Um, no! He did NOT like the sound of the Amber (and it may well have been a bad Amber) so he returned it. Just setting this anti-Hugo record straight. It's one thing to have an opinion; it's another to misinform (not saying it's on purpose, T2T, but it ain't the facts). And it may seem like a nit, but Randy's opinion was put up here as a prime example of "apples to apples" preference, and it is not at all.
Randy is a dear friend and will be at the house on Thursday (where he will hear the Chord 2Qute, the Fore Audio DAISy1, the exaSound e12, among others). He hasn't heard my Aerial 20Ts yet. And I am helping him build a new CAPS server.
I just remember what he told me, that's all.
Ted mentioned this thread to me... I have not been on AC for a bit and needed to reply...
I was in the market for a DAC.(still am). I had built a CAPS v.2 and was running an Exasound E20 MKII DAC and getting GREAT sound. I decided to try a modded Sony HAP-Z1ES which would take the place of my E20/CAPS. For me, (not others), this was a big mistake! I bought into the hype from early adopters and while others may love their Hap-Z1ES, it just did not float my boat. I ended up returning the Sony.
I then bought a used Aries along with a Synology 415+ running direct to the Aries to an Amber DAC that I purchased through Fred at Lampizator NA. I still was not happy with the sound. While it was some time since my E20/CAPS combo, this current setup was clearly not what I had in sound quality.
Tom is correct in that we had conversed and I mentioned that I thought the Amber was better than the Hugo. However, Ted is correct as well as the more the Amber broke in the more the sound was just not right. I couldn't put my finger on it but as the Amber broke in the sound got worse.
I then went back to the Hugo and it was just better. Keep in mind that the Amber uses the Sabre chip which none of the other Lampi's use. However, I do not contribute the bad sound to the Sabre as I have had other DACS with this chip that sounded very good. (Exasound E20 MKII)
Anyway, I had to send the Amber back to Fred who deserves KUDOS
for the way he handles his business. He emailed me to let me know that there was something definitely wrong with the Amber as none sounded like the one I received.
I ended up selling the Aries as well as I just did not like the GUI. I am building a custom PC music server and will be purchasing a new DAC shortly. It might be a 2Qute. It might be another Exasound DAC (which is a beast with DSD!!) Dunno yet.
I really can't comment on how the Hugo stacks up against any Lampi's. I will say that I disagree with those who constantly portray the Hugo as "thin sounding". It does PCM very well indeed. There apparently are many very happy 2Qute owners who wax poetically about how the 2Qute does PCM. The 2Qute is the same house sound as the Hugo in different clothing.
I am all for "different strokes for different folks". What I can't seem to fathom is how after one day, a person can post on different forums on how one DAC "massacred' another. He must have really really good ears. It usually takes me a couple of weeks of listening a couple of hours a day to make a determination on what I view as better sound for my ears.
Regards,
Randy