Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC and Headphone Amplifier

Chord Electronics’ has been making some of the finest high-performance hi-fi and audio products. Its name is admired and trusted worldwide, and with a true aesthetic understanding, cutting edge design, and exemplary audio engineering, it continues to render excellence from time to time.

The Hugo 2 is its new innovation that features flexible new features, all-new casework, plus next-generation technical and sonic performance. It comes as a redesigned version of its legendary portable DAC. This new launch ensures continuity with the much-loved original as well as assures comprehensively upgrades. It boasts the latest proprietary Chord Electronics FPGA technology offering cutting-edge technical and sonic performance, plus exciting new features.

Design and functionality

The Hugo 2 is innovative and distinct from its predecessor. It comes with a sharper, lower profile design and four spherical control buttons. The spheres are top-mounted to allow for future expansion side modules, and the top-mounted volume control sphere has been retained and built larger for more intuitive operation. It has stylish new design and enhanced functionality and is ideal for indoor use within both desktop and conventional home audio systems.

Performance

It brings a wide variety of performance improvements in a number of areas by implementing the latest FPGA and advanced WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filters in it. Featuring new levels of technical performance, the Hugo 2 has performance gains in timing accuracy, headphone amp power, noise reduction and dynamic range. Other than this, it offers four digital inputs (optical, coaxial and HD USB) along with extended range Bluetooth, hi-res file playback up to 768 kHz and more.

Improved battery life

The Hugo 2 comes with improved battery life of around seven hours. It allows two modes of automatic charging: fast (1.8 amperes) and slow (less than one ampere), with the dedicated Micro USB charging port. To show battery charge status and charging, it features an indicator as well.