Transportable DAC and headphone amplifier
Chord Hugo 2 is a digital-to-analogue converter with a headphone amplifier, battery powered and designed for use at home and on the go, with headphones or within a conventional system. It measures 130 × 100 × 21 mm and weighs 365 g, in a precision-machined aluminium casing.
It is the evolution of the Hugo introduced in 2014: Chord Electronics redesigned it around a Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA with its own code, a 49,152-tap WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter and a Class A output stage. The manufacturer recalls the «Best DAC» award at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 and the others received every year from 2017 to 2022.
Inputs, outputs and formats
The digital inputs are Micro-USB, coaxial on a 3.5 mm jack (also in dual-data mode) and optical, joined by aptX Bluetooth. Micro-USB and dual data accept PCM up to 768 kHz, coaxial up to 384 kHz, optical up to 96 kHz; DSD is played natively up to DSD512. No drivers are needed with Mac OS X and Linux, while Windows requires one.
The outputs are a stereo pair of RCA sockets and two headphone sockets, 3.5 mm and 6.35 mm; Chord states compatibility with headphones up to 800 Ω. The stated power at 1 % distortion is 94 mW into 300 Ω, 740 mW into 32 Ω and 1,050 mW into 8 Ω, with an output impedance of 0.025 Ω. In line-level mode all outputs deliver 3 V, for connection to an amplifier.
Filters, crossfeed and battery
Four illuminated spheres, which change colour according to status, control power, input, filter and crossfeed; the volume is digital, in 1 dB steps. There are four filters, from a neutral and incisive setting to a warmer one, with or without high-frequency roll-off. The digital crossfeed, in three levels, reproduces through headphones the effect of listening to loudspeakers. An infrared remote control is included.
The stated playing time is around 6 hours, depending on the headphones. Charging goes through a dedicated Micro-USB socket and nominally takes 6 hours at 1.8 A or 8 hours at 1 A, with a charge status indicator. After 10 minutes without an input signal the unit switches itself off.
Technical data
- Digital inputs: Micro-USB (44.1 to 768 kHz, 16 to 32 bit); coaxial on 3.5 mm jack (44.1 to 384 kHz, 16 to 32 bit); dual data on the same jack (44.1 to 768 kHz); optical (44.1 to 96 kHz, 16 to 24 bit).
- Wireless input: aptX Bluetooth (44.1 to 48 kHz, 16 bit).
- Outputs: 1 × 6.35 mm headphone; 1 × 3.5 mm headphone; 1 stereo pair of RCA.
- Formats: PCM from 44.1 to 768 kHz, 16 to 32 bit; native DSD from DSD64 to DSD512.
- Conversion: Xilinx Artix 7 (XC7A15T) FPGA coded by Chord, 49,152 taps, 10-element pulse array.
- Output power (1 kHz, 1 % distortion): 94 mW into 300 Ω; 740 mW into 32 Ω; 1,050 mW into 8 Ω.
- Output impedance: 0.025 Ω.
- Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz ± 0.2 dB.
- Harmonic distortion: below 0.0001 % (1 kHz, 3 V RMS, 300 Ω).
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 126 dB (A-weighted).
- Channel separation: 135 dB at 1 kHz (300 Ω).
- Battery: 2 lithium-ion cells, 3.7 V, 9.6 Wh (2,600 mAh); average playing time 6 hours.
- Dimensions: 130 × 100 × 21 mm.
- Weight: 365 g.
- Finishes: black (satin black), silver (natural silver).
- Included: drawstring bag, 5 V 2 A Micro-USB power supply, infrared remote control with 2 AAA batteries, Micro-USB to USB Type-A cable, Micro-USB to Micro-USB OTG cable, optical cable, optical cable with 3.5 mm termination.
