with high resolution, but it doesn’t reach the level of other higher end headphones like the Diana Phi, HE1000se or Susvara. These are still topping the V2 in those regards, but are more critical with pairing it with the TT2.

Generally the TT2 doesn’t have a problem with my headphones per se. They sound very nice, but I was still using the XLR/RCA outputs to feed external amplifiers such as the Flux Lab Acoustics FA-10 or the XI Audio Broadway. In my experience these two amplifiers enhanced the quality remarkably. They took the extreme strength of the Hugo TT2 and brought some refinement to make it even better with my headphones. Especially the HiFiMAN’s did take a noticeable step up in my opinion. So while you can use the TT2’s headphone section without any problems, I suggest you look into hooking it up to a dedicated headphone amp to get even better results.

Comparisons

The Hugo TT2 is the fourth DAC I own from Chord Electronics. I guess you can say I am a fan of theirs. The only one missing in my collection is the DAVE. I have heard it a few times, but I won’t give you a comparison based on memory. I can only let the TT2 step in the ring against products that I have at home. Products that I listened to extensively in my own four walls.

Let’s see how the Hugo TT2 compares to its stable mates from Chord Electronics – the Hugo2 and the Qutest. Which both are seated below the TT2 in Chord Electronics’ product line.

There are two more products that I want to compare the Hugo TT2 to. Both of which come with different DAC technologies. The SagraDAC is a resistor ladder R2R DAC from Taiwanese XI Audio and the Element M is a traditional silicone chip DAC from Matrix Audio using an ESS9038 Pro D/A converter.

Mentioned prices are in USD and correct at the time of writing. Comparisons were done using shared zones with Roon and the DACs feeding my Schiit Ragnarok II amplifier and Kef LS50 speakers.

Chord Electronics – Hugo₂ (2,695$)

The Hugo₂ of course is in a different category, as it’s a battery powered DAC/Amp. TT2 is a desktop only suitable product, which you can’t bring with you on business trips or vacations. The Hugo₂ features one less optical input and only RCA outputs. Hugo TT2 adds one XLR and a 6.35mm headphone output. It also has significantly more power on each output than the Hugo₂.

The comparisons continue on the next page HERE!