Chord Hugo 2 upgrade - M Scaler or TT2?

[Nevillerc]

If you were looking to upgrade your Chord Hugo 2 and could afford to buy an M Scaler or a Hugo TT2 but not both, which would you go for and why?

 

The TT2 option would work out somewhat cheaper, assuming I could sell the Hugo 2 for a decent price. But perhaps the Hugo 2/M Scaler combo sounds better?

 

I'd be very interested to hear from folks who are familiar with these products.

[Torq]

I think a proper answer to this depends on what you plan to do in the future, but lets start with the present.  And for some context, I own a Hugo TT 2 and M-Scaler (office rig), Hugo 2 (portable) and a Blu-Mk2 and DAVE (primary rig), so I've had the opportunity to compare all of the combinations directly, and in my own system and at leisure (picture is from when I was doing the comparisons):

 

 

My personal opinion, is that the hierarchy of performance is as follows:

• Blu Mk2 -> DAVE | Hugo M-Scaler -> DAVE
• DAVE
• Hugo M-Scaler > Hugo TT 2
• Hugo TT -> Hugo 2 <> Hugo TT 2 (no M-Scaler)
• Hugo 2

The most interesting parts to me were:

• That DAVE on its own beat the Hugo M-Scaler/Hugo TT2 combination.  Though the M-Scaler/TT 2 yielded better dimensionality and depth than just DAVE on it's own, DAVE on it's own was ahead everywhere else.

• The M-Scaler/Hugo 2 combination traded blows with the Hugo TT 2 on it's own and which was preferable would depend on personal tastes and priorities (and what headphones you were driving).

So, now, if I was looking at making the choice you are, which way I would go would depend on a) what headphones were being driven (from a power/balanced drive perspective) and b) whether there were potential upgrades to the rig going forward.

 

I'd likely go with just the Hugo TT 2 if I was going to be sticking with it for the long-term.  Otherwise I'd add an M-Scaler to the Hugo 2 right now, and then replace the Hugo 2 with either a Hugo TT 2 or DAVE in the future while keeping the M-Scaler. 

 

Of course, if you use the Hugo 2 in a portable/transportable context at any point, that's another point in favor of that approach.

 

 

[Nevillerc]

Thanks, Torq, that's very helpful.

 

I never use the Hugo 2 as a portable - I'm too scared of dropping it! In fact that's one reason I'm tempted by the TT2: it looks like a more robust and durable piece of equipment. I'd love to have a Dave, but I can't see myself getting one anytime soon. I have an Audio Aero Transtrac amplifier which is getting very long in the tooth, so that's probably the next thing I'll upgrade.

 

My headphones are Sennheiser HD800. I'm quite happy with the way they sound via the Hugo 2, but I imagine I'll notice a significant improvement with the M Scaler or the TT2. I guess I can't really lose either way.

 

Your system looks amazing, btw. May I ask what those amps are?

[Torq]

Thanks ... though that's how it looked when I was in the midst of doing the comparisons between the M-Scaler options and Hugo TT 2/Hugo 2.  In actual use, today, it looks like this (since the M-Scaler and Hugo TT 2 are now in the office):

 

 

The amps are Woo WA234 MKII MONOs (with a Chord Étude nestled under the Blu Mk2/DAVE to drive the SR1a).

[asdf1000]

Error, deleted