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Chord Hugo DAC - anything comparable?

H

Hifibythekg

Super Member
Seeking advice on DACS which might compete with a Chord Hugo (Mk 1) but for far less cost.

Given the list price of a Hugo, is this a fool’s errand?

Not looking for just chip specification comparisons as we all know that the DAC needs good supporting circuitry to sound its best. Just would appreciate any opinions on DACS that have sounded incredibly good in a system.

Probably looking at getting a used item but look forward to hearing views on any products that compete in sound quality.
 
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Thanks for suggesting them, having taken a very quick look I think they’re probably a bit higher in price range, for a used model, than I’d hoped. Was hoping that there might be some recent technology models that would be close to a match of the Hugo. Or even an older ‘sleeper.’
Thanks again.
 
Thanks @swamppirate , that’s the sort of thing I was imagining could be made, and to a price.
But… how good does it really sound compared to, say, a Hugo? Does the manufacturer manage to convert the technology contained within into… superb sound quality?
Look forward to any contributions from those who have used this model or similar.
Thanks again.
 
Hifibythekg said:
Thanks for suggesting them, having taken a very quick look I think they’re probably a bit higher in price range, for a used model, than I’d hoped. Was hoping that there might be some recent technology models that would be close to a match of the Hugo. Or even an older ‘sleeper.’
Thanks again.
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What price range are you looking at? If you have a very revealing system, a higher end DAC rally is something else.
 
You might want to check out the Bryston BDA3 DAC. I just tested the optional DAC module in their 12 year old B100SST integrated amp I use against the DAC in my new award winning Digital music streamer. And the Bryston is noticeably more revealing with a wider, deeper soundstage. It's like there's more music in every song. And compared to the average disc players I used to use, it's in a whole different league.

While I love my new streamer/DAC, I'll be using the Bryston DAC for its improved transparency and how it manages to retrieve more detail.
 
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Thanks guys, appreciated.
Price range, as it’s in a second system didn’t want to spend more than $400 but am happy with a second hand item.
Interesting that some older technology can apparently outperform the most recent products.
Can’t understand why there haven’t been more high-ish performance (but low budget) products utilising advances in recent years.
 
Sorry, I missed the part about low cost.
Hifibythekg said:
Interesting that some older technology can apparently outperform the most recent products.
Can’t understand why there haven’t been more high-ish performance (but low budget) products utilising advances in recent years.
Click to expand...

Remember the "A" part of DAC is for analog. The technology to build superb analog amp sections in turntable preamp's, tuners, reel to reel & cassette tape machines etc has been around since the 60's or 70's. No amount of digital wisidry (or technology) can make up for a mediocre analog section. Which is what we get for a few hundred $.

That said I'm sure there are DAC's out there in your price range that sound quite good.
 
Good point.
I don’t need much amplification at all from the DAC as I have plenty available from the pre and power amplifiers. But I suppose that’s not the point, the DAC’s little bit of analogue amplification just needs to be of excellent quality.
Surely some manufacturer can incorporate a proven small but high quality analogue amplification stage and also exploit the more recent tech and design advances in digital signal processing? And for a budget price?
Perhaps too much to ask.
 
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