Chord Hugo 2 Review: Ranked #17 of 43

Last updated: October 11, 2026

The Chord Hugo 2 ranks #17 out of 43 total DAC and Headphone Amp Combos for sound quality. See all Headphone Amps and DACs rankings for every top pick.

Brand: Chord

Prices on this page were last checked October 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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#17 Chord Hugo 2: $2,595.00 Headphones.com eBay

Pros: Audio Science Review measured 112 dB SINAD, clean for nearly all listening, and Chord rates it at 740 mW into 32 ohms, enough for most planar magnetic headphones. It is a battery powered portable unit with about 6 hours of play, Bluetooth with aptX, and optical, coaxial and USB inputs. RCA outputs let it double as a home DAC.

Cons: It costs far more than the SMSL DS20, which rates the same and measured higher SINAD. There is no balanced headphone output, the USB port is the older micro USB type, and battery life is short at about 6 hours.

Released2017 (9 years ago)
Balanced OutputNo
Battery Life6 hours
Bluetooth CodecsSBC, aptX
DAC ChipXilinx Artix-7 FPGA (Chord pulse array)
Device TypeDAC and headphone amp
Dimensions3.9” x 0.8” x 5.1” (100 x 21 x 130 mm)
Headphone Outputs3.5 mm, 6.35 mm
InputsMicro USB, optical, coaxial (3.5 mm), Bluetooth
Output Power (300 ohms)94 mW (manufacturer rated)
Output Power (32 ohms)740 mW (manufacturer rated)
OutputsRCA
SINAD112 dB (measured by Audio Science Review)
Volume ControlDigital (1 dB steps)
Weight0.8 lbs (365 g)

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