Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Immaculate, Full Package

About this deal

The Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 is a high-end, all-in-one DAC, headphone amplifier, and preamplifier in a desktop form factor, capable of driving headphones, power amplifiers, or active speakers directly. Made in Great Britain , its heart is a powerful Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA, custom-coded by Rob Watts, with 86 parallel 208 MHz cores running a 16FS WTA 1 filter with 98,304 taps -- far beyond what conventional chip-based DACs offer. The DAC section supports PCM from 44.1 kHz up to 768 kHz, with DSD support via DoP from DSD64 through DSD512. The amplifier section delivers up to 7.3 W at 8 ohms in single-ended mode, or 18 W at 8 ohms in balanced mode , making it capable of driving even the most demanding headphones. Inputs include USB Type-B, two TosLink optical, two coaxial BNC, a driverless USB port, and aptX Bluetooth, while outputs cover stereo XLR, stereo RCA, two 6.35 mm headphone jacks, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Four user-selectable digital filter settings and an IR remote control are also included. This is a superb choice for serious audiophiles looking for a versatile, reference-level desktop unit at a significant saving over the new retail price.