Two and a half years after releasing Poly for its award-winning Mojo, Chord Electronics has treated its flagship portable DAC/headphone amp, Hugo 2, to an add-on streamer/server of its own. Having reviewed Hugo 2’s larger table-top sibling, Hugo TT 2, last autumn, now seemed like the perfect time to see how the portable model measures up […]
The Chord 2go is quite literally a bolt-on box that transforms the company’s Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amp into an app-controlled, portable WiFi- and ethernet-enabled streamer/server. Its two captive micro-USB plugs seat into Hugo’s corresponding sockets for data and power, while two locating screws lock the two devices together. Available in silver or black, weighing 160g […]
Back in June of this year I wrote a review of the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120, which was sufficiently enthusiastic that, after a discussion with me, our editor awarded it our coveted Best Buy award. As part of that discussion we wondered how it would fare in a comparison with some of its rivals in what […]
Even as I sit down to write this piece I can hear in my head the tooth-grinding in the ‘cables-don’t make a difference’ faction of the audiophile community. My advice is simple – life is short, so if this does not interest you move on to the next article. If you are still here, I […]
The Scandinavian countries have between them produced some iconic audio brands – I bet if you put your mind to it you could name at least half a dozen without hesitation. Copland would certainly be on my list if I was to do the same thing, and yet this is the first time that I […]
When is a streamer not really a streamer, in Auralic’s case that is when there is not Lightning DS operating system onboard. Auralic has been making the Aries which is purely a streamer with digital only outputs, and the Vega which is ostensibly a streamer with onboard DAC for some time now but the latter […]
Are you one of those people caught up in the headlong rush to abandon physical media? Are you now committed to only using your preferred streaming service to deliver all your music? has your local charity shop got boxes full of your old CDs because you discovered that they have no second hand value? Or […]
Despite Apple’s best efforts USB has become the de facto connection for everything from rechargeable torches to watches, computers and digital audio. It was never designed to send an audio signal but the fact that most laptops can send digital audio via this ubiquitous connection mean it has become the way that the majority stream […]
Reclocking is not a new thing, it was around in the 90s when the first wave of standalone DACs started to become popular and a few companies have been making USB examples for a while, Ideon from Greece among them. This is a small company made up of enthusiasts and engineers who make a range […]
Cambridge Audio launched the Edge series in 2018 to commemorate its 50th year of designing highly engineered audio equipment. Three years in the making, the line-up includes the Edge NQ preamp and network player, Edge W power amp, and the Edge A integrated amp. The series is named after Cambridge Audio co-founder Professor Gordon Edge, […]
Regular readers of The Ear may recall that some months ago I reviewed the Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 and that I was absolutely smitten with it. In fact I was so enamoured that I have since taken ownership of one and it sits proudly at the heart of my system. It is a source of hours […]
It says something about the state of British manufacturing when a brand that once adorned trains and jet planes is used by a cable company on a network switch, but English Electric became part of GEC in the late sixties and like some of the great audio marques of that era it pretty well disappeared. […]