CHORD Mojo 2 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[Ken Tajalli]

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?

Doesn't take a genius, does it!
one has one extra ball

 

[staticV3]

Ah, so you lied then. Cool cool

 

[solderdude]

Either many are imagining it, or we don't know how to measure it.

The first one. There is something like nulling which can be used with music. No magic properties there.
Stereo is just 2 waveforms that can be analyzed and compared.

My experience is that atleast , two DACs both with ruler flat frequency response, can Sound different tonaly!

What would be the reason ?... please don't tell me that it can't be measured.

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!

Needs blind level matched confirmation before such can be stated as a fact and the 'go figure' is used.

Please play back the same song via the 2 different DACs, record with a good sound card at high sample rate and bit depth and null them or ABX and maybe even post them here or make the recordings accessable.
All other findings are NOT hard evidence, just personal observations. There are many people claiming chemtrails exist, and have seen Yetis, aliens, UFOs.
What is lacking is evidence. There are plenty reports and people swearing it is true.

 

[Axo1989]

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?

There are no wireless DACs in that photo.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

The first one. There is something like nulling which can be used with music. No magic properties there.
Stereo is just 2 waveforms that can be analyzed and compared.

Yes, I hear you!
We have reached the pinnacle of knowledge, there is nothing out there we don't know, our techniques are perfect.
All else is fantasy.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

There are no wireless DACs in that photo.

Mojo+Poly is a wireless DAC.
Or is that just a connection box?

 

[Axo1989]

Mojo+Poly is a wireless DAC.

There’s no Poly in that photo.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

There’s no Poly in that photo.

Yes, I realized that after your comment.
But it is still a brick!

 

[solderdude]

Yes, I hear you!
We have reached the pinnacle of knowledge, there is nothing out there we don't know, our techniques are perfect.
All else is fantasy.

You can make fun of it. Just record the output of Mojo and Mojo2 with the same song you find revealing and make the files available. THEN we can talk again about differences in the output signal.
Put the files up for ABX and to null them. All else is wishful thinking.

 

[Axo1989]

Yes, I realized that after your comment.
But it is still a brick!

The absurdity of that rig was one reason I enjoyed it (I did try Poly later).

 

[dc655321]

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.

Both models have flat frequency responses over the audio passband: output equals input. Both produce similar power into 300/32 Ohm loads and have similar THD+N over their operating ranges. They may differ in noise floors, but that is not clear.

IOW: level-matched, no peeking they’re going to produce signals indistinguishable to hoomans.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

Both models have flat frequency responses over the audio passband: output equals input. Both produce similar power into 300/32 Ohm loads and have similar THD+N over their operating ranges. They may differ in noise floors, but that is not clear.

IOW: level-matched, no peeking they’re going to produce signals indistinguishable to hoomans.

I might have read one or two discussions/articles(?) on other forums about how and why SINAD does not paint the full picture, what is your opinion about that? I remember it on the headphones show and SBAF. I agree about FR and similar power into predetermined loads though.
If the condition allows me I might start a small personal test (both sighted and unsighted) using two amplifiers from both ends of the SINAD chart and share it with you guys. Always been curious how audible a big gap of SINAD and headroom would sound like.

 

[Garrincha]

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, then it is even less clear why a potent dongle shouldn´t do the job? My Hidizs S9 Pro weighs maybe 10g, is almost as small as a cigarette (maybe two), has 240mW at 32 Ohm balanced and all sampling frequencies and DSD and whatever. So what is missing?

 

[Jimbob54]

Ok, then it is even less clear why a potent dongle shouldn´t do the job? My Hidizs S9 Pro weighs maybe 10g, is almost as small as a cigarette (maybe two), has 240mW at 32 Ohm balanced and all sampling frequencies and DSD and whatever. So what is missing?

Internal battery. That, and the increased power are the only upsides to the m2 I can see over said dongle.

 

[Garrincha]

Yes, I hear you!
We have reached the pinnacle of knowledge, there is nothing out there we don't know, our techniques are perfect.
All else is fantasy.

The thing is, for dacs and amps this is even kind of true. Sure no device is perfect and can still always be improved upon, but SOTA dacs and amps for not much money today deliver 100% transparent (i.e. hifi) sound. What everybody actually should be doing is getting the dacs and amps one likes (design, price, form factors, built quality etc.) and then go on with the really hard and yet unsolved problem of transducers (speakers, headphones) and room effects.

 

[Garrincha]

Internal battery. That, and the increased power are the only upsides to the m2 I can see over said dongle.

Yeah, get a powerbank and place chargers everywhere you usually set your foot (I have about 5 across the house). This saves you still a lot of money from not buying the Mojo 2.

 

[dc655321]

I might have read one or two discussions/articles(?) on other forums about how and why SINAD does not paint the full picture, what is your opinion about that?

SINAD does not provide a “full picture”. But it does serve as a reasonable indicator of fitness for purpose.

If we had a time machine, retesting all the electronics using @pkane ’s Delta Wave software could be more “full picture”. But alas…

 

[AudioSceptic]

The first one. There is something like nulling which can be used with music. No magic properties there.
Stereo is just 2 waveforms that can be analyzed and compared.


What would be the reason ?... please don't tell me that it can't be measured.



Needs blind level matched confirmation before such can be stated as a fact and the 'go figure' is used.

Please play back the same song via the 2 different DACs, record with a good sound card at high sample rate and bit depth and null them or ABX and maybe even post them here or make the recordings accessable.
All other findings are NOT hard evidence, just personal observations. There are many people claiming chemtrails exist, and have seen Yetis, aliens, UFOs.
What is lacking is evidence. There are plenty reports and people swearing it is true.

No doubt you are aware of the listening tests conducted by Archimago. Even with *very* different DACs, many could not reliably hear any difference <https://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/05/blind-test-results-part-3-do-digital.html>.

As you say, we need evidence, not anecdotes.

 

[AudioSceptic]

You can make fun of it. Just record the output of Mojo and Mojo2 with the same song you find revealing and make the files available. THEN we can talk again about differences in the output signal.
Put the files up for ABX and to null them. All else is wishful thinking.

There will always be those who believe in magic. For some reason, this seems much more common in audio than it is in photography or video. Could it be because listening to music is generally a more emotional experience?

 

[Ken Tajalli]

The thing is, for dacs and amps this is even kind of true. Sure no device is perfect and can still always be improved upon, but SOTA dacs and amps for not much money today deliver 100% transparent (i.e. hifi) sound. What everybody actually should be doing is getting the dacs and amps one likes (design, price, form factors, built quality etc.) and then go on with the really hard and yet unsolved problem of transducers (speakers, headphones) and room effects.

Back in the late 70s, Linn audio proved the reverse was true!
A good turntable+Arm+Cartridge (i.e. good source) played through a decent amp and decent speakers sounded much better than a decent source played through TOTL amp and speakers - reason being, once information is lost or corrupted at source, nothing can bring it back.
Equally, Naim audio amps connected to average speakers with a good source, sounded better than an average amp connected to best speakers.
That ideology is as true today, as it was then.
I have a Leema DAC/preamp and a Hugo2 , both have excellent objective test results with ruler flat FR - yet they sound different - even non-believers would be pushed to keep a straight face and declare "I don't hear difference!".
Even decent amps can sound different.
If you don't hear the difference, I am jealous! you save a lot of money that I can not.