How do Mojo 2 and Hugo 2, or TT2 and DAVE, compare?
Short answer
Watts puts Hugo 2 ahead of Mojo 2, TT2 ahead of Hugo 2, and DAVE ahead of TT2 Head-Fi, Jan 2022Head-Fi, Oct 2019Head-Fi, Aug 2022. In an interview published in October 2026 (recording date not stated) he gave, as his design target for Mojo 2, about two-thirds of the way from the original Mojo to Hugo 2 HiFi Buys 2:29:40; in a podcast recorded in October 2025 he described the same figure as his guess beforehand ecoustics 1:20:45. He calls TT2 warmer and more refined than Hugo 2 Head-Fi, Jul 2021Head-Fi, Dec 2018 and DAVE far more transparent than TT2 Head-Fi, Oct 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2022, yet says some listeners prefer M scaler plus TT2 Head-Fi, Oct 2018.
On any ranking. Choosing between DAVE and a Blu2 with Hugo 2 in February 2018, he said "It depends upon what on balance is the most important to you" Head-Fi, Feb 2018.
Mojo 2 versus Hugo 2
- At Mojo 2's launch in January 2022 he wrote "It's closer now, but Hugo 2 is still superior" Head-Fi, Jan 2022. In February 2022 he listed what Hugo 2 has that Mojo 2 lacks: the WTA 2 filter, better noise shapers, 10 elements rather than 4, and the second order analog noise shaper amplifier, which he said makes "a big difference too particularly with low impedance headphones" Head-Fi, Feb 2022. In the same post he said "Mojo 2 has reduced the gap to Hugo 2 compared to Mojo" Head-Fi, Feb 2022.
- In an interview published in October 2026 (recording date not stated) he said he designed Mojo 2 so that, with the original Mojo at 0% and Hugo 2 at 100%, it would reach about two-thirds, which he called "a subjective target that I had in my mind" HiFi Buys 2:29:40, and that the first prototype hit that target HiFi Buys 2:31:58. In a podcast recorded in October 2025 (published March 2026) he gave the figure as a prediction: "my guess was that it was going to be around two-thirds the performance of a Hugo 2 compared to Mojo", which the listening tests then matched ecoustics 1:20:45.
- On power, in November 2024 he wrote "Mojo 2 has almost identical OP power as Hugo 2" Head-Fi, Nov 2024.
- Coming from the original Mojo, in February 2022 he said Mojo 2 has tighter bass but a leaner balance, because the coupling capacitor that gave Mojo its warmth was removed Head-Fi, Feb 2022.
Hugo 2 versus TT2
- In May 2018 he said on TT2 "depth and detail resolution is a lot better" and "instrument separation and focus is also much better too" Head-Fi, May 2018. In August 2018 he said TT2 "sounds warmer and fuller than Hugo 2, even when you are listening with easy to drive headphones" Head-Fi, Aug 2018, and warmer with an M scaler too Head-Fi, Aug 2018. In December 2018 he called TT2 more transparent and more refined, with the refinement more apparent than the transparency Head-Fi, Dec 2018. In December 2020 he wrote "TT2 is considerably more refined and smoother than Hugo 2" Head-Fi, Dec 2020.
- In October 2019 he said "going from TT2 to a Hugo 2 you do lose out a lot in SQ terms - but the music is still emotional and involving; in short musical" Head-Fi, Oct 2019. In July 2021 he called TT2 "quite a bit warmer (in a good way) in tonal balance than Hugo 2"; he takes a TT2 to hotels because the difference is worth the hassle, not on aircraft, and called Hugo 2 "the perfect match for portable/transportable use" Head-Fi, Jul 2021.
- In May 2018 he said TT2's pure DAC mode measurements are "pretty much the same as Hugo 2", with TT2 coming into its own on power: 18 W RMS balanced, 7 W RMS single ended Head-Fi, May 2018.
TT2 versus DAVE
- In May 2018 he called DAVE "still easily the king" in raw transparency, detail resolution and depth Head-Fi, May 2018. In October 2018: "Dave is still leagues ahead in terms of transparency - depth and detail resolution in particular", a bigger gap than he expected Head-Fi, Oct 2018. In March 2019, "M scaled Dave beats M scaled TT2 hands down in every regard" Head-Fi, Mar 2019; he was "perfectly happy" with the difference, noting DAVE is twice TT2's price Head-Fi, Mar 2019Head-Fi, Mar 2019.
- The position held in 2022. In June 2022 he wrote "Dave is a big improvement in small signal accuracy and transparency over TT2" Head-Fi, Jun 2022, and in August 2022 that the final listening tests showed "Dave was a lot more transparent than TT2" Head-Fi, Aug 2022. In March 2023 he referred in passing to DAVE "having much more resolution compared to TT2" Head-Fi, Mar 2023, and later that month wrote "Hugo TT2 has higher distortion than Dave" Head-Fi, Mar 2023. In October 2024 he said TT2 single ended drives his B&W 803 D3 directly, which "Dave can't do" Head-Fi, Oct 2024.
- On taste, in October 2018 he said timbre variation, tempo and flow, and instrument separation are better with M scaler plus TT2, and "Some prefer Dave, some M scaler/TT2" Head-Fi, Oct 2018. In a Passion for Sound interview (Part 4, published January 2020; the series began publishing in December 2019 and the recording date is not stated) he said that, for a buyer at a similar price who could never afford more, his preference would be TT2 with an M scaler, adding "there'd be plenty of people that will prefer the sound of Dave" Passion for Sound 24:16. That passage is partly garbled in the transcript.
Hugo 2 versus DAVE
In January 2017 he wrote "Dave is still a very big change up from Hugo 2", mostly from analog complexity and parts, and "Dave still measures a lot better than Hugo 2" Head-Fi, Jan 2017. In February 2018 he called DAVE unbeatable for transparency, but said a Blu2 with Hugo 2 wins on musical performance Head-Fi, Feb 2018.
What he has not said
The archive has no side-by-side listening comparison of Mojo 2 against TT2 or DAVE. In a CanJam NYC 2022 seminar, while showing Mojo 2's small-signal measurements, he said "there's only two DACs better than this. And that would be slightly a TT2 and slightly a DAVE" MFG Audio Reviews 45:45.
Quotes
“the gap has indeed been narrowed, but Dave is still leagues ahead in terms of transparency - depth and detail resolution in particular.”2018-10-27 Head-Fi, Oct 2018
“TT2 is quite a bit warmer (in a good way) in tonal balance than Hugo 2”2021-07-18 Head-Fi, Jul 2021
“My idea was to get it to within two-thirds of the sound quality.”2026-10 HiFi Buys 2:29:40
“Mojo 2 has reduced the gap to Hugo 2 compared to Mojo”2022-02-01 Head-Fi, Feb 2022
“Dave was a lot more transparent than TT2 - and this difference was simply much bigger than I expected.”2022-08-31 Head-Fi, Aug 2022
Dated positions
| When | Products | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-01 to 2018-02 | Hugo 2, DAVE | Describes DAVE as a very big step up from Hugo 2 in clarity and transparency, mostly from its analog complexity and parts, and as measuring a lot better, while saying a Blu2 with Hugo 2 wins on musical performance. Head-Fi, Jan 2017Head-Fi, Jun 2017Head-Fi, Aug 2017Head-Fi, Feb 2018 |
| 2018-05 to 2020-12 | Hugo 2, Hugo TT2 | Says TT2 beats Hugo 2 on depth, detail, instrument separation and focus, and is warmer, fuller and more refined, with similar DAC-mode measurements but far more output power. Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Aug 2018Head-Fi, Dec 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2019Head-Fi, Dec 2020 |
| 2018-05 to 2024-10 | Hugo TT2, DAVE | Says DAVE is well ahead of TT2 on transparency, depth and detail, by more than he expected, including when both are used with an M scaler; he restated this in 2022, referred to it again in 2023 (including that TT2 has higher distortion than DAVE), and in 2024 said TT2 drives his B&W 803 D3 directly, which DAVE cannot. Head-Fi, May 2018Head-Fi, Oct 2018Head-Fi, Mar 2019Head-Fi, Jun 2022Head-Fi, Aug 2022Head-Fi, Mar 2023Head-Fi, Mar 2023Head-Fi, Oct 2024 |
| 2018-10 to 2020-01 | Hugo TT2, DAVE, Hugo M Scaler | Says some listeners prefer M scaler plus TT2 and some prefer DAVE, and that, for a buyer at a similar budget who could never afford more, he would personally pick TT2 with an M scaler. Head-Fi, Oct 2018Passion for Sound 24:16 |
| 2021-07 | Hugo 2, Hugo TT2 | Describes TT2 as quite a bit warmer than Hugo 2 and worth taking to hotels but not onto aircraft, and calls Hugo 2 the perfect match for portable use. Head-Fi, Jul 2021 |
| 2022-01 to 2022-02 | Mojo 2, Hugo 2 | Says Hugo 2 is still superior to Mojo 2 but Mojo 2 has reduced the gap compared with Mojo, and lists the WTA 2 filter, better noise shapers, 10 elements and the second order analog noise shaper amplifier as what Mojo 2 lacks. Head-Fi, Jan 2022Head-Fi, Feb 2022 |
| 2022-02 to 2022-03 | Mojo (original), Mojo 2 | Says Mojo 2 sounds leaner and tighter in bass than Mojo, attributing Mojo's warmth to coupling capacitors removed in Mojo 2, and that no setting exactly reproduces the Mojo sound. Head-Fi, Feb 2022Head-Fi, Mar 2022 |
| 2024-11 | Mojo 2, Hugo 2 | Says Mojo 2 has almost identical output power to Hugo 2. Head-Fi, Nov 2024 |
| 2025-10 to 2026-10 | Mojo 2, Hugo 2 | Says (interview published October 2026) Mojo 2 was designed to reach about two-thirds of the way from Mojo to Hugo 2 in sound quality, a subjective target he says the first prototype met; in a podcast recorded October 2025 he gave the figure as his prediction beforehand. ecoustics 1:20:45HiFi Buys 2:29:40HiFi Buys 2:31:58 |
Caveats and open points
- This archive has no direct listening comparison of Mojo 2 against TT2 or DAVE, and no Mojo 2 versus Qutest comparison.
- The two-thirds figure comes of a podcast recorded in October 2025 and an interview published in October 2026 (recording date not stated); check the recordings. It is a subjective design target he describes (two-thirds of the way from Mojo to Hugo 2), not a measurement.
- The Passion for Sound Part 4 transcript (published January 2020) is machine-generated and partly garbled, so check the recording before relying on the TT2-plus-M-scaler preference.
- Most Hugo 2 versus TT2 comparisons date from 2018 to 2021; the latest direct TT2 versus DAVE statements found are from 2022, with two brief March 2023 references (Head-Fi, Mar 2023, Head-Fi, Mar 2023) and, in October 2024, one remark on which of the two can drive his speakers (Head-Fi, Oct 2024).
- The comparisons are his own listening opinions as the designer; they are not independent test results.