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Chord Electronics

Hugo M Scaler

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The Hugo M Scaler is a highly advanced standalone upscaler capable of redefining sound quality from digital audio. It uses Rob Watts' (Chord's Digital Design Consultant's) unique filter technology, the most advanced in the world, to upscale standard 44.1kHz digital audio up to 705.6kHz (16x CD's 44.1kHz native resolution), ready to be passed to a suitable DAC; Hugo M Scaler extends its upscaling performance to 768kHz (from 96kHz input data) for Chord's dual-BNC-input DACs: Qutest, Hugo 2, Hugo TT 2 and DAVE.

The Hugo M Scaler brings the unrivalled advantages of Chord's ground-breaking FPGA-based WTA (Watts Transient Alignment) filtering technology to digitally connected audio devices, dramatically improving sound quality. Although optimised for use with selected Chord Electronics DACs (for the maximum 768kHz upscaling/decoding benefit), the Hugo M Scaler can be used with other DACs with suitable inputs, subject to their decoding capability.

The silver Hugo M Scaler from above: the engraved Hugo M SCALER name, the CHORD badge, five gold BNC sockets along the rear edge, and the VIDEO, INPUT and OP SR spheres lit green, lilac and blue

The Hugo M Scaler's compact form factor aligns with the TT (Table Top) series and has been designed to be stackable with other units in the range, including the TToby stereo power amp and the Hugo TT 2, to form a highly advanced yet space-saving system. In line with other models in the Hugo and Hugo TT series, the device features a number of illuminable fascia-mounted spherical controls, governing input selection, output sample rate and video mode for lower latency. The control spheres display data visually including input source and the incoming sample rate, using a polychromatic scale.

When partnered with either of Chord Electronics' 768kHz-capable dual-BNC-input DACs, the Hugo M Scaler sets an astonishing technical benchmark for digital audio performance at its price point, redefining sound quality from digital audio.

More photographs

Front of the silver Hugo M Scaler: the six control spheres labelled VIDEO, INPUT, OP SR, DX OP, DX V and DX A, the first three lit green, lilac and blue, with the infrared window between them
The silver Hugo M Scaler in three-quarter view from the left, showing how shallow the chassis is, the dimpled arcs across the lid and the three lit spheres along the front edge
Rear of the silver Hugo M Scaler: the 15 V DC inlet, two BNC coax inputs, two optical inputs, the Type-B USB input, the optical output and three gold BNC outputs including the dual-BNC pair
The three-box Table Top system in silver: Hugo TT 2 on top with its blue porthole and green volume sphere, the Hugo M Scaler in the middle, and a matching Chord power amplifier at the foot

The story on this page is Chord Electronics's own, reprinted by Joenit, its official distributor.