No doubt I will ditch the Pi in some short space of time (it does look a bit agricultural in my rack) and go with an NDX2 but what I have trouble with with all this NDX2/ND5 XS2 into Hugo2 discussion is that you are buying expensive NAIM equipment and only using half of it. Perhaps in their marque separate strategy they will separate out a streamer soon.
Out of curiosity – you are running your Hugo 2 straight into the 300DR without preamp? Did you try with pre-amp; and if so, how did it compare? Sorry for this “diversion”, but I am genuinely curious about the Hugo 2 as pre-amp… Cheers!
Yes, am running hugo2 direct into the 300DR. Volume control is via Roon app, or Hugo remote. In fact somewhat ironically it was the Hugo’s capability as a preamp that was the main reason I bought it. The cost involved in a Naim preamp solution is prohibitive when you only have one source. I have not tried it with a preamp so cant comment on a comparison, but i am very happy with the sound that i am getting.!
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And I found the old Hugo1 great driving a Bryston power amp direct.
Don’t overlook the pending ‘2Go’ streamer/wifi front-end to the HUGO2 which Chord talk about but haven’t released yet. Like the Poly is to the Mojo.
Once the 2GO comes out it will be worth comparing the combined unit with the NDX2.
There are comments elsewhere on the forum that running a NDX2 straight into a poweramp does not give as good results as going via a Naim pre-amp such as the 282 or even 500 series
Actually I am now wondering about the virtues of the chord m scaler. The difference between 44.1 and anything higher, esp dsd, is quite stark.
Thanks @Mrpseudonym – I am wondering about using the Hugo 2 as pre-amp. Either for good, or until I can afford a Naim pre-amp… Or maybe just forgot about separates, and settle for a Supernait 2…
Indeed, when the 2Go arrives, the Hugo2 might become even more interesting, assuming Chord can compete with the Allo, SOTM etc… But when is it coming? People have been talking about it for ages, and it can’t be that difficult to design a Poly for the Hugo…
Go for it. Nothing to lose!
I wonder how much that has to do with the Naim sound specifically.
In my opinion it has nothing to do with the Naim sound. It has a lot to do with the difficulties and cost of an analog volume control and the compromises involved with implementing a digital one. I heard these differences when running my ND555 directly into my power amp versus running it into a preamp. Differences were there with 44/16 bit material, but much more evident with hi rez 96/24 and 192/24 that was well done. I do not have either a Naim Preamp nor Naim Power Amp. I use a Townshend DC 47 Autotransformer Preamp and a Krell KSA-80B class A amp into Apogee Scintilla Ribbons. The one thing in common is that I am looking for the music to sound like music and not hi fi. Others have done the experiment with various equipment and posted on the old/new forum.
Bailyhill
I borrowed a Hugo 2 from my dealer when they were first released.I tried it as a DAC between my Core and 272,which was ok,but not a lot better than just going directly into the 272 from the Core.What WAS really good,was when I used the Hugo 2 as a Preamp,Fed from the digital out of my 272/Core.I used my Anthem MCA 50 amp,not my 250 DR,since I did not have the right connector for the Naim amp.Stunning,would be an understatement,and this path is the reason I traded my 272/250 DR for an NDS.My plan is to get a Chord TT2,feed it the digital signal from my NDS/Core,so using the TT2 as a pre,and amp,directly driving my Sopra 1’s.Eventually,I will also add the Mscaler to the TT2.I did not like the Hugo 2 in this configuration,only because of its small size,and small connections (mini RCA).I suspect that the Chord DAC’s work better with non Naim amps,when acting as a pre.
I think that is more to do with mastering than the format. 44.1kHz at 16 bit and certainly at 24 bit is going to be pretty close / similar to a higher refinition once it has gone through the replay chain.
I suspect differences observed are more down, as I say to mastering, and DAC reconstruction. It takes a far higher quality DAC to resolve 44.1/16 bit to its optimum analogue resolution and accuracy compared to using higher bandwidth media…
When it comes to DSD you can’t really objectively compare with LPCM as it a very different form of reconstruction. Effectively DSD (that we use) is 1 bit PCM at a high sample rate with careful digital noise management (noise shaping… which tunes the noise to areas our brains are less sensitive to)
OK, I need the Naim brains trust. Top paragraph is on the ND5XS2 demo which has the issue, far below is the ND555/PS +/- Dave review.
I just demoed in store a ND5XS2 which sat sandwiched between the ND555/PS and Dave on top. I found on some recordings distortion to both the DIN and digital outputs (to SN2) ie Tidal Hoff Ensemble Quiet Winter night. The piano/voice/wind instruments leading edges are distorted slightly which makes the sound raspy as opposed to crystal clear. The Dave only underlined the distortion. Incidentally the DIN distortion was reduced when we borrowed the Superlumina DIN interconnect off the ND555. I suspect it could be interference from the stacked components on the ND5XS2 which is a no no so will go back this week and have another test but set side by side. Until this issue is resolved I will hold back on any performance commentary.
Perhaps if anyone has a ND5XS2 they could test and report back any noticeable distortion on the Piano/Voice and wind instruments from about midway on the Tidal Hoff Ensemble Quiet Winter night - track 2 = Stille/Stille Kommer Vi. For reference the interference/distortion on the above track was absent from he ND555PS bare and + Dave.
For the ND555/PS bare + Dave both setups worked well and free from any interference/distortion even with the ND5XS2 + Dave stacked on top. While both performances were excellent I preferred the Dave presentation which to my ears gives more space between instruments and clarity around notes and really underlines timbres. My ears are already tuned to the Hugo 2 which plays from a toslink connected Astell&Kern AK240. We also tried a few songs with the Hugo 2/AK240 which by comparison carried the same Chord sound but unsurprisingly lacked the fine detail. By contrast the Naim DAC is smoother, creamier, with instrument position not as forward. Not surprisingly we had an even split with those who leant Naim as DAC Vs transport with Dave.
Have a great weekend one and all
All the best Rob D
IB and Analogmusic will be happy to hear that.
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