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Picking up a Chord Mojo in a couple of days...

beammeup

beammeup

pfm Member
.... and would like to know what to expect sound-wise, and how to deal with the whopping 3 volt fixed output. I will be using this in a seperates system and not be using it as a headphone amp as intended.

This will be my first outing with a Chord DAC in my system - and all this doing away with standard DAC chips and instead using FPGA (field-programmable gate array) technology is something I feel I need to try. Most say the sound quality is fantastic - but I will tell it how it is. Luckily I am getting this second hand (but mint), so won't make a loss after trying it then selling it on (if it doesn't impress me).

Some are saying that passive pre's work well with the Chord because the Mojo has plenty of drive (I should think so to at 3 volts).

Any advice, any experience?
 
You can reduce the output voltage with the volume buttons. The mojo is fantastic sound wise but I found it too clumsy as a portable solution and too awkward in a separates system which was to be fair to the mojo because of my setup. I sold mine but I’m still unsure if that was a wise decision.
 
I will give the Mojo a long hard listen.. I've got too many DACs - I keep mucking about with them. I seem to be attached to the Arcam irDAC at the moment.
 
I use the Mojo in my predominantly Naim system. You can drop the output voltage down to something more friendly to the rest of the system, and it will remember the new setting so you do not have to play with it every time. My main issues were the connectors as the SPDIF input and output are on 3.5mm stereo jacks, which is a less common approach. Sound wise, the Mojo has major improvements over my previous DACs. It sounds less clinical, and has more depth to the sound. Some people are less enamoured because they feel that it is providing a less pure rendering of the music. All I can say is that it sounds wonderful, and the more that you listen, the more you realise that as well as being musically involving, it is also managing to give resolution to instrument lines that you might never have truly heard before. I guess for some people, such a little box is not ‘hifi’ enough to sit with a main system. Fortunately, I like the sound and can overlook the rest....
 
I think the Mojo sounds great and fronts my NVA system, but next year I'm planning to get something that won't need charging. The Mojo will be retained for domestic headphone use. I don't think it is portable enough for out and about, the Dragonfly being more suitable.
 
I haven’t played with a Mojo.

I have tried a cheap Maplins DAC without any prejudicial expectation of what it would sound like. 3 input types but needs USB power, headphones and RCA. I then went for an Eximus DP1. Different, more sophisticated and adjustable. No preconceived idea of what I would hear.

They are different and because I am not a must have the best soul, they are not that different. I use the Maplins more often. Reason for boring you? Don’t know what the volts out is on Maplins DAC but it sounds better if the volume is not flat out.

Enjoy your Mojo
 
TBH I'm having difficulty trouncing my Arcam irDAC which sorta surprises me. However soon to pick up the Chord and see what that does in comparison to the irDAC.
 
All comments I have heard about the Mojo are favourable but when I tried with my neighbour's I thought it had too many peculiarities in its functionality & bought an Oppo HA2 instead which has a much shorter charging period for similar period of use & also better usability with my iPod touch. When not using it as a portable I have it connected to one of HiFi systems to use when I am feeling a bit lazy about digging out a CD & find the sound quality more than adequate but cannot comment on comparison with Mojo.
 
As mentioned don’t set it to fixed out but just set it manually to 2V output (blue light bulbs). There’s no SQ advantage to fixed out - it’s the same thing (see the Mojo FAQ). And yes, it remembers the manual setting.

I used it in my setup and found it a very smooth and analog kind of sound. Perhaps a bit rolled off up top. Nice depth to the sound. Sold it ad I ended up preferring the Schiit Modi Multibit (when left on 24/7).
 
I've had good experiences with my Oppo HA2 used with Apple iOS devices out and about as well as through a hifi system too.
 
Used as a headphone amp with suitable headphones it’s brilliant, hence why people rave about it.

I haven’t tried it in a speaker based system so no idea how well it compares to other DACs in that role but i’d Imagine it’s pretty competitive.
 
I borrowed a pal’s to try by substituting it for the Naim V-DAC in my headphone system. It was very different (although I wouldn't say better or worse) in that it had a very dense, filled in soundstage whereas the Naim has more air and space around the notes. I preferred the Naim on that occasion but from memory, was quite impressed with the Mojo at around a third of the price. Didn’t have an extended listen though, just one album.
 
I think it is stunning. I use it into my Naim system fed by an ipod touch 6th Gen. I keep the Mojo plugged in on charge constantly. but turn it off after listening. The battery is fine after a year being treated like this.
A decent lead did make a big difference, why I don't know. I had an old Naim lead din lying around, which I soldered on a decent quality 3.5mm jack to the other end. I suspect people who report it is 'just OK' need a better lead.
The Mojo will remember the last volume it was set to, so just find the best output setting and leave it at that.
I have no plans on changing it, it's as good as I could ever want.
 
Its my main dac and I agree with venton above that it is indeed stunning.
Feeding a Starfish preamp at full line out level, the sound is highly immersive.
Its making me buy CDs by bucketloads.

FWIW, I’m using a run of the mill DVD player as transport through Toslink.
My previous digital source was the Audiolab CDQ8200.
 
I have an Audiolab / P3ESR system in my office. I got a Mojo and DrSpeakers Aeon for general use and now prefer them to the office speaker system. My son now has the P3’s. Love the Mojo.
 
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