Chord Electronics has announced 2go, a high-performance streamer/server designed to transform Hugo 2 into a fully featured Wi-Fi- and Ethernet-enabled device, bringing the proven sound quality benefits of the company’s class-leading proprietary DAC technology to network audio; 2go will make its world debut at CanJam New York (15/16th Feb.), followed by its European debut at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show (21-23rd Feb.).

In addition to Hi-Res music streaming, 2go also benefits from 2x 2 TB-rated SD card slots for digital storage and playback, enabling Hugo 2 as a high-capacity solid-state digital music server (using MPD), all from a compact, space-saving and highly portable device.

2go is more than just an enabling device for Hugo 2, however. Chord Electronics has also developed 2yu, a digital interface that connects to 2go to provide four digital outputs (USB, optical, coaxial and BNC), effectively making 2go and 2yu a standalone Chord Electronics streamer/server, to be used with any compatible DAC or digital-input device. This means the 2go/2yu duo can also benefit from the Hugo M Scaler’s 768kHz upscaling.

Crucially, when using 2go with Hugo 2, (once charged) all forms of digital playback can benefit from battery power alone, negating the need for external power supplies, expensive mains conditioners, distribution boards and cables etc., and removing the potentially degrading influence of AC mains noise and artefacts.

About 2go
2go contains highly advanced miniaturised electronic engineering that, in keeping with all Chord Electronics’ amplifiers and DACs, uses proprietary British technology. It enables streamed and SD card-stored digital music files to benefit from Chord Electronics’ multi-award-winning DAC technology, found in the Hugo 2. Adding 2go to Hugo 2, effectively creates the most sonically advanced compact music streamer available today.

2go brings the benefits of both wireless convenience (2.4GHz Wi-Fi and A2DP Bluetooth) plus the stability and performance of wired (Gigabit) Ethernet connectivity, the latter offering set-up-free plug and play operation. 2go also benefits from comprehensive audio interfacing and offers Tidal, Qobuz and Internet radio playback with Spotify (and others) earmarked for the future. 2go is also Roon Ready, offers gapless audio and DoP/Bit Perfect support, as well as being fully DLNA-compliant (server/renderer) and AirPlay-ready.

A key feature of 2go is its auto-switching input function: every audio interface is always on, therefore switching between inputs is as easy as hitting ‘play’ on the chosen control point app; 2go convenience-switches between all its inputs automatically, giving a seamless user experience when playing music from different sources or even streaming services.

Like all of Chord Electronics’ hardware, 2go is handmade in the UK and shares the same aircraft-grade aluminium casework, along with design cues from the Hugo 2. Based around a powerful triple-core audio processor, 2go’s proprietary streaming circuit has been skilfully engineered into a slender chassis which offers Micro USB charging of the internal batteries, a power on/status/battery/network indicator, 2x 2 TB-rated SD card slots, a Gigabit Ethernet port and an IR window; an internal voice engine also allows for audible status information.

Set-up is via Chord Electronics’ well-established Gofigure configuration app which is also being upgraded and streamlined for Android users. The updated version (due early 2020) will feature simplified, intuitive operation for fast and efficient set-up, a new fast Wi-Fi configuration option, plus a new Bluetooth LE configuration option.

About 2yu
2yu is a designed-for-2go digital interface enabling 2go as a fully-fledged standalone streamer, independent of Hugo 2. 2yu boasts 2,000 MIPS (million instructions per second) of processing power, an integrated sample rate converter, plus a low-jitter audio phase lock loop. 2yu connects directly to 2go to add TOSLINK optical S/PDIF, coaxial and BNC (both 75 ohms) digital outputs, plus a cleverly integrated USB-A output.

Highly flexible in its potential applications, 2go with 2yu is ideal for installers wishing to create a discreet remote Roon streaming solution: the duo can be wired into an Ethernet port to provide streaming to a system in any room. 2yu alone can also be used with PCs and Macs via USB to create a high-quality USB-to-digital-audio convertor for audio.
Like 2go, 2yu is also hand-made in the UK using aircraft-grade aluminium and the same high-quality manufacturing processes inherent in all Chord Electronics products. Like the Hugo 2, 2yu features four polychromatic spherical controls governing output selection, power, mute and dim functions.

Price and availability
2go £995 (available now); 2yu £449 (February/March); (Hugo 2 is priced at £1,800)

For more info, jump to www.chordelectronics.co.uk

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