CHORD Mojo 2 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[Axo1989]

You’d claw your eyes out with some of the so called “portable headphone rigs” on headfi,

Haha that's for sure.

Commenting on the pic, this is such an unconvenient, clumsy, heavy, ugly and bulky mess, I have almost no words for this (besides these).

Apart from that, what do you think?

 

[Garrincha]

Haha that's for sure.


Apart from that, what do you think?

As said before, I am in the dongle camp. I am never in the need of walking around for hours with a source (cell phone etc.) and and additional amp. If I had a headphone which none of my dongles would be able to drive, I simple take another one or an IEM. It is that simple. Chord stuff for me is ugly, ridiculously expensive and I don't like the whole story of it and the marketing, sorry.

 

[Another Audiophile]

Impressive measurements. From my experience with the unit it works great as a main DACs and as a portable with the poly. Direct plugged to my mobile is unusable due to noise, clicks and pops from interference with 3G/4G. Will be useful to see intermodulation distorsion measurements and jitter across the different digital inputs.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

To extend battery life of a Lithium battery (when not in use, say always in desktop mode) would be to not fully charge the battery but stop charging at 70% capacity.
Low heat also helps. Good to hear it does not get as warm.

By design, neither Mojo's charge the battery to %100 (8.4V).
Instead they charge to 8.2V and stop (about %90) in order to extend the life of the battery, there are also three thermal monitors to oversee the charge process.
There is an insulating sponge between the battery and the circuit board, the battery is stuck to the upper shell of the case to keep the battery cool.
On Mojo2, battery charging is smart, under processor control this time.
It can slow charge or fast charge (similar to Hugo2), depending how much current is available from charger, and after a certain period of being left switched on and connected to a DAP, it would revert to "Desktop Mode" (again akin to Hugo2) it disconnects internal battery and runs on USB power only. If disconnected from DAP, then it just auto switches off after a period.
The power supply regulation and delivery had to be upgraded for this purpose, and as a result , Mojo2 has better channel seperation, together with DC coupling of DAC to analogue section, it has a more expansive stereo imagery and better bass definition. (what @Dan Clark describes).

 

[AudioSceptic]

It’s connected to the device’s tiny internal amp and speakers. The lightning port is the connector now for headphones as well (for the wired options) with an adapter to 3.5mm—I’m not certain how they work exactly but I have to assume that the adapter has it’s own micro DAC and amp built in because the lightning port is a digital data connection.

Yes, I'd forgotten about the iPad's speakers.

It was your use of "bypass" that threw me. The internal DAC's output is only available to the internal speakers and headphone socket (if present). It is not available to the Lightning or USB-C port; what *is* available is the output of the digital audio system, so I suppose in that sense you *are* bypassing the internal DAC.

I have both the Apple Lightning and USB-C headphone adapters. They do indeed include a DAC and amp. Tiny as they must be, consider that smartphones (and iPods) have similarly tiny DACs and amps. One thing that bugs me about Apple's abandonment of the iPhone headphone socket is that iPhones still need an internal DAC and amp to drive the built-in speaker(s).

 

[kanefsky]

One thing that bugs me about Apple's abandonment of the iPhone headphone socket is that iPhones still need an internal DAC and amp to drive the built-in speaker(s).

Maybe now that Jony Ive has been gone for a while there are products in the pipeline to add it back. That guy would get rid of almost anything if it would allow the device to be 0.5mm thinner They put MagSafe, HDMI, SD card reader, and a decent keyboard back into MacBook Pros so anything is possible

 

[AudioSceptic]

As said before, I am in the dongle camp. I am never in the need of walking around for hours with a source (cell phone etc.) and and additional amp. If I had a headphone which none of my dongles would be able to drive, I simple take another one or an IEM. It is that simple. Chord stuff for me is ugly, ridiculously expensive and I don't like the whole story of it and the marketing, sorry.

On top of all that, even if the Mojo and similar DAC-amps really do offer noticeably better performance, how relevant is that in mobile use because of ambient noise and noise caused by the user's movement?

 

[AudioSceptic]

Maybe now that Jony Ive has been gone for a while there are products in the pipeline to add it back. That guy would get rid of almost anything if it would allow the device to be 0.5mm thinner They put MagSafe, HDMI, SD card reader, and a decent keyboard back into MacBook Pros so anything is possible

Quite, and the iPod touch was thinner than the iPhone despite retaining the headphone socket!

 

[kanefsky]

On top of all that, even if the Mojo and similar DAC-amps really do offer noticeably better performance, how relevant is that in mobile use because of ambient noise and noise caused by the user's movement?

Most people seem to agree that "mobile" with respect to the Mojo 2 means that it's easy to take with you (home, work, hotel, different rooms, etc.), not that it's the best choice to use while riding the bus or walking around.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

No, they really don't (OG measurements).

I am curious. On what basis and factors do you determine that the mojo 2 could not get sound quality improvements over the original mojo? Would love to understand your thoughts better.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Most people seem to agree that "mobile" with respect to the Mojo 2 means that it's easy to take with you (home, work, hotel, different rooms, etc.), not that it's the best choice to use while riding the bus or walking around.

OK, and that narrows down its market even more. ;-)

 

[kanefsky]

OK, and that narrows down its market even more. ;-)

The market for people using wired DACs and headphones while literally on the move is very small so no big loss.

 

[raif71]

Commenting on the pic, this is such an unconvenient, clumsy, heavy, ugly and bulky mess, I have almost no words for this (besides these).

Ah, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. I only see artistry, simplicity and practical

 

[Ken Tajalli]

OK, and that narrows down its market even more. ;-)

According to you, all wired DACs from any manufacturer (non-dongle) have a narrow market!
this is not particular to Chord DACs, is it?
and yet they sell ....

 

[kanefsky]

Ah, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. I only see artistry, simplicity and practical

To be fair I think he was referring to the picture of the Mojo with the special Poly-size adapter and cable strapped to the back of an iPhone with Chord-branded rubber bands (which no doubt sound better than normal rubber bands ). I kind of agree that's not the ideal Mojo configuration

If I were to use a Mojo with a phone it would probably be in a situation like at a desk where space was very limited and I would leave the Mojo and headphones on the desk and plug my phone in when I sat down.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

To be fair I think he was referring to the picture of the Mojo with the special Poly-size adapter and cable strapped to the back of an iPhone with Chord-branded rubber bands (which no doubt sound better than normal rubber bands ). I kind of agree that's not the ideal Mojo configuration

If I were to use a Mojo with a phone it would probably be in a situation like at a desk where space was very limited and I would leave the Mojo and headphones on the desk and plug my phone in when I sat down.

And why would anyone strap a wireless DAC to a phone and connect a cable?
Take poly out, if you must use a cable, seperate the two!
who puts a brick in their pocket and boogie?

 

[solderdude]

it has a more expansive stereo imagery and better bass definition. (what @Dan Clark describes)

However much I like the guy and his products (I really do) there is absolutely nothing in the measurements that suggests any of this to be undisputed facts.
It is fine to state what someones subjective opinion is though. Doesn't make them evidence or facts. At least that is my personal opinion.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

However much I like the guy and his products (I really do) there is absolutely nothing in the measurements that suggests any of this to be undisputed facts.
It is fine to state what someones subjective opinion is though. Doesn't make them evidence or facts. At least that is my personal opinion.

And we all respect that.
Either many are imagining it, or we don't know how to measure it.
Science is there to quantify what we sense and experience or witness - in that order, first we witness or experience something, science comes in to explain and quantify.
Science was never the measure to say if something exists or not.
My experience is that atleast , two DACs both with ruler flat frequency response, can Sound different tonaly!
Take Mojo1 vs Mojo2 - both have ruler flat FR, yet Mojo1 sounds warmer or buller or seem to have less energy in treble region, but seems to have a fuller encompassing bass albeit, less defined.
go figure!
And yes , I can tell in a triple blind test, with level matching and a blind guy serving tea.

 

[Music1969]

yes , I can tell in a triple blind test, with level matching and a blind guy serving tea.

I need to make T-shirts of this and wear them to hifi shows for a laugh

 

[staticV3]

And yes , I can tell in a triple blind test, with level matching and a blind guy serving tea.

Do you think you could tell them apart in a blind test, or were you actually able to tell them apart in a blind test? If so, what was the test setup and what was your confidence score?