Hugo TT2
What it is
Hugo TT2 is a desktop DAC that also drives headphones and loudspeakers. At Munich in May 2018 Watts called it "a new product we just launched in Munich", with a much bigger FPGA than the original TT, a more advanced noise shaper and a WTA filter of about 98,000 taps HIFICLUBE.NET JVH 7. He wanted it to be "all things to all men", from ultra sensitive IEMs to power hungry headphones and loudspeakers Head-Fi, May 2018. In January 2020 he said that, after complaints that Hugo 2 could not drive some easy to drive headphones, he used "a sledgehammer to crack a nut" Head-Fi, Jan 2020.
Design
In May 2018 he said the FPGA, an Artix 35T, has 5 times the capacity of the original TT's and double Hugo 2's Head-Fi, May 2018. In August 2018 he gave the WTA 1 filter as 98,304 taps and the WTA 2 stage (16FS to 256FS) as identical to Hugo 2 and Dave Head-Fi, Aug 2018; in December 2018 he said the taps are switched off when the M scaler is connected Head-Fi, Dec 2018. The pulse array has 10 elements per channel Head-Fi, Oct 2018Head-Fi, Nov 2019, which he called in October 2018 a contributor to Dave, with 20, being more transparent Head-Fi, Oct 2018. He described "300 dB noise shapers running at 104MHz" Head-Fi, Oct 2018, and at launch a noise shaper about 100 times more effective than Hugo 2's, approaching Dave's Head-Fi, May 2018.
One amplifier does current-to-voltage conversion, filtering and headphone or speaker drive, with two resistors, two capacitors and one global feedback amp single-ended Head-Fi, May 2018. It uses his second order analog noise shaper with a high power discrete output stage Head-Fi, Oct 2018 from the power pulse array project Head-Fi, May 2018; the balanced negative output is an inverted stage of the same circuit Head-Fi, Oct 2018. A digital DC servo removes offsets, so there are no coupling capacitors Head-Fi, May 2018. In April 2020 he said it runs pure Class A for 30 ohms and Class AB by 8 ohms Head-Fi, Apr 2020.
The Munich talk puts six supercapacitors totaling 30 farads on the plus and minus 15 volt rails HIFICLUBE.NET JVH 7; on the forum he gave 30F Head-Fi, Nov 2018. With the supercaps and a large input inductor, the supplied brick only supplies DC current Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019.
Inputs, outputs and power
He gave 7 W into 8 ohms from the headphone sockets and RCA, and 18 W into 8 ohms from the XLR Head-Fi, Nov 2018. Single-ended gives 9.3 V RMS with a 0dBFS input at +7 dB Head-Fi, Sep 2018, and the XLR doubles the voltage Head-Fi, Jul 2022. DAC mode fixes the outputs at 2.5 V RCA and 5 V XLR with volume disabled Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Feb 2020. Low gain lowers the output by 9 dB, and the display shows absolute output in either gain Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Apr 2019.
USB takes DSD512, coax 384 and dual coax 768 Head-Fi, Jul 2018; in a post dated only to March 2025 to March 2026 he put DoP at DSD64 at best on optical and DSD64 and DSD128 on coax Head-Fi, Mar 2025. USB is galvanically isolated, the isolator powered from the source's 5 V Head-Fi, Feb 2019Head-Fi, Sep 2022.
The supplied supply is 15 V, 60 W and doubly isolated Head-Fi, Aug 2018. In May 2018 he put consumption at 13 W with no outputs connected, pending Chord's official figures Head-Fi, May 2018, and standby well below 2 W Head-Fi, May 2018.
How he says to use it
For speakers, use single-ended: the balanced output thermally trips into low-impedance loads (8 ohms or less in April 2022 and January 2023; loads under 16 ohms "if run loud" in February 2022), and if it does not trip you do not need the extra power Head-Fi, Feb 2022Head-Fi, Apr 2022Head-Fi, Jan 2023. XLR pins 1 and 2 are fine for speakers Head-Fi, Jul 2022. In February 2025 he wrote "Any nominal load under 4 ohms is a no-no" Head-Fi, Feb 2025. Some amplifier XLR inputs short pin 3 to pin 1, which may damage it Head-Fi, Apr 2022Head-Fi, Jan 2023. He drives his own B&W speakers single-ended Head-Fi, Jul 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2024.
Use high gain unless a sensitive IEM hisses Head-Fi, Apr 2022, and high gain into a power amplifier Head-Fi, Apr 2022. With the Hugo M Scaler, in February 2025: filter 1 or 2, not 3 or 4; he uses 2 Head-Fi, Feb 2025. In April 2022 he said the two stack without significant thermal or SQ problems, though Wave or solid ferrite BNC cables are better kept apart Head-Fi, Apr 2022; in December 2023 he never noticed an SQ difference either way while traveling Head-Fi, Dec 2023.
He advised against a linear supply in June 2018 and February 2024 Head-Fi, Jun 2018Head-Fi, Feb 2024. In July 2020 he said it can stay on 24/7, as his does Head-Fi, Jul 2020. Never change headphone connectors while music plays Head-Fi, Apr 2022. Hum with sensitive IEMs is supply leakage current, cured by grounding the unit Head-Fi, Apr 2020.
Compared with other Chord models
Against Hugo 2, in May 2018 DAC mode measurements are "pretty much the same" Head-Fi, May 2018 but depth and detail resolution are a lot better Head-Fi, May 2018; in July 2021 TT2 was quite a bit warmer, though not enough to take on aircraft instead Head-Fi, Jul 2021.
Against Dave, he wrote in May 2018 "In terms of raw transparency, detail resolution and depth perception, Dave is still easily the king" Head-Fi, May 2018, in March 2019 "M scaled Dave beats M scaled TT2 hands down in every regard" Head-Fi, Mar 2019, and in March 2023 "Hugo TT2 has higher distortion than Dave" Head-Fi, Mar 2023. Against Qutest, in a Passion for Sound interview published in parts from December 2019 (this part January 2020; recording date not stated) he called TT2 more transparent Passion for Sound 23:33. In July 2018 he chose the M scaler over TT2 as the upgrade from Hugo 2 for one listener's Aeon headphones, saying the choice might differ with "impossible" headphones or speakers driven directly Head-Fi, Jul 2018.
What he has not said
He gave no time or temperature for the balanced thermal trip, only that above 7 W into 8 ohm speakers it will "eventually thermally trip" (post dated March 2025 to March 2026) Head-Fi, Mar 2025. In December 2023, naming upcoming projects: "Certainly not TT3!" Head-Fi, Dec 2023.
Release and official documents
- Launched at the Munich show, May 2018, in his words.HIFICLUBE.NET JVH 7
From Chord Electronics. Links open Chord's own copies; reviews hosted on Chord's site are left out. Chord's Hugo TT2 page.
Manuals and guides
Drivers (Windows)
Other
Key figures
His own figures, dated. Where he gave different figures at different times, each appears.
Show all 29 figures
| Figure | Value | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WTA1 filter taps | 98k (May 2018, at Munich); 98,304 (Aug 2018), 'to be exact' and switched off when the M scaler is connected (Dec 2018) | 2018-12 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Dec 2018 |
| WTA1 filter taps | 98,000 in the Munich talk (May 2018); 'no TT2 is 90,000' in a talk answer at the Nintronics open day (November 2018, uploaded December 2018). | 2018-11 | Pursuit Perfect System 10:56HIFICLUBE.NET JVH 7 |
| FPGA | Artix 35T; 5 times the capacity of the original TT and twice Hugo 2's | 2018-05 | Head-Fi, May 2018 |
| Pulse array elements | 10 per channel ('10e' in May 2018; 'per channel' confirmed Nov 2019) | 2019-11 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2018Head-Fi, Nov 2019 |
| Noise shaper | 300 dB noise shapers running at 104 MHz | 2018-10 | Head-Fi, Oct 2018 |
| Noise shaper order and depth | 12 order noise shaper, better than 300 dB; noise floor minus 178 dB; jitter test floor minus 170 dB (Nintronics open day talk, November 2018, uploaded December 2018) | 2018-11 | Pursuit Perfect System 35:36Pursuit Perfect System 34:53Pursuit Perfect System 40:30 |
| Output power, headphone and RCA | 7 W into 8 ohms | 2018-11 | Head-Fi, Nov 2018 |
| Output power, XLR balanced | 18 W RMS into 8 ohms at 1% THD (May 2018); 18 W/8 ohms (Nov 2018) | 2018-11 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Nov 2018 |
| Output power, steady state | 7.3 W into 8 ohms, both channels driven continuously | 2019-12 | Head-Fi, Dec 2019 |
| Output voltage, amp mode | just over 18 V RMS at 1% THD in amp mode (May 2018); 9 V RMS, 18 V RMS on XLR, in high gain (Jun 2018); 9.3 V RMS single-ended at 0dBFS and +7 dB (Sep 2018); 9.4 V RMS maximum in high gain (Oct 2019) | 2019-10 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Jun 2018Head-Fi, Sep 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2019 |
| DAC mode output | 2.5 V RMS RCA, 5 V RMS XLR, volume disabled | 2018-05 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Feb 2020 |
| Low gain maximum output | '3V RMS' RCA, 6V RMS XLR (May 2018); limit 2.5 V RMS (Jun 2018); 3.33 V SE and 6.4 V XLR (Jan 2019); 3.3 V RMS maximum (Oct 2019); 9 dB below high gain | 2019-10 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Jun 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Oct 2019 |
| Residual noise, low gain | 1.6 uV (11 May 2018); 1.7 uV (13 May and Sep 2018) | 2018-09 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Sep 2018 |
| Noise floor | 9 nV or -180 dB | 2024-06 | Head-Fi, Jun 2024 |
| Distortion | 0.00008% at 2.5 V into 300 ohms; 0.00016% at 6 W into 8 ohms single-ended; 0.0002% at 12 W into 8 ohms balanced. Earlier 0.000195% THD and noise at 20 Hz, 12 W, 8 ohms, at production optimization. | 2019-01 | Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, May 2018 |
| Output impedance | about 0.042 ohm, all outputs | 2019-01 | Head-Fi, Jan 2019 |
| SINAD | 127 dB, A-weighted, referenced to 1% THD full output; 126 dB A-weighted in his 2.5 V figure, 'ref to full OP voltage' | 2022-02 | Head-Fi, Feb 2022 |
| Output current | output stage current limit 10 A (Nov 2018); 10 A RMS both channels under dynamic conditions (Dec 2019); more than 5 A RMS from each of the two outputs (Jan 2021); capable of delivering 4 A, much more dynamically, so running continuously into a short can damage it (Feb 2024) | 2024-02 | Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Dec 2019Head-Fi, Jan 2021Head-Fi, Feb 2024 |
| Volume reference | -3 dB is 3 V RMS (May 2018); 0 dB is 4.23 V RMS (Jan 2019); 0dBFS clips at +7H or -2L (Apr 2019); 0H is 4.2 V RMS (Jul 2020) | 2020-07 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Apr 2019Head-Fi, Jul 2020 |
| Digital gain above the volume maximum | up to +22 dB (Sep 2018); up to +18 dB (Oct 2019) | 2019-10 | Head-Fi, Sep 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2019 |
| Input rates | USB DSD512; coax 384 kHz; dual coax 768 kHz | 2018-07 | Head-Fi, Jul 2018 |
| DoP rates | optical at best DSD64; coax DSD64 and DSD128 (post dated only to between March 2025 and March 2026) | 2025-03 | Head-Fi, Mar 2025 |
| USB isolator draw | about 250 mW from the source (one answer covering TT2 and the M scaler) | 2019-02 | Head-Fi, Feb 2019 |
| Supercapacitors | 30 F (forum, Nov 2018 and Jan 2019); six supercaps (May 2018); 375 joules stored (Dec 2019); about 10 seconds to charge at power-up (May 2018) | 2019-12 | Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019HIFICLUBE.NET JVH 7Head-Fi, Dec 2019Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018 |
| Supercapacitor life | 200,000 hours to a 30% loss and 1,000,000 hours to halve (Nov 2018); 100,000 hours to a 30% loss (Jan 2019); 500,000 hours to a 50% loss (Jul 2020) | 2020-07 | Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Jul 2020 |
| Supplied power supply | 15 V, 60 W, doubly isolated; unit shuts down below about 11 V ('if memory serves') and a power high error triggers above 15.5 V | 2019-10 | Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2019 |
| Power draw | 13 W with no outputs connected (May 2018, pending official figures); 13 W in normal use (Aug 2018); typically 13 W as a DAC (Jun 2019); quiescent around 13 W (Dec 2019); standby well below 2 W (May 2018) | 2019-12 | Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Jun 2019Head-Fi, Dec 2019Head-Fi, May 2018 |
| Weight and height | 2.7 kg on his kitchen scales (Jun 2018); 51 mm tall (Aug 2018) | 2018-08 | Head-Fi, Jun 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018 |
| Video delay | 63 ms | 2018-10 | Head-Fi, Oct 2018 |
Quotes
“I really wanted TT2 to be all things to all men; so I needed it to perform perfectly with ultra sensitive IEM's, and power hungry monster headphones”2018-05-13 Head-Fi, May 2018
“with TT2 I decided to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut - nobody could possibly say that TT2 couldn't drive any (non electrostatic) headphone directly”2020-01-06 Head-Fi, Jan 2020
“I was surprised how big a difference that Dave makes; but it's twice the price of TT2, so it damn well should be substantially better.”2019-03-28 Head-Fi, Mar 2019
“do not use the balanced connection - as it will thermally trip if run loud. If it's not run loud, then you don't need the extra power.”2022-02-17 Head-Fi, Feb 2022
Caveats and open points
- The Munich presentation figures of 13 May 2018 (0.00016% at 6 W into 8 ohms, 1.7 uV residual noise) predate his 17 May 2018 post saying he had completed the output stage optimization for production and that the units shown were 'almost final' Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018. He repeated 0.00016% at 6 W in January 2019 Head-Fi, Jan 2019.
- Tap count: the forum gives 98k (May 2018) and 98,304 (August and December 2018) Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Dec 2018; only a talk answer at the Nintronics open day (November 2018, uploaded December 2018) has 90,000 Pursuit Perfect System 10:56.
- Residual noise in low gain: 1.6 uV on 11 May 2018, 1.7 uV on 13 May 2018 and in September 2018 Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Sep 2018.
- Low gain maximum output is given as 3 V, 2.5 V, 3.33 V and 3.3 V in posts from May 2018 to October 2019 Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Jun 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Oct 2019. Balanced low gain is 6 V in May 2018 and both 6.4 V and 6.6 V in January 2019 Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Jan 2019.
- DAC mode: 2.5 V on RCA in May 2018 and February 2020 Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Feb 2020; in July 2020 he said DAC mode equals low gain at -5L, and gave -5L as 2.4 V RMS Head-Fi, Jul 2020Head-Fi, Jul 2020.
- Digital gain beyond the volume maximum is +22 dB in September 2018 and +18 dB in October 2019 Head-Fi, Sep 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2019.
- Balanced output into low impedances: in May 2018 he gave 18 W into 8 ohms, said 4 ohms 'should be' 27 W, and said it managed 4 ohm loads easily Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018. From November 2020 he said balanced into 4 ohms may thermally trip Head-Fi, Nov 2020, from 2022 into 8 ohms or less Head-Fi, Feb 2022Head-Fi, Apr 2022Head-Fi, Jan 2023, and in a post dated only to between March 2025 and March 2026, above 7 W into 8 ohm speakers Head-Fi, Mar 2025.
- Balanced gain: in January 2019 he wrote that balanced adds only 3.8 dB more volume, while in November 2018 and July 2022 he said the XLR gives 6 dB more or double the voltage Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Jul 2022.
- Supercapacitor life estimates differ across three posts: 200,000, 100,000 and 500,000 hours, each to a different capacitance loss Head-Fi, Nov 2018Head-Fi, Jan 2019Head-Fi, Jul 2020.
- His speakers: he named B&W 803 D3 in July 2018, February 2022, January 2023 and October 2024 Head-Fi, Jul 2018Head-Fi, Feb 2022Head-Fi, Jan 2023Head-Fi, Oct 2024, but 802 D3 in October 2018 and 'B&W 802's' in March 2019 Head-Fi, Oct 2018Head-Fi, Mar 2019.
- Most comparisons with Hugo 2, Dave, Qutest and the M scaler are listening impressions, several with an M scaler attached; the exceptions are the Hugo 2 DAC mode measurement remark and the Dave distortion remark Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Mar 2023.
- A bare 'TT' can mean the original Hugo TT, so only passages naming TT2, TT 2 or Hugo TT2 are used here. In the same Passion for Sound interview (part published January 2020; recording date not stated) he preferred TT2 plus M Scaler over a bare Dave at similar prices, adding that plenty of people would prefer Dave Passion for Sound 24:16.
Indicator colors
What each light means on the Hugo TT2, from Chord's manual: Indicator colors: Hugo TT2.
Questions about this product
Owning and setting up
- Is TT2 plus an M Scaler as good as DAVE?
- Should I add an M Scaler to my Qutest or Hugo 2, or upgrade to TT2 first?
- Should I use balanced or single-ended headphone drive, and why are Chord headphone outputs single-ended?
- Which headphones, speakers and sources does Rob use himself, and which pair well with Chord DACs?
- Can I stack TT2 and an M Scaler, and how hot is too hot?
- How do Mojo 2 and Hugo 2, or TT2 and DAVE, compare?
- Which output level should I feed my amp: Qutest's 1, 2 or 3 V setting, TT2's DAC mode or gain, or the volume control?
- Do I need the Chord driver on Windows, should I use ASIO or WASAPI, and will my DAC work with Mac, Linux, Android or an iPhone?
- Is my Chord DAC powerful enough for my headphones?
- Should I add an external headphone amp to a Chord DAC?
- Should I use the RCA or XLR line outputs on TT2 or DAVE into my amplifier?
- Why do I hear a buzz or feel a tingle when the charger is connected, and should I earth my unit?
- Can I make an XLR-to-RCA adaptor by shorting the negative pin?
- How loud is safe, and does hearing loss make high-end gear pointless?
- Is Chord working on a DAVE 2, Hugo 3, Mojo 3 or TT3, and when might the Ultima DAC arrive?
- Is Chord's digital volume control transparent, and does it lose resolution at low volume?
- Should I send DSD as DoP or native?
- Should I use a pre-amp (tube or solid state), or run the Chord DAC straight into a power amp?
- What do the colored indicators mean (volume, sample rate, charging), and is a volume color the same level across Chord DACs?
- Can I take DAVE, Hugo 2, an M Scaler and a power bank on a plane, and how does Rob listen on flights?
- Do lossy or streamed files sound worse than local files on a Chord DAC?
- How do I make sure my player sends bit-perfect data at the native sample rate?
- How many taps and pulse array elements does each Chord DAC have?
- Is M Scaler pass-through bit perfect, and why is the scaled output quieter?
- My DAC drops out, clicks or loses lock. What should I check before returning it?
- Should I leave my Qutest, TT2, DAVE or M Scaler switched on all the time?
- Should I put ferrites on my BNC or USB cables, and which kind?
- Should I use optical or coax into my Qutest?
- What DSD rates does each input on a Chord DAC accept?
- What does crossfeed do, which setting should I use, and why didn't the original Mojo have it?
- What does the M Scaler actually do, and is it worth adding to my DAC?
- Which Chord DACs accept 705.6/768 kHz from an M Scaler, and how do I connect Hugo 2 or Qutest to get the full 1M taps?
- Which kind of source does Rob recommend feeding a Chord DAC?
- Why does my DAC mute or click when the track or sample rate changes?
- Why does my Hugo 2 switch itself off, and how does standby work on the battery-powered DACs?
- Why does my M Scaler give no output with native DSD?
- Why won't Rob comment on other brands' products?
In depth
- Which filter setting should I use on Hugo 2, TT2 or Qutest, and what does the HF filter do?
- How are Chord's filter stages split across 16FS, 256FS and 2048FS, and what does each stage do?
- Does source jitter matter with a Chord DAC, and would a reclocker, external clock or USB-to-SPDIF converter help?
- Should I replace the supplied power supply with a linear or aftermarket one, and will that affect my warranty?
- What is noise floor modulation, how does Rob measure it, and why does he say it is audible below what can be measured?
- Do Chord DACs need burn-in or warm-up?
- How do Chord DACs handle DSD, and does Rob consider DSD better or worse than PCM?
- What are the DX outputs for, and what happened to the pulse array power amplifiers?
- Which Chord inputs are galvanically isolated, and which setups short the isolation out?
- Which input sounds best on a Chord DAC (optical, coax, USB or BNC), and why does Rob prefer optical when it is said to have more jitter?
- Which kinds of error does Rob consider audible, and which does he consider benign?
- Why might a brighter or more detailed change actually be a step backward?
- Will a USB purifier, JitterBug or USB isolator improve my DAVE, TT2 or Hugo?
- Do measurements tell you how good a DAC sounds, and is Rob an objectivist or a subjectivist?
- How can upscaling to 705.6/768 kHz improve sound if the recording has nothing above 22 kHz?
- How were Chord's current DACs and the M Scaler developed, and how long did each take?
- If the data reaching the DAC is bit perfect, can the source (laptop, phone, streamer, CD transport or network gear) still change the sound?
- Is battery power better than mains, and can I power the M Scaler or Qutest from a power bank?
- Should audio processing dither or noise-shape, and is 64-bit floating point transparent?
- What do noise shaper order and speed buy, and why does DAVE's 350 dB noise shaper matter?
- What does Rob mean by 'starting and stopping of notes', timbre variation and 'sense of flow', and what causes them?
- What does Rob think of Class D amplifiers, and how do his pulse array power amps differ from them?
- Why are half-band decimation filters and studio sample-rate conversion a problem, and how much aliasing rejection is enough?
- Why does Rob design to -301 dB, how can that be verified, and how does small-signal accuracy relate to depth?