Chord Hugo TT2

HUGO TT 2 DAC, preamplifier & headphone amplifier Developed from the multi-award-winning transportable Hugo 2, the Hugo TT 2 is bigger, better and more advanced in every way. TT 2 sets a new benchmark for table top DACs, eclipsed only by our flagship DAVE.   DESCRIPTION Hugo TT 2 has been radically redesigned from the ground up, not only with beautiful new casework by Chief Designer, John Franks, but with 5x the processing power of the original Hugo TT and double that of the multi-award-winning Hugo 2. Hugo TT 2 distils over 20 years of digital development by Rob Watts and takes advantage of the very latest technology. As expected, it delivers radically improved technical specifications and measurements across the board and exhibits drastic sonic benefits over its predecessor with 768kHz PCM and DSD 512 playback. Hugo TT 2 sets a new benchmark in table top audio, only being eclipsed by DAVE. Delving deeper, in comparison to the 256-tap filters that traditional chip DACs may run at, Hugo TT 2’s beating heart is a powerful Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA, custom-coded by Chord Electronics’ Rob Watts, with 86x 208MHz cores running in parallel to create an advanced 16FS WTA 1 filter with 98,304-taps. Double that of its multi-award winning transportable brother, Hugo 2 (49,152). Hugo TT 2 also benefits from an upgrade from a 4-element design to a 10-element design, which works in harmony with the radically upgraded FPGA and code to deliver unrivalled audio. A brand new high-power discreet output stage coupled with second-order noise-shaping integrated between the DAC output and filter is also employed to massively reduce distortion. Further improvements have also been made to the power delivery. Hugo TT 2 eschews the Li-Po battery power supply of the original and ushers in six super capacitors capable of delivering huge, linear dynamic currents when the music demands it with peak output of 5A, 9.3V RMS. Hugo TT 2 also brings home the much loved four-stage user-selectable filter controls introduced with Hugo 2 and retains the three-stage user-selectable digital crossfeed function for headphone users who want to improve the perception of depth, similar to that of speakers. Hugo TT 2 can be upgraded at any time with the addition of M Scaler, our 1M-tap digital upscaling device.    KEY FEATURES Roon tested   INCLUDED ACCESSORIES  Hugo TT 2 Quickstart guide  Safety instructions  15V 4A Switching barrel type power supply  IR remote control  Type-A USB to Type-B USB cable  Optical cable  2x AAA batteries   REVIEW & AWARDS Chord Hugo TT2 review "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 (and fat wallet) to justify the use of the DAVE over this. There’s now also plenty of clear air between the performance of the TT2 and the standard Hugo 2, enough to make the price difference easily justifiable in a suitably talented set-up. So, Chord’s seemly unstoppable digital bandwagon rolls on with yet another class leader. The Hugo TT2 may have slightly flawed ergonomics, but in every other respect it’s a stunner." - What Hi-Fi?    Appliance of science "It isn’t contentious to suggest that the hi-fi industry has a traditionalist streak. For many companies, the maintaining of traditional principles is vital to their perceived heritage and in extreme cases this extends to making the same physical product for years at a time. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and there are other companies with a reputation based on the desire to continue to push the technical envelope. This system is what happens when you combine two such brands. Chord Electronics has been pursuing avant-garde solutions for 30 years. Nowhere has this been more apparent than with digital audio. Since the arrival of its groundbreaking DAC64, it has eschewed traditional DAC chips in favour of custom-programmed FPGA (field programmable gate array) units. While the concept has changed little in the Hugo TT2 DAC/ preamp seen here, the execution is almost unrecognisable. Where the DAC64 offered support for 24-bit/ 96kHz music files, the TT2 offers 24-bit/768kHz. Finding music files at this sample rate is akin to hunting" -  Ed Selley   Chord Electronics Hugo TT 2 DAC/M Scaler upscaler "The Hugo TT 2 and Hugo M Scaler fit together like a sonic hand in a glove; once you hear them together, you won’t ever want for them to be apart. While Chord Electronics’ DAVE may be in a class of its own as a standalone headphone amp/DAC, the combination of the Hugo TT 2 and the Hugo M Scaler actually costs less than the DAVE and may actually offer better all around performance, which is saying a mouthful." -  Chris Martens Chord Hugo TT2 & M Scaler "The Hugo TT 2 alone is a significant advance on other DACs in its category. Adding the M Scaler delivers front-row, reach-out-and-touch musical excitement that utterly transforms digital, whether 16-, 24-bit or DSD. The result is not perfection of course – and sure to be bested by superlatives to come – but right now the pair present an extraordinary breakthrough in digital reproduction" -  HIFICRITIC   Top Tap DAC "Hugo TT2 resolves both CD and hires digital with breathtaking clarity, giving a starkly clear and concise sound unmatched elsewhere. It also has fantastic timing and almost peculiarly tight yet punchy bass. It is a little short on warmth, especially with DSD, majoring on deep analysis instead – undoubtedly its forte. To hear CD and hi-res like you’ve never heard it before, and as you will not hear it anywhere else, this is the DAC to audition." - Hi-Fi World   Chord Hugo TT 2 "Hugo TT 2 establishes a whole new level of excellency for Chord Electronics’ Hugo range of DACs/headphone amps, and I’d be very surprised if anything else currently on the market equals it in the feature and performance departments at its price point. Throw game-changing Hugo M Scaler into the mix as well, however, and this formidable pairing holds its own against any top end system it’s pitted against." - Richard Barclay   Chord Hugo TT 2 – Review "The Hugo TT2 is an all around performer. It does not have the ultimate DAC quality of the DAVE, no. It makes that trade off to be what I consider one of the best, and flexible all in one headphones source components in existence for half the price of the DAVE. Two thumbs up from me!" - PAULHEALY123    Chord Hugo M Scaler + Hugo TT 2 "Britský malovýrobce Chord Electronics z jihovýchodního cípu Anglie, dítko sympatického Johna Frankse, platí za jednoho z nejlepších výrobců D/A převodníků na světě (a ne že by zbytek jejich portfolia také nepatřil na výsluní high-endové elektroniky) - je to hlavně díky tomu, že Franks kdysi učinil šťastnou volbu a začal spolupracovat s Robem Wattsem, jehož svébytný pohled na řešení výzev digitálního světa zjevně funguje. Nejnovější hračkou, kterou Watts navrhl, je Hugo M Scaler, digitálně-digitální procesor." -  Daniel Březina      SPECIFICATIONS Materials Precision machined aluminium casing with steel ball bearing buttons, gloss black acrylic signal window, glass viewing portal, and dot matrix display. Available in a choice of two colours – silver, and satin black Tap length filter 98,304-tap 16FS WTA 1 – 10 element design Connectivity (input) 1x USB Type-B, 2x Coax BNC & 2x Optical Connectivity (output) Stereo XLR, Stereo RCA, 2x 6.5mm Headphone jack & 1x 3.5mm Headphone jack Connectivity (digital output) 2x DX BNC (expansion outputs) Weight 2.53kg PCM support 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz, and 768kHz. 16 – 32bit DSD support DoP DSD 64 to DSD 512 – native via Windows Volume control Digital Line-level mode Activated within the menu Driver support Driverless with Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows OS Dynamic range 127dB ‘A’ weighted Noise 4 uV ‘A’ weighted (high gain), 1.7 uV ‘A’ weighted (low gain) with no measurable noise floor modulation Distortion 0.00008% @ 2.5 V 300Ω; 0.00016% @ 6 W 8Ω Output power (unbalanced) (@1% THD) 288 mW RMS 300Ω; 7.3 W RMS 8Ω Output power (balanced) (@1% THD) 1.15 W RMS 300Ω; 18W RMS 8Ω Power consumption Full power – 30 W, Standby – 10 W Output impedance 0.042Ω Stereo separation 9 V RMS 300Ω -138dB Dimensions 5.2cm (H) 23.5cm (W) 23.8cm (D)