Chord Mojo Portable DAC/Amp Discussions | Drop

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Chord Mojo Portable DAC/Amp

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Chord Mojo Portable DAC/Amp

Sarijoen

Aug 2, 2017

Purchased one 2 days ago on ebay. New from England €411+ shipping to Holland. Got it to pair with the HD 6xx.

Trilobites

217

Aug 2, 2017

Sarijoenyou probably need a more powerful amp.

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Trilobites

217

Aug 2, 2017

Yeah, so is my PCs built-in sound card, ipad, mobile phone. It gets very loud on my HD6XX.

iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 2, 2017

SarijoenIt doesnt have enough power to drive the HD6xx aka 650 properly. Still its nice to have to know what god level sounds like.

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jefe32

149

Aug 2, 2017

SarijoenNice combo.

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iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 2, 2017

Volume does not mean driving properly just because its loud doesnt mean the bass is full like it would be on other solutions with more current. Yes I have one. I definitely would never reach for my Mojo after picking up my 6XX..... I would go for the Crack or the Dark Voice or even straight out of the receiver or iDSD. Mojo would be my last choice. HD 598SE i might go Mojo but not 650. Yeah its clear but it doesnt have that bass punch like it does on bigger amps... increasing further they start to crack(white purple white purple). Just because it works doesnt mean its driving them properly. This track has bass too I was just listening to it on speakers........... sounds pretty bass free now............. The iDSD on even the lowest amp setting has way more full natural sound. The Mojo sounds clean it just doesnt have that low end grunt for full size headphones.... Yes it will be loud but the iDSD totally outshines it on HD6XX immediately I like this combo far more. HD650 can do clarity and well but thats not why you get this headphone you get this headphone cause it can really crank some lower end with some current. Its definitely the wrong headphone to pair with a Mojo. The right headphone for the Mojo that matches its characteristics is the Phillips Fidelio L2 right current and clarity/fidelity.

iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 2, 2017

No you are just a noob and cant clearly evaluate what other people are saying in audio speak. LOL at listening to PULSE ARRAY through AMP that totally defeats the purpose of the Mojo(Mojo clarity gone through all amps I own you say you got ones that dont MUD the clarity but I dont believe you). You need to go read the Mojo threads on Head-Fi noob. Trust me first thing I tried to do when I got it was amplify it and was greated with pure MUD. I win you lost. Try again noob. I'm way ahead of you. Stop being confirmation bias buyers euphoria. Buy more gear and get experience then you will cease to sound like this idiot posting here. I give scathing truthful analysis which is the only review worth reading I dont engage in confirmation bias and buyers euphoria like poor people.
OK so hes hiding confrontational 63 year old likely business owner that bought every gear imaginable but argues on a MassDrop thread(this a young crowd dude isnt it a bit funny for some old gear hound like you to be trash talking on MassDrop?) like an 18 yo punk(sure not very secure in all ur gear purchases are you or u are an 18 year old punk and ur lying about being 63 either way if we really wanted to get nasty(beyond what this forum would allow) I would still win maybe not in terms of headphone gear but in pure measure of a man because you are at disadvantage and from an earlier sphere of influence............ amateur world view.....)

jefe32

149

Aug 2, 2017

iCeOL8TRAmnesiaAgreed 100% with what you say concerning the idsd (i have the BL) and the mojo with 200+ ohm impedance headphones. Clean but less impact in the lower end.

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Trilobites

217

Aug 2, 2017

jefe32The same thing I heard from people in forums, the mojo needs an amp for high impedance hps like HD600 but good enough for iems. I don't recall it being mentioned as muddy through an amp though.

jefe32

149

Aug 3, 2017

TrilobitesYep. As for headfi, I go there and read the forums because there is alot of good info there...but there is a lot of fanboying on gear too. I like to go to the headphone subreddit or superbestaudiofriends for critical reviews or unbiased first hand experiences of gear. Most gear on both sites don't get a free pass. Always good to hear the good and bad of a product.

iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 3, 2017

jefe32Trust me if you use the TRS jacks on the Mojo it is amazingly clear like nothing you have ever heard before bar none. I dunno Head-Fi is full of guys that blow 10s of thousands on gear and maybe I dont have those amps but every amp I have is no where near as precise as the Mojo Pulse Array its not even close its way blurry. Definitely nothing from iFi is good enough nor is any tube amp I own(all lower end). This RNHP looks closest to the cleanest amp Ive read about(lots of good things in that Head-Fi RNHP thread said from fairly reputable dudes(I know its Head-Fi)). Sorry but like jefe and Trilobytes I dont think Mojo by itself is for bassy power headphones like HD650 sure it will play them loud and clear but not that driver punch that HD650 is sought after for.

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ShahzadKhan

Aug 3, 2017

iCeOL8TRAmnesiaare you implying that desktop rigs are more powerful than a PORTABLE amp? Last time o checked, you can't put a bottle head crack in your pocket. The Mojo is meant to power almost everything. It's the most powerful portable amp, and has a very unique dac encoder design which many people like, including myself.

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iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 3, 2017

ShahzadKhanWhen people are making a decision to buy they likely know everything the DAC CAN do and like I said in a post above its not an AMP its a PULSE ARRAY a PULSE ARRAY IS MORE PRECISE THAN AN AMP(THUS SETTING THE BAR VERY HIGH TO FIND AN AMP THAT DOESNT LOSE THE FPGA PULSE ARRAY MAGIC YOU NEED A VERY SENSITIVE DETAIL RETRIEVING AMP TO MAINTAIN THAT PULSE ARRAY MAGIC AND IM SORRY BUT I HAVENT HEARD A MOJO AMPLIFIED THAT MAINTAINS ITS PRECISION FROM THE TRS JACKS). They want to know the limitations of a device. I think its a nobrainer to buy a Chord Mojo just to hear the level of quality but just because its 400-600 dollars doesnt mean its going to be the last DAC you buy. The iDSD Black Label while not on the same level of quality as the Mojo is that portable swiss army knife if thats what your looking for(Huge Power, transportable, enough quality). iDSD(just the old regular one not the Black Label I dont have BL yet but I will soon) tho boosts presence region to add sparkle and it makes many headphones sibilant. Everything in the Headphone gear world usually has major drawbacks. Ive noticed in the Speaker world usually the opposite is true(less amateur like Headphones are MMA and Speakers are Boxing)... usually no major tonality or grating harsh drawbacks and the more you spend(far more than headphones into the 10s of thousands and beyond) you get more room filling size and more precision. Headphones unless you go to a headphone chatroom and figure out what the true pinnacle of Headphones are(usually you wont get the full scope just reading forums on your own) the God quality Bangs for Buck(yeah anyone can buy Utopia but how many realize that STAX Lambda is far superior and cheaper?(they look old style and ugly which most noobs these days dont realize the Lambdas are even better than the 007 and 009)). You wont get that kind of info reading Head-Fi you have to go talk to people and they will tell you(how many noobs on gewtube buy 009 only to be unimpressed then find out the resale value is 1000 less than initial purchase price? when the L700 is better and 3000 cheaper). It amazes me how many rich kids there are out there burning up mommy's CC on 1000$+ headphones and they have every single one of them or have owned them. Still my posts are not for them I could give a crap about them. My posts are for the common person with realistic budgets for spending on audio not a 63 year old business man that can blow 50 gs a year or some rich kid that can buy STAX 009 and an energizer without ever having a real job(too young, has that lazy homeboy attitude about his face on his g00tube videos and poor reviews or most reviewers the real headphone whores, all they are really doing is sales, not reviews, they are being positive about everything so someone will click their Amazon affiliate link).
Mojo out of the trs mini jacks has a laser like precision. If you connect it to an amp it doesnt have that same laser like clarity(it will have more body more lower mids, lower treble and upper and lower bass but sound like an amp not a pulse array on tracks with echo like effects(reverberation blurs on an amp on a pulse array its clear) this becomes extremely apparent). Its like the difference between an optical mouse and a laser mouse the optical just has more laser like precision than a laser mouse ever could.
Mojo powers my Ultrasone 900is fairly well there some bass pump but connected to my Yamaha Reciever they sound way better not as precise of course as its likely a lower end Burr Brown with a speaker amp with a resistor knocking it down out the headphone jack but the sound is far more full. Yeah the reciever(also the audio play engine in the receiver is superior to Foobar, JRiver, and Bughead Emperor, Bughead is by far the best Computer Audio Program but you really have to study it) makes the lower mids and bass more full makes the sound beefier more luxurious. Like the difference between the Gallo Reference 3.1 and 3.5 better lower mids upper bass just ties into the subs better and gives a thicker, richer sound. Mojo is great dont get me wrong but what it lacks is lower mids upper bass tie in to give that thick, weighty, beefy sound. Playing in Pro Q2 cannot make the drivers hop and bass twang out of the mojo with the same clarity and punch that I can get out of the receiver headphone out. Just not enough current with the Mojo. Thats the problem with headphone gear they always gimp the lower models to upsell you and force you to buy their 2000$ unit. They current limited the Mojo just like with graphics cards they always limit one gpu unit or another but of course most notoriously the ROPs.
Actually playing around with this more because Ive had to AB all this stuff and check it better....... I think the Mojo smooths the bass and just actually lacks low mids and bass in the actual sound because even pumped through stronger amps its simply not there. Maybe it was the input connection I was using. Im out of OCC Silver plated copper otherwise I would make some more interconnects. Oh well I think Ive run out of ability to ANALyze this for now..........
Anyone want a cheapo gem that was on the Deal Discussion thread on Head-Fi? https://www.amazon.com/Tate-Bauer-Newest-Technology-Electrostatz/dp/B01MY18PRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501765011&sr=1-1&keywords=tate+and+bauer Not the greatest headphone ever but definitely hits above hits weight at 85 bucks(sells for 300 under other rebrands Mitchell and Johnson or something like that its a Verisonix from Taiwan). Electret/Dynamic hybrid. Sounds cheap out of the box let it break in(the dynamic is what fires over the ear canal probably what sounds cheap and boxy at first it has to burn in before it opens up, the electret is decent sized if you listen to the cups upside down it will be harsh the electret has to fire indirectly to sound best) or drive it off the Mojo if you want bass and clarity this is probably the best headphone that the Mojo can almost fully drive properly, close enough, bass definitely pumps through. http://www.verisonix.com/i502c.html https://www.amazon.com/Mitchell-Johnson-GL2-Electrostatic-Headphones/dp/B01LZ5BKWH/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1501765721&sr=8-5&keywords=Mitchell%2Band%2BJohnson&th=1 Yeah these sound worse on the receiver and better on the Mojo no EQ the electret has the precision and the bass dynamic driver must not be very current hungry.

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tradyblix

Aug 3, 2017

ShahzadKhanYou are comparing apples to oranges. This is a dac which has a custom FPGA chip, which means it will not sound like other sigma-delta type chips out there. You may or may not like this. It also has an integrated digital amp, it is for portable use. The crack is an analog tube amp. For desktop use. You could actually use a DAC in DAC only output mode (ie, pre-amp out) WITH something like a crack and yes it will sound better, if you like analog output stages anyway and depending on your tube. It is not an either or situation. If you are just using a crack without a dedicated DAC, then you are not getting the best sound you can.

jefe32

149

Aug 3, 2017

tradyblixI think you hit the nail at the head saying, "You may or may not like it". Everyone hears differently for various reasons (the source music's quality, the shape of ppl's ears, type of heapdhones, type of music, etc...) . I think the main issue for some is this: If someone says something you really enjoy and paid a lot for is no good (even if they say no good FOR THEM) it tends to make ppl feel like they wasted their money on their product. This can upset people. I mean, some of the comments here have too much emotion and personal attack in them. I made the choice of the ifi audio BL over the Mojo. Some have stated here how much they feel the Mojo is a superior product. I have not felt the need to defend the BL's honor. LOL Z Reviews (Youtuber for audio gear) didn't give the Mojo a good review. His comment section was littered with personal attacks and, "he should research how much technology is in the Mojo...it deserves that much respect". His response was basically he tries not to do research on the product because it may shape his opinion before he can honestly assess it.

iCeOL8TRAmnesia

132

Aug 9, 2017

jefe32No this product is technically superior in many ways the quality of the sound is definitely higher than any other dac in this price range and actually far above it into the several thousand dollars range(obviously higher chord products will sound better) that doesnt mean its spectral tuning will be to your liking. ALSO ONCE AGAIN THERE IS NO AMP ITS AN FPGA DSP PROCESSOR AND A PULSE ARRAY WHICH USED TO BE THE AMP IN A DAC AMP COMBO BUT NOW ITS TECHNICALLY THE DAC THERE IS NO AMP THE DIGITAL IS CODED DIRECTLY INTO THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE NOT AMPLIFIED AFTERWARDS!!!!!!! ACTUALLY I THINK THE REVERSE IS TRUE OF THESE PRODUCTS WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON IS CHEAPASSES WHO WERE FOOLED 10 YEARS AGO WITH PHRASES LIKE "BIT PERFECT" THINK NOTHING CAN BET A GENERATION OR ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE BETTER THAN THEIR FAVORITE OLD GEAR SO WHAT THEY DO IS RATIONALIZE WITH SUBJECTIVITY TO TRY TO DOWNPLAY WHAT THE CHORD DACS ARE SO THEY DONT HAVE TO SPEND 400 ON SOMETHING THEY THINK IS DIMINUTIVE AND THEREFORE LACKING IN DAC/AMP OOMPH. THIS IS ALSO INCORRECT IT IS VERY POWERFUL FOR ITS SIZE. WHEN I REVIEW GEAR WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE RIGHT BEFORE YOUR PURCHASE YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE GEAR CANT DO SO I HAVE GIVEN YOU THAT IN COMPLETE DETAIL(ITS NOT GOD(THEY MADE IT SO ITS NOT THE ULTIMATE BIG HEADPHONE SOLUTION) BUT ITS GOD OF ITS FORMFACTOR AND PRICE), BUT IF YOU HAVE A DISCERNING MIND YOUR ANSWER SHOULD BE TO PURCHASE IT. YOU MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH ITS SPECTA(IM NOT) BUT PAYING THAT TO HEAR THE QUALITY WAS WORTH IT AND I HOPE IN THE FUTURE QUALITY THAT GOOD WITH THE SPECTRA IM LOOKING FOR DOES HAPPEN. NOT THAT ITS A BAD DEVICE I PROBABLY USE IT EVERYDAY(MOSTLY AT MY COMPUTER SOMETIMES EVEN FOR GAMES IT RENDERS 3D VERY WELL BECAUSE OF ITS INCREDIBLE TIMING). OH YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT WHAT THIS DAC IS TRULY THE BEST AT OTHER THAN LASER LIKE SPEED AND DETAIL IS TIMING. ITS TIMING IS PERFECT THUS ITS PRAT MUST ALSO BE PERFECT SINCE IT IS A SUBSET OF OVERALL TIMING.

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