DACs — Chord HUGO TT 2

Chord designed the Hugo TT 2 as a table-top converter that also drives headphones. It shares its FPGA-based conversion technology with the portable Hugo 2 but places it in a larger case. In Chord's DAC range it sits near the related Qutest desktop model, with the Dave above it.

Key specs that matter

Single-ended output impedance is 0.042 ohms. THD plus noise is 0.00008% at 22 kHz, an extremely low figure. The case measures 52 x 235 x 238 mm, considerably larger than the portable Hugo 2.

Engineering and use context

Chord's own FPGA engine carries out the conversion. Thanks to its tiny output impedance, the TT 2 serves equally as a headphone amp and as a line source.

Pairing

Headphones plug straight into the Hugo TT 2, and the line outputs connect to the amplifier of a bigger system.

Alternatives

The Chord Hugo 2 offers similar conversion technology in a portable, battery-powered format.