Chord Hugo User manual

Hugo
Instruction Manual
Portable Head hone am lifier with Advanced DAC
Thank you for purchasing the Chord Hugo. In order to get the most from your
product please, take a few moments to read these instructions.
Hugo is an advanced portable headphone amplifier. It features a state of the art F GA
DAC design with our latest WTA filter algorithm. Hugo supports CM formats up to 384KHz
including DXD. It will also natively play DSD64 and DSD128 in Do format. owered by
rechargeable batteries for many hours of playback, Hugo is totally portable and will
work wirelessly via Bluetooth or can be connected via micro USB to give a direct
digital audio signal as found on many portable devices. Hugo can also be used as a
standalone DAC with RCA phono outputs to connect into a HiFi system. Coaxial and
optical digital inputs will connect to a variety or source components. There is an
advanced volume control which can be bypassed for line level operation. Hugo is a
truly versatile audio component to enhance your listening experience.
Get to know Hugo
Hugo features several different inputs and output connections. lease choose the one
that suits your source component.
Power switch
(on to the right)
HD USB input
44 – 384KHz capable
SD USB input
low power
44/48Khz only
Crossfeed switch
Different modes add
spatial effects
Input Source Switch
12V DC power input.
Connect to the wall adapter
provided to charge or leave
connected for continuous
operation.
Chord Electronics Limited

Coax digital audio input
Left and ight phono output.
Can be volume controlled or at 2V line level.
(connect to amplifier or preamplifier)
1 x 6.35mm ( inch) jack
2 x 3.5mm headphone jacks
Optical TOSLink digital input
Volume Control – otate to change volume.
Colour changes to indicate volume level
Crossfeed Mode
Off – No crossfeed
ed – Minimum
Green – Medium
Blue – Maximum
Input Source
ed – Coax
Green – Optical
Blue – Bluetooth
Yellow – SD USB
White – HD USB
Battery Life
Blue – Fully Charged
Green – 90%
Yellow – 50%
ed – 30%
Flashing ed - echarge
O eration
Turn on the power switch to the right. Hugo will cycle through the sequence of colours
and then be ready for operation. Select the input you wish to use and plug in the input
cables and headphones, as appropriate. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening
level. The volume control will glow a range of colours from dark red for minimum volume
all the way to white for maximum volume.
Driver Installation
If you are using the high definition (HD) USB input with a Microsoft WindowsTM Vista,
7 or 8 C then you will need to install the driver software on the supplied CD or via
our website. Before plugging in Hugo, double click the driver file to open it and then
click the setup file to start the installation process. Follow the on screen prompts to
complete the installation. ASIO drivers are also included. AppleTM or AndroidTM platforms
are driverless and do not require any driver to operate.
Bluetooth In ut
Hugo can play music via a Bluetooth enabled device. Hugo supports standard
A2D Bluetooth audio or the higher quality A TX Bluetooth Audio codec. Select the
Bluetooth input indicated by a blue source light and then follow the instructions on your
device to pair with Hugo. The pairing code is 0000, if required.
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Coax In ut
Connect a coax digital signal to the yellow phono socket. Select the coax input
indicated by the red source light.
O tical In ut
Connect an optical digital signal to the TOSLink socket. Select the optical input
indicated by the green source light.
SD USB In ut
The standard definition (SD) USB input allows for music playback up to 16 bit 48Khz.
This input does not require any drivers and will be compatible with nearly all mobile
phones / tablets and other source components with a USB connection. (USB drives and
USB memory sticks / cards are not supported).
Using an OTG (on the go) USB cable or the AppleTM Camera Connection Kit, Hugo can
be connected directly to a phone or tablet.
Select the SD USB input indicated by the yellow source light.
HD USB In ut
The high definition (HD) USB input is the highest quality method of digital playback. This
input is asynchronous and uses Hugo’s own highly accurate clock circuit. This input will
support 384Khz CM/DXD and also DSD64 and DSD128 in Do format. No drivers are
required for AppleTM and AndroidTM devices but for Mirosoft WindowsTM you must firstly
load the drivers on the supplied CD or download them from our website.
Using an OTG (on the go) USB cable or the AppleTM Camera Connection Kit Hugo can
be connected directly to a phone or tablet.
Select the HD USB input indicated by the white source light.
Head hones
Up to three sets of headphones can be connected at the same time to share the
listening experience. There is one larger 6.35mm jack socket and two smaller 3.5mm
sockets. The high current output stage will work with headphone impedances as low as
4 ohms or up to several hundred ohms so there are no restrictions on headphone type
or choice.
Charging
lug in the supplied wall power adapter to charge Hugo. The bright white charge light
will illuminate through the lens. When fully charged (approx 5 hours) the charge light will
switch off. It is safe to leave the power adapter connected continuously to charge and
power Hugo. The charge status is indicated by a colour changing light under the lens.
Blue is fully charged and this will change through green to red as the batteries
discharge. When there is no power left the light will flash red and the output will mute.
lease recharge when this happens.
Sam le Frequency Lights
Each digital sample frequency received will cause Hugo to illuminate different colours
to indicate correct operation. The sequence is as follows:-
Red – 44KHz, Orange – 48Khz, Yellow – 88KHz, Green – 96KHz, Light Blue – 176Khz, Dark
Blue – 192KHz, Light urple – 352Khz(DXD), urple – 384KHz(DXD).
White indicates DSD operation at either DSD64 or DSD128.

Crossfeed
There are three crossfeed modes that enhance the listening experience to give a more
spatial, ‘out of the head’, stereo sound field. Using advanced filtering and delay, the
normal headphone stereo image is converted to give the effect of a much bigger
sound stage as though you are listening to large loudspeakers or live music. The modes
are indicated by the crossfeed light under the lens as follows:-
No light – Normal Mode with no crossfeed
Red light – Minimum Crossfeed (9dB 700Hz)
Green light – Medium Crossfeed (6dB 700Hz)
Blue light – Maximum Crossfeed (4.5dB 700Hz)
Volume By ass
ress and hold the Crossfeed switch whilst turning on to activate volume bypass mode.
The volume control will illuminate light blue to indicate line level output. Using bypass
mode, Hugo can be used as a standalone DAC into a preamplifier with volume control.
Warning! – Volume by ass mode will set the volume on all out uts including the
head hone out uts to full level. Do not lug in or use head hones when activating
by ass mode.
S ecifications
Inputs: 1 x Optical TOSLink 24-bit/192kHz-capable
1 x CA coaxial input 24-bit/384kHz-capable
1 x Driverless USB input 16-bit/44/48kHz-capable
(designed for tablets/phones with no high resolution software)
1 x HD USB input 32-bit/384KHz and DSD128-capable
(phone/computer/tablet playback; driverless on Apple / Android)
( equires driver installation on Microsoft Windows machines)
1 x A2DP/APTX Bluetooth 16-bit/44/48kHz-capable. Upto 5m range.
Outputs: 2 x 3.5mm headphone jacks
1 x 6.35mm (1 inch) headphone jack
1 x (pair) stereo CA phono output
Dimensions: 100mm x 20mm x 132mm (Width x Height x Depth)
Weight: 0.4Kg ( 0.9Kg packed weight)
Chord Electronics Limited
The Bluetooth name and logos are registered trademarks
and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG Inc.
Made in England by Chord Electronics Ltd
www.chordelectronics.co.uk
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