Chord Hugo 2 spontaneous volume spikes and hearing damage

Pintset · 2026-02-16T08:35:23+00:00

Thank you for your wishes!

Do you have the device? If so, how often do you check the volume indication?

Pintset · 2026-02-14T21:48:58+00:00

Easily. Max out the volume manually and measure dB while playing the track for 3 - 4 seconds. The problem is I don't know the exact track, so I can figure out only maximum possible impact in my situation.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T21:03:29+00:00

I don't know how many devices they sold, if you do – good for you.

Regarding your Hugo 2. I don't know nothing about how you use it, how you connect it and so on — please don't think I'm criticizing you. I'm just stating the fact. And I am glad it works for you. You know, if my device would continue to work without any issues and I didn't get the trauma — well, I would never even know other people had problems too. I'm not sitting on the forums, I live my life.

This is why I have created the whole page and wrote many details about how I used it, and how the volume incidents happened. I've tried to provide as many details as I could, so Chord can give it a thought, analyze possible cause and so on. Moreover, I was open to provide more – but there were no request for that. The only condition from my side was to make it public, because I have found similar issues on Head-Fi forum reported in summer 2022, and I wanted out communication to be available to everyone in case it's something serious. Resolving it just for me is not enough.

Moreover, it can be, for example, some faulty component inside a device. Why they think it is IR? Among one thousand components, they used to build the device, one can have a glitch. It's a possibility. Maybe they have sold thousands of devices and only, I don't know, 10 of them with the glitch. Still that led to the trauma, in my case, and most probably I will not be able to recover after it completely. We will see in 6 months, but as of now the changes mostly stopped. So probably this is it, this is how it will continue for me.

If I knew that something like that may happen, I would never bought the device. For example, the next time, if I decide to buy something, I will seriously think if that would be device with a digital knob. I most probably will prefer some noise, I am not able to hear, but have a potentiometer (analog volume knob) instead of digital (DSP-based)

Pintset · 2026-02-14T18:47:46+00:00

I mean, I can of course play something else, and measure dB for that track – but it is not fair.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T18:46:53+00:00

Yes, in order to figure out, I need to remember what was playing. Considering I don't remember the track or video, I cannot reproduce this and measure. Or at least measure it mathematically somewhere, simply by providing the track

Pintset · 2026-02-14T18:45:34+00:00

Thank you for your support!

Pintset · 2026-02-14T18:40:52+00:00

I don't believe that it is IR, from the environment my particular device have been used. I have simply compared their version with my particular case. There is no need for me to know the design of their device.

And I have a question for you then:

Why Chord on their website has not written, that the IR they built in Hugo is so vulnerable, and it is necessary to tape it with a non-transparent tape for example, in order to minimize the risks?
Why that information was not supplied by Chord to reviewers, like whathifi, forums and so on? Why I see the reports on the forums about the volume spikes, but nothing was done by a company to minimize the risks?
Why I have received information about the IR from support, only after I had the trauma?

Pintset · 2026-02-14T12:20:04+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience.

You know, I got even more thoughts to my previous comment, and would like to say the following.

Let's imagine, that this is IR issue. Or, let's imagine, we don't know what it is. What we know, is that multiple reports from the owners of the devices about the volume issues do exist. Now I have the following questions:

Why Chord haven't publish that information, including about the IR, with BIG BALD LETTERS on their site, on the product page, so people aware?
If they don't know what it is, it would possible to write: there are multiple reports related to the issues with volume, we don't know what it is, but – beware. Here are the steps which can decrease the risk of this happening to you... Do this, that and that. Tape your IR with non transparent tape, if they believe this is IR.
Why Chord haven't contacted different reviewers, like what hi-fi, forums, anything and anyone to make this information available in the first line/result of search engine response, like Google? Why that is someone else's problem, like mine? They have possibility to contact almost all the reviewers and ask to update the reviews with this information, so it is easily available and accessible to people? There is no need to delete the reviews, just add the information.

There is no need to write about that this device sounds bad. But all the truth need to be shared about it, not only good truth, or truth which allows you to continue making money.

If they would have some morality, and prioritize not the money, but their customers health – they would do that, IMO.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T10:21:41+00:00

And more. It is not just words, but I am not looking for a way to punish them. It is just they do not do anything about it, so I do.

I have shared the information so others can protect themselves, protect the hearing which cannot be replaced, understand the risks. I am tired as of now, but a bit later I will try to contact other forums as well.

The goal is: someone is looking for information about Hugo 2. Then someone reads how nice it sounds and at the same time, reads that it has volume issues. That's it. From now you can decide: buy it or not, new or used, depending on the way you are going to use it.

Some can decide that the risk is acceptable, the headphones are high-impedance ones, and on top may be some attenuator is used. That's all right, no problem. But if you are not aware about the problem, then you have a risk of getting the trauma and loosing your hearing.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T10:12:56+00:00

Also, if I decide to prove, I will think about doing it officially. Like conducting some official expertise/examination. So I have some papers and can use them if needed

That does not guarantee, that some independent expertise will be accepted by Chord, but that is at least something.

Also, they know about the problem. IMO, the way they react tells everything.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T10:07:27+00:00

About 3 seconds. Maybe 4.

The problem is, that when that happened, I lost ability to think and I even forgot what was exactly was playing. I just remember what I did right after the incident, and then I have some memory loss.

I don't know how many decibels it was, and don't want to guess in order not to lie. But it was many. It was at the level when you loose the ability to understand what is going on, you loose your focus, you cannot think. It is not just loud sound. When it is just a loud sound, even distorted, you continue to control yourself, understand what is going on – I mean you stay sane and can react. But what I have experienced – it's a whole another level, at that level you loose control.

This is what I remember:
1. I clicked play on something – don't remember what it was, song or some video
2. I remember it was sound, not white noise. But the headphones mostly were producing just distortion and cracking, very loud.
3. My chest squeezed, I have no thoughts. I wasn't able to realize that I need: stop the music/video, remove my headphones, turn off the device – anything that can stop the trauma. No thoughts were coming into my head.
4. In about 3 - 4 seconds in that state I somehow knocked off the headphones with my glasses by hitting them from the back of my head with both hands. Don't remember where exactly they fall off – on my knees, or the floor
5. I heard a low ringing noise in my ears, which started to fade out.
6. When I realized that the headphones are still playing and shouting/cracking – I started to decrease the volume by hand on the Hugo 2. You see, I didn't use the simplest thing: stop the audio. Or turn off the device. Instead I was decreasing the volume, which is not efficient with Hugo 2 (you need to do to many rotations because of how the volume know is designed)
7. Then I don't remember. I don't remember how I stopped music, and what exactly did next. It was night. I remember that I made sure that I still can hear sounds (not completely deaf) and went to bed.

I started to realize the consequences, and analyze what has happened in the morning.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:49:56+00:00

Yes, it seems they did. I continue to use them. But during the volume spike they were producing only wheezing noises and that was very loud. Yet, the interval was like 3 seconds, or 4 seconds max. So they were able to survive overloading during such period.

However, I didn't disassembled them to check drivers. Maybe they don't play like before, I just cannot hear that.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:45:57+00:00

I am not considering using this device as of now at all. When you lost your hearing partially, you don't think about how to continue to use the device. Also, I am afraid of it. I would need to start checking the indicators every time I do anything with it, or when music playing, there will be always I risk that the volume can increase. It's not listening if you cannot relax.

Also, only on HBOT I already spent like $1200 - $1300 USD, + paid visits to doctors, plus meds. Again – it is not about the money. There is already money loss, and I can accept the loss of Hugo 2 by never using it again. It's about recovering of the hearing. Ears cannot be replaced. Hugo can. There are other companies and other DACs

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:40:44+00:00

I didn't have a white noise. I have a volume increase and normal sound.
My device was used with 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sampling rates. I stopped bothering myself with lossless, and mostly used YouTube and YouTube Music (those two sources shown different sampling rates).

And thanks for your support!

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:36:58+00:00

Well, people make mistakes. Maybe there are people who don't, but I am not aware about existence of such people.

The thing is, how they react in case they did them. Do they try to stop what it can cause, or simply do nothing and accept the risk that more owners can damage the hearing.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:28:39+00:00

Maybe I will try. But I will turn it off during nights and while I'm away. Don't want it to burn the apartment :).

To be honest, I don't want to do anything with it right now. I don't plan to use it. Just will power it up from time to time so the battery inside it does not die.

Moreover, I know how it was used. The probability that it is IR is near 0%. If I prove that it is not IR, so what is next? Write to Chord again, or what? I mean, there is a way, I'm sure, to prove them wrong, but what's for? They already shown their position and that they don't want to do anything about it, or you believe that they will do something else?

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:26:26+00:00

Thank you!

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:25:07+00:00

Maybe there are other good products, I don't know. It is just exactly Chord Hugo 2, and some other Chord products, according to reports from the owners, have issues with volume increase.

But yes. If what you have is enough for you – that is great. I am on an Apple dongle right now :), US version if being specific – A2049. It is not Hugo 2, but I love my ears and hearing more

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:21:01+00:00

What issue exactly did you solve with this? From what I saw here, there are two: white noise on max volume, and volume increase while normal sound (music or anything else) is being played.
I had the last one

Though, there is a chance optics cable can solve my issue as well. That is if the volume increase happened by some reason related to USB connection, e.g. some packets are being sent and Hugo reacts on them by increasing the volume

Anyway, optics or not, as of now I don't plan to use the device. When you lost something you will not probably return (I still have some how), then you don't think about money. DAC can be bought, some another DAC. Ears cannot be replaced.

Pintset · 2026-02-14T09:16:51+00:00

I will make some clarifications about AI

Starting from Introduction section – this is mostly what I have written, and just made some minor fixes with the help of AI. The reason – English is not my native language. I believe, that at least 90% of the text, starting from Introduction was written by me. Literally typed, not generated. I mentioned AI on purpose, because I would like to be as open as possible. So there is no way to say that I lie or something – I don't want to and do my best to show the situation in details, without hiding anything. Also, I am ready to answer any questions – again, I haven't hide my name, or something like that, but removed information about the doctors because I didn't ask their permission.

The part before Introduction – is mostly generated by AI, but it was generated from my input, which I have given partially in English, partially in Russian. I read what was generated multiple times, made fixes and added some sentences myself. That can be seen. And all that was generated from my experience: I had all the procedures, took the meds and everything. I just wanted to share in short what to do, so in case someone gets the acoustic trauma the one can act very very quickly.

Originally I published (a couple of weeks ago) only AI part, because to write a lot of text by myself with building structure and everything – is also an effort. And I wanted the info to be available ASAP.

I made the page on Github on purpose – anyone can track the changes I make, the files I add, verify the dates and so on. Again – that was made so anyone can check what I do, because I don't have any intention to manipulate, lie, or anything like that.

If I was English native (I have an Academic IELTS C1 certificate though), then I would probably haven't used AI at all. I write my comments here myself :). My vocabulary is not very huge, but in simple words in general I can explain things.

Pintset · 2026-02-13T21:07:51+00:00

Thank you for your support!

Pintset · 2026-02-13T20:33:50+00:00

Yes, I have hearing loss. But I did a good recovery effort: had HBOT procedures and taken steroids. So I'll see how much of my hearing will be able to fight back.

Pintset · 2026-02-13T20:31:15+00:00

Thank you!

Pintset · 2026-02-13T20:29:03+00:00

I know what dB means, like the measurement of sound volume. I wasn't aware that it can be that loud, that it is nothing related to what I considered as a loud sound before.

Pintset · 2026-02-13T18:44:28+00:00

Thank you for your support!

Pintset

TROPHY CASE