CHORD ELECTRONICS - Hugo 2 Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC/Headphone Amplifier Offers Effortless, Reference-Setting Performance in its Price Class: 32-Bit 768kHz PCM and Native DSD512 Are Just the Start
The multi-faceted Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amplifier has you covered. At home or on the go. In your main system or a desktop setup. With or without headphones. High-resolution 32-bit/768kHz PCM, native DSD512, or aptX Bluetooth. You've got choices galore with Hugo 2, a What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year Award-winning portable that last up to seven hours on a single charge and offers four digital inputs as well as two analog outputs to grant you immense flexibility. User-selectable frequency shaping, crossfeed functions, and four illuminated top-mounted control buttons are all onboard, too. And it's not for nothing that Hugo 2 has been acclaimed by the likes of Hi-Fi Choice, Darko.Audio, and other vaunted audiophile press outlets.
Housed in an aircraft-grade aluminum case and supplied with a remote control, Hugo 2 sports an impressive technological array under its hood. A 49,152 tap-length filter – nearly double that of the original model – as well as a massive FPGA and cutting-edge Watts Transient Aligned filters account for its premier performance. There's not a single off-the-shelf converter or filtering chip in sight. DC servos and two charging modes add to the feature set, the heart of which remains Chord Electronics' in-house DAC. It allows Hugo 2 to deliver levels of texture, detail, timing, and, yes, patina that few, if any, DACs anywhere near this cost provide.
"There isn't another DAC around at anywhere near this sort of price able to communicate so torrentially, so unambiguously or so effortlessly."
– What Hi-Fi?, Product of the Year Award and 2020 Best DAC over $1,200 Euro Award
"If you're fortunate enough to be able to consider one, then it's an essential audition; not just as a portable DAC/headphone amp, but as the best hi-fi digital converter at or near the price."
– Hi-Fi Choice, Editor's Choice Award
"On sound quality and utility – judging it as a complete package – Chord Electronics' Hugo 2 is the finest DAC I've seen/heard/used to date."
– John Darko, Darko.Audio, Knock Out Award
"Comfortably able to see off any conventional DAC at its price, it's astounding for a compact music machine, with a vibrant and rhythmic sound."
– Stereophile, and 2018-19 EISA Award Winner, Best DAC
"...A perfect all-in-one unit however, one of the – if not THE – very best on the market."
– Headfonia
"The Hugo 2 has exceptional resolution of transient detail, striking three-dimensionality, and extremely quiet backgrounds."
– The Absolute Sound, Editors' Choice Award
"With so many models on offer in its range, working out which Chord Electronics product is best for your needs might seem a little tricky. The Hugo 2 is a pretty simple answer to the question, performing as well as a portable headphone amp as it does as a main-system DAC. The redesign has added extra facilities to improve the listening experience, making it both a technological achievement and a sonic one."
– Andrew Everard, Hi-Fi News
"Is it the DAC of the Year in the traditional sense or is it King of the Personal Audio digital devices?"
– Hi-Fi+, Desktop Headphone Amplifier/DAC of the Year
Next-Generation Performance and Features
In 2014, Chord Electronics introduced Hugo, a revolutionary portable DAC and headphone amp that became a landmark product in the audio landscape. Advances in digital technology, including the latest FPGAs and WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filters, have enabled Hugo to evolve into a next-generation version, Hugo 2, featuring flexible new features, plus next-generation technical and sonic performance. Hugo 2 can be used both at home and on the go, either with headphones or within a conventional audio system. Its line-level output and full-function remote control adds real flexibility in full-size and desktop systems.
All the Connectivity You Require
Hugo 2 offers four digital inputs (optical, coaxial and HD USB) plus extended-range Bluetooth, with high-resolution file playback up to 768kHz and up to DSD512 (Octa DSD) via its HD USB input. Analog outputs include two RCA, plus 3.5mm and 6.35mm headphone outputs. A four-function switch filter offers a useful degree of user-selectable frequency shaping, bringing warm and soft or transparent and incisive presentations, giving additional flexibility and user control. For headphone listening, Hugo 2 retains the popular digital crossfeed function of the original and offers three operation modes. The system duplicates the effect of listening to speakers and is based on advanced binaural audio research.
Attractive Control Buttons, Long Playback Time
Hugo 2 features four spherical control buttons, which illuminate with color-coding information and control power, input, filtering, plus the unit's crossfeed functions. Battery playing time is around seven hours and two modes of automatic charging are included using the dedicated Micro USB charging port. An indicator shows charging and battery-charge status.