advertisement


I don't understand why it sounds so shrill....

D

dasfps

pfm Member
I have a Naim Nait 3R which is hi capped. Its connected to Monitor Audio Gold Reference Speakers via NAC A5. My front end is CD 3.5 with avondale power supply and a chord mojo with minix box streaming Tidal hi res.

OK the issue I have is that the cd front end sounds, dynamic, warm and musical. The streaming front end sounds awful. It sounds shrill, thin and analytical. How do I replicate at the very least an equivalent or better quality sound than from my Naim CD 3.5? I don't understand why the highly reviewed Chord Mojo would sound so poor...
 
I think it's unlikely to be the Nait 3 (own one in an office system), I've heard both Chord and Monitor audio gear can be quite 'explicit'. The Monitors metal dome tweeter may also be contributing somewhat.
 
Thanks for that. I agree the Monitor Audio metal dome is certainly bright but then I should experience issues with the cd front end but I don't it's only an issue when streaming.
 
Lol, you are right, it’s got nowt to do with your tweeters if the CD player sounds good! It must be your Chord front end. I’m afraid I don’t know that particular bit of kit. Can you in anyway temporarily replace the various parts of it with some loaners from else where to isolate where the problem lays?
 
That sounds the right idea. I don't think the parts are faulty its probably a synergy issue. What would it take to replicate a similar sound with a streaming set up?
 
I'm surprised the Mojo would sound harsh, if anything it is one of the warmer sounding dacs and was never bright or edgy sounding with any of the kit I owned (through SPDIF). Agree with the point made above re output level maybe too high - is it set somewhere between 2v to 3v?
 
could you try plugging your CD 3.5 digital output into the Mojo to see if that still sounds shrill? If it does then I guess it must be the Dac having the effect.
 
The Bish said:
I'm surprised the Mojo would sound harsh, if anything it is one of the warmer sounding dacs and was never bright or edgy sounding with any of the kit I owned (through SPDIF). Agree with the point made above re output level maybe too high - is it set somewhere between 2v to 3v?
Click to expand...
I have tried lower volumes but still the same issue. Could it be the streamer? What streamer would you pair with the Mojo?
 
dasfps said:
I have tried lower volumes but still the same issue. Could it be the streamer? What streamer would you pair with the Mojo?
Click to expand...

Good cheap option is the Allo Digione. Just wondering if you could test a different streaming source - do you have a laptop that you could load Tidal on and plug that into the Mojo using USB to see if the streaming source makes any difference before buying another streamer?

I used the Allo digione set to 3v output with a mojo into various amps and always sounded great. I guess you know already but you can get the mojo to 3v output by keeping the up and down volumes pressed when you start it up, so they both end up a denim blue colour.
 
I would wind the output level of the mojo down as others have suggested. I would try my phone into the mojo (you'd need to buy an appropriate digital cable). I'd also try analogue out from the headphone socket of the phone straight into the amp (again, you'd need a cable). And try a laptop or mac via USB into the Mojo. Use Tidal and your own rips. And listen to the mojo through headphones to see if you get the shrillness that way. You never know.
 
dasfps said:
Thank you all for your suggestions will try that and report back :)
Click to expand...

Good luck. One possibility might be simply that the newer DAC with higher resolution just sounds a bit less analogue than the Philips TDA1305 in the Naim and comes across as sharper. If it turns out after experimenting that you don't like the sound of the Mojo but you're happy with how the rest of your system sounds then it might be worth looking for a non-oversampling DAC - these don't measure as well as oversampling DACs but have have fans among people looking for an “analog-like” DAC presentation. I've got no personal experience of these but many people on the forum will be able to weigh in if you decide you need a different DAC.
 
Obviously if you love the sound of the 3.5 then there's something wrong on the other source. Quick questions;

1) Are they plugged into the same spur?
2) Can you check power connections/cables/outlets/conditioning of the Mojo/MiniX box?
3) What signal cables are you using in the minix box/mojo combo to the 3R?
4) You might have to really deep dive to check the settings in the streamer and the mojo to make sure you're streaming at the best possible resolution and not hearing things over bad bit-rates, etc., and lastly
5) Try a different streamer, as the above suggest.

I highly doubt it's the mojo unless there's something wrong with it. Tidal can sound very close, better, in the same league at least as the CD transport you have in the 3.5. So I would think after trying all of the above options that if the performance is still nasty at the top end, ti's likely teh streamer.
 
If I remember right, your amp was designed in the days of less than 1V output from tuners and cassette decks.

My experience with the Chord DAC64 mk2 and older amps is that the non standard (nearly 3V) output is a little too much for some amps (e.g.Naim 72). To make matters worse I find Tidal FLAC is a little shrill compared to my locally stored WAV rips.

See if you can borrow some sort of attenuation (attenuated leads, passive pre) to verify or refute the hypothesis.
 
i thought there were eq options in settings in Tidal, bit vague as i've only used it in other people's systems.
 
uncl_nigel said:
If I remember right, your amp was designed in the days of less than 1V output from tuners and cassette decks.

My experience with the Chord DAC64 mk2 and older amps is that the non standard (nearly 3V) output is a little too much for some amps (e.g.Naim 72). To make matters worse I find Tidal FLAC is a little shrill compared to my locally stored WAV rips.

See if you can borrow some sort of attenuation (attenuated leads, passive pre) to verify or refute the hypothesis.
Click to expand...


No need for attenuation devices I think, you can change the output voltage on the Mojo down to 1v using the volume controls.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top