[Death_Block]

I'm wondering what the OG Hugo is like compared to the mojo 2. Similar prices now

 

[miketlse]

I'm wondering what the OG Hugo is like compared to the mojo 2. Similar prices now

A few posts have asked this question.
Some owners still prefer the sound of the Hugo compared to the Mojo 2.
However they do mention that if they now had the choice of buying a Hugo (with possibly 9 year old batteries in them), or a Mojo 2 (with the desktop mode for batteries, plus digital equalisation for headphones), they would probably opt for the Mojo 2.

 

[Death_Block]

The majority of use will be office desk, so battery is only needed when I take it home over weekends. Do both bypass batteries when plugged in and used at the desk?
Is the Hugo more or as musical as the mojo 2? That's my main priority.

 

[miketlse]

The majority of use will be office desk, so battery is only needed when I take it home over weekends. Do both bypass batteries when plugged in and used at the desk?
Is the Hugo more or as musical as the mojo 2? That's my main priority.

For context, I was about to order a Hugo but then the Mojo was released, so I bought a Mojo and have never heard a Hugo.
I do have a Hugo 2, but it would not be honest to advise you about the musicality of the Hugo 1.
What I will say is that after listening to the Susan Rogers talk at Canjam NY, it is clear that two owners can have very different feelings about the musicality of the same piece of kit. Based on that, only you can decide for yourself about the relative musicality, by demoing both Hugo 1 and Mojo 2.

Regarding batteries, the Hugo 1 does not bypass the batteries when used as a desktop dac. Indeed whilst the Hugo 1 was still a young project, the forum that became https://audiophilestyle.com/ had quite a few threads about owners replacing batteries, and modding their Hugo 1 to save the battery wear etc.
Consequently the Hugo 1 battery management gained a poor reputation, and because of that Rob added desktop mode (which does bypass the battery) to the Hugo 2 and Mojo 2.

Having said that recent posts like this suggest that the Hugo 1 experience may well have been very influenced by the care that the owner takes with the gear/battery.

 

[Death_Block]

Sounds like the mojo 2 is becoming the better choice at the very similar price point of an OG Hugo.

 

[Yarbles]

Don't forget that Chord are dropping the Alto (dedicated desktop headphone amp/dac - ir also has Bluetooth which makes it good for multimedia, eg watching a film late at night when the missus is sleeping) soon & it'll be around $3000 equivalent in the UK.

I have a Mojo 2 & absolutely love it as my portable & even main source for IEM's, but it won't get the most out of a hard to drive pair oh headphones.

Honestly I think the Alto is going to see the Hugo series drop as the odd kid in the middle... it's a bit big as a portable device & although it's more powerful than a Mojo 2, it won't be a patch on the Alto. So Mojo 2 on the move/Alto at home is absolutely perfect for me... and will be for a lot of others.

The Alto is also absolutely gorgeous...

 

[Death_Block]

Don't forget that Chord are dropping the Alto (dedicated desktop headphone amp/dac - ir also has Bluetooth which makes it good for multimedia, eg watching a film late at night when the missus is sleeping) soon & it'll be around $3000 equivalent in the UK.

I have a Mojo 2 & absolutely love it as my portable & even main source for IEM's, but it won't get the most out of a hard to drive pair oh headphones.

Honestly I think the Alto is going to see the Hugo series drop as the odd kid in the middle... it's a bit big as a portable device & although it's more powerful than a Mojo 2, it won't be a patch on the Alto. So Mojo 2 on the move/Alto at home is absolutely perfect for me... and will be for a lot of others.

The Alto is also absolutely gorgeous...

Bit overkill for my use though. My main concern is the mojo 2 to be able to push the Ibasso SR3 and hd700 to their best. Not just in volume. I tend the listen fairly quietly and wind it up for the special songs 90% desktop use and take it home for weekends

 

[miketlse]

Don't forget that Chord are dropping the Alto (dedicated desktop headphone amp/dac - ir also has Bluetooth which makes it good for multimedia, eg watching a film late at night when the missus is sleeping) soon & it'll be around $3000 equivalent in the UK.

I have a Mojo 2 & absolutely love it as my portable & even main source for IEM's, but it won't get the most out of a hard to drive pair oh headphones.

Honestly I think the Alto is going to see the Hugo series drop as the odd kid in the middle... it's a bit big as a portable device & although it's more powerful than a Mojo 2, it won't be a patch on the Alto. So Mojo 2 on the move/Alto at home is absolutely perfect for me... and will be for a lot of others.

The Alto is also absolutely gorgeous...

Alto won't replace the Hugo series.

• Alto is part of the professional range for musicians and recording engineers, so a different market segment.
• Hugo 2 docks with the new Suzi amplifier modules, so it would be pointless for Chord to withdraw the Hugo 2 now.

 

[KindofBluer]

I have the Chord Mojo 2 and I'm trying to decide if I should get the Hugo 2. If you have any insights on the improvement in sound quality, I'd appreciate it. I do enjoy using the Mojo eq at times.

Have a good one

I can’t speak to the Mojo2, and for the past couple of years I have been exclusively using my A&K SE180 dap as I find it much more compact and user friendly.

 

[Yarbles]

I can’t speak to the Mojo2, and for the past couple of years I have been exclusively using my A&K SE180 dap as I find it much more compact and user friendly.

You come into a conversation about Chord Mojo vs Chord Mojo 2 & you talk about something else entirely. Do you think that Mojo owners don't know about DAPs? It's possible to have & enjoy both. But you'll get better sound from the Mojo 2 (I got rid of my A&KSP3000 last week as it was rubbish. Their supposedly best DAP at $3800 & the sound is not even close to the Mojo 2).

Why are you even here????

 

[Yarbles]

Bit overkill for my use though. My main concern is the mojo 2 to be able to push the Ibasso SR3 and hd700 to their best. Not just in volume. I tend the listen fairly quietly and wind it up for the special songs 90% desktop use and take it home for weekends

I'm a big Chord fan. I'll want a desktop device for my harder to driver headphones & my trusty Mojo 2 for out & about.

One absolutely massive advantage the Mojo 2 has is the on board DSP. It's absolutely phenomenal. It's a proper hardware DSP and I don't think any competitive device has one. It's really bloody good.

FYI, if you're considering a Poly to go with it - go 2nd hand. Its brilliant for adding a very solid wireless connection to your phone (it bizarrely uses a combo of WiFi & BT! But it works very well. You'd struggle to tell the difference between wired & wireless via Poly) with the Gofigure app installed... but it's 'independent player' feature I haven't even bothered with & heard terrible things about.

As a very heavy Mojo 2 user, I find it extremely useful in many situations. It also has 2 x 3.5 jack ports so that's nice for my fiance & I to listen to music together in bed or traveling.

It's worth 250 secondhand with decent battery - but absolutely not full price 750!!!

 

[Death_Block]

I'm a big Chord fan. I'll want a desktop device for my harder to driver headphones & my trusty Mojo 2 for out & about.

One absolutely massive advantage the Mojo 2 has is the on board DSP. It's absolutely phenomenal. It's a proper hardware DSP and I don't think any competitive device has one. It's really bloody good.

FYI, if you're considering a Poly to go with it - go 2nd hand. Its brilliant for adding a very solid wireless connection to your phone (it bizarrely uses a combo of WiFi & BT! But it works very well. You'd struggle to tell the difference between wired & wireless via Poly) with the Gofigure app installed... but it's 'independent player' feature I haven't even bothered with & heard terrible things about.

As a very heavy Mojo 2 user, I find it extremely useful in many situations. It also has 2 x 3.5 jack ports so that's nice for my fiance & I to listen to music together in bed or traveling.

It's worth 250 secondhand with decent battery - but absolutely not full price 750!!!

I've never seen it for 250. Not even £ where I am. Brand new £395. Cheapest second hand I've come across is close ~£300. But it's always hard to know the battery condition. But with desktop mode, hopefully that makes it an easier gamble. Or just cough up the extra century and get brand new is tempting

 

[Death_Block]

Are there appropriate power supply options that increase performance like the pl50 or ifi equivalent?

 

[Yarbles]

I've never seen it for 250. Not even £ where I am. Brand new £395. Cheapest second hand I've come across is close ~£300. But it's always hard to know the battery condition. But with desktop mode, hopefully that makes it an easier gamble. Or just cough up the extra century and get brand new is tempting

I'm in Asia & I guess people sell second hand stuff here a lot cheaper than the west. 250 is common here for the Poly when you see one (not that often). The Mojo 2 is around 350 USD.

I just sold an excellent condition pair of Annihilators for 2500 on here (and that was the lowest end of the range I saw them priced at - there is absolutely no way I'd get that locally. I included top tier express shipping which isn't a lot for me as I buy this level of shipping in bulk for my business & most of my customers are in the US.

I got some nearly new Maestro SE for $1100 last December & a Sony NWZX707 DAP (yesterday) for half of the new price with six months local warranty from a very reputable store.

Pretty lucky to be into all this here!

 

[Yarbles]

Alto won't replace the Hugo series.

• Alto is part of the professional range for musicians and recording engineers, so a different market segment.
• Hugo 2 docks with the new Suzi amplifier modules, so it would be pointless for Chord to withdraw the Hugo 2 now.

You're absolutely correct. I spoke to Chord between posting that & a few days ago - the Suzi will be part of the Hugo line, but I need to wait and see just how much more powerful it is than the Mojo 2 & vs desktop headphone amps.