CHORD Mojo 2 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[dananski]

Music1969 said:
This is Rob Watts main headphones at the moment.

And he uses it with Mojo 2? If so, he must want his music at low volume or is not sensitive to distortion!

Nah, he uses some crazy setup with a laptop battery pack where he's made the M-Scaler portable and puts it through one of his high-end DACs.

 

[solderdude]

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!".

Funny how those finest differences can be embedded in a recording and while the same recording is used can still produce a noticeably different signal.
Do you suppose that if ordinary studio equipment can record all these fine sounds it could also record differences in the analog output signal of 2 DACs.

You have both, You have good recordings, You can hear differences. I am willing to bet you can also record the same song twice with a good sound card and let us hear the differences too.

While you are at it also do the same with mojo and mojo 2 instead of claiming superior ears and gears ?

 

[Garrincha]

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.

This is granted, but rather well known, not questioned and trivial.

By the way, I remember a blind test by the Linn boss where he claimed the superiority of vinyl sound vs digital (source one was the analog signal and source two the analog signal after AD and DA back conversion). He embarrasingly did not pass it.

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.

The ideology is rather the fact that more expensive amps sound better (or different for that matter).

Just by pure coincidence the overly expensive Hifi brands of Linn and Naim are main actors here, lo and behold.

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!".

This is a bit hard to swallow. So you are the famous Golden-Ear! Congratulations. Probably you never conducted a proper set up ABX test and argue against the validity of the concept, right?

Even decent amps can sound different.

No, not ever proven. Only when used out of there range (too low power for speaker, clipping etc.)

If you don't hear the difference, I am jealous! you save a lot of money that I can not.

If you imagine to hear it, get real.

 

[Jimbob54]

Nah, he uses some crazy setup with a laptop battery pack where he's made the M-Scaler portable and puts it through one of his high-end DACs.

I am still chuckling after I read the interview where he said this was his airline setup.

Imagine if he gets it all set up then remembers he forgot his Stealth and has to buy a pair of $9 Sony buds from the in flight shop but insists on keeping everything wired up to get the absolute best from them.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

This is a bit hard to swallow. So you are the famous Golden-Ear! Congratulations. Probably you never conducted a proper set up ABX test and argue against the validity of the concept, right?

What are you guys on about?
Golden ears, superior ears?
I am not the one who thinks he knows better than the rest.
I am not telling anyone, what they should or should not hear, because the AP-555 says so!

 

[Ken Tajalli]

This is granted, but rather well known, not questioned and trivial.

By the way, I remember a blind test by the Linn boss where he claimed the superiority of vinyl sound vs digital (source one was the analog signal and source two the analog signal after AD and DA back conversion). He embarrasingly did not pass it.

The ideology is rather the fact that more expensive amps sound better (or different for that matter).

Just by pure coincidence the overly expensive Hifi brands of Linn and Naim are main actors here, lo and behold.

This is a bit hard to swallow. So you are the famous Golden-Ear! Congratulations. Probably you never conducted a proper set up ABX test and argue against the validity of the concept, right?

No, not ever proven. Only when used out of there range (too low power for speaker, clipping etc.)

If you imagine to here it, get real.

When I get emotional, I type too fast, with lots of spelling mistakes.

 

[Garrincha]

When I get emotional, I type too fast, with lots of spelling mistakes.

This looks like no better argument is available. By the way, English is not my first language, do you speak another language fluently? Or a third one?
Furthermore, judging from the equipment you listed on your profile, you must be suffering a lot, because is it not very expensive or high-end, just at the brink of it. No Naim, Gryphon, Audio Note, etc. The sound you have to endure most be horrible for you.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

This looks like no better argument is available. By the way, English is not my first language, do you speak another language fluently? Or a third one?

Just kidding with you, didn't mean any disrespect.

Furthermore, judging from the equipment you listed on your profile, you must be suffering a lot, because is it not very expensive or high-end, just at the brink of it. No Naim, Gryphon, Audio Note, etc. The sound you have to endure most be horrible for you.

Expensive, high-end does not necessarily equate to good, so No, I have no Gryphon or Audio Notes (Naim sounds hard to me).
Nor do I have the Mojo one or two anymore! Mojo2 I sent back after a few weeks, as I realized I did not need it, Mojo one, after a few years got flogged off on eBay, again as I did not need it either.
The most expensive gear I have is a Hugo2, which I picked up on eBay under £1k,
BTW, from my name, you should have guessed that I do speak another language! English is not my first language either, but there are such things as spell and grammar checks .
Be good and good night, it is my bedtime (I am as old as my avatar).

 

[dananski]

I am still chuckling after I read the interview where he said this was his airline setup.

Imagine if he gets it all set up then remembers he forgot his Stealth and has to buy a pair of $9 Sony buds from the in flight shop but insists on keeping everything wired up to get the absolute best from them.

Haha! Ugh airport shop earphones are such a scam, I had to get some last time I went on holiday.

I'm now contemplating putting together a cheapo version of his setup: Topping DX3 Pro+ and a 146Wh portable AC battery. That'd top the Mojo 2 on many measures (especially weight) and save £150... Probably not allowed to take it on a plane though...

 

[raif71]

Ah, so you lied then. Cool cool

 

[typericey]

Topping, your move to develop a similar measuring product (batt powered portable DAC & HP amp) at a third of the price. Unless it already exists and I don't know.

@JohnYang1997

 

[jasonhanjk]

Topping, your move to develop a similar measuring product (batt powered portable DAC & HP amp) at a third of the price. Unless it already exists and I don't know.

@JohnYang1997

Might as well get a donggle since you still want a USB interface.

 

[srkbear]

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

Well, I’m not sure I’m convinced by this statement. Apple just went through an enormous expense to convert their entire music catalog, the largest in the industry, to lossless—a format that cannot be utilized on their platform without wired headphones and a investment that offers little in the way of a demonstrable profit advantage for them—they did it to maintain their edge over Spotify, the number one streaming service on their App Store.

Tidal memberships have been burgeoning considerably over the last couple of years, and Spotify is getting hammered for taking so long to fulfill their promises of upgrading their catalog to hi res. Meridian is making a killing on MQA and is acquiring proprietary access to a staggering number of the highest provenance masters from premier studios every day. DACs and dongles are flying off the shelves of Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart with logarithmic growth over the past two years.

I think the eventual platform that will ultimately win out will be lossless Bluetooth, but for the time being wired DACs and headphones are considerably more than “on the move”—they’re the hottest thing in consumer audio and are driving a multi-billion dollar industry!

 

[dananski]

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

Well, I’m not sure I’m convinced by this statement. Apple just went through an enormous expense to convert their entire music catalog, the largest in the industry, to lossless—a format that cannot be utilized on their platform without wired headphones and a investment that offers little in the way of a demonstrable profit advantage for them—they did it to maintain their edge over Spotify, the number one streaming service on their App Store.

Tidal memberships have been burgeoning considerably over the last couple of years, and Spotify is getting hammered for taking so long to fulfill their promises of upgrading their catalog to hi res. Meridian is making a killing on MQA and is acquiring proprietary access to a staggering number of the highest provenance masters from premier studios every day. DACs and dongles are flying off the shelves of Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart with logarithmic growth over the past two years.

I think the eventual platform that will ultimately win out will be lossless Bluetooth, but for the time being wired DACs and headphones are considerably more than “on the move”—they’re the hottest thing in consumer audio and are driving a multi-billion dollar industry!

I'm not convinced either. I think the portability of the Mojo is understated in this thread. Think of it less like a laptop you have to lug from place to place or use awkwardly along the way, and more like having a small battery pack hooked up to your phone. It's totally fine on the bus or train and so long as you have decent pockets it's alright when walking around. Yes, the dongle form factor is generally preferable on the move, and wireless headphones are even more convenient, but this aims for (and achieves) higher performance and features, which clearly still have a market. I'll even add that the dual headphone ports are rather fun when you're on a long trip with a friend (once the initial argument about volume level reaches a compromise, of course).

 

[kanefsky]

Well, I’m not sure I’m convinced by this statement. Apple just went through an enormous expense to convert their entire music catalog, the largest in the industry, to lossless—a format that cannot be utilized on their platform without wired headphones and a investment that offers little in the way of a demonstrable profit advantage for them—they did it to maintain their edge over Spotify, the number one streaming service on their App Store.

Tidal memberships have been burgeoning considerably over the last couple of years, and Spotify is getting hammered for taking so long to fulfill their promises of upgrading their catalog to hi res. Meridian is making a killing on MQA and is acquiring proprietary access to a staggering number of the highest provenance masters from premier studios every day. DACs and dongles are flying off the shelves of Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart with logarithmic growth over the past two years.

I think the eventual platform that will ultimately win out will be lossless Bluetooth, but for the time being wired DACs and headphones are considerably more than “on the move”—they’re the hottest thing in consumer audio and are driving a multi-billion dollar industry!

I listen to lossless music on bluetooth earbuds when I'm on the go all the time. Any "loss" from using a codec like LDAC or AptX HD for bluetooth transmission is negligible compared to the loss of the transducer (i.e. headphones) or environmental noise.

Even if you're under the delusion that there's a significant benefit to a lossless codec even when you're riding the subway or a bus, 99.9% of the population still disagrees with you, so my point stands about the market being small. That was proven when people adopted mp3's en masse instead of listening to their CDs. You could also just walk through a crowd in a major city or ride some buses/trains/subways and count how many people are using wired headphones and DACs vs using wireless earbuds/headphones.

 

[srkbear]

I listen to lossless music on bluetooth earbuds when I'm on the go all the time. Any "loss" from using a codec like LDAC or AptX HD for bluetooth transmission is negligible compared to the loss of the transducer (i.e. headphones) or environmental noise.

Even if you're under the delusion that there's a significant benefit to a lossless codec even when you're riding the subway or a bus, 99.9% of the population still disagrees with you, so my point stands about the market being small. That was proven when people adopted mp3's en masse instead of listening to their CDs. You could also just walk through a crowd in a major city or ride some buses/trains/subways and count how many people are using wired headphones and DACs vs using wireless earbuds/headphones.

When did I say anything about the superiority of one codec or sampling rate over another? I made a simple statement about the popularity and market significance of wired headphones and DACs. I am under no delusions sir, but thank you for the unsolicited lesson (?)

As an aside, if you’re so insouciant about lossless or hi res audio, then one surely has to wonder why you’ve spent a preponderance of space on this thread extolling the virtues of this overpriced DAC, that is marketed forcefully on the precision and detail of its sound! You can get LDAC with absolutely identical results from a portable that costs a fraction of this thing…

 

[Doodski]

Think of it less like a laptop you have to lug from place to place or use awkwardly along the way, and more like having a small battery pack hooked up to your phone. It's totally fine on the bus or train and so long as you have decent pockets it's alright when walking around. Yes, the dongle form factor is generally preferable on the move, and wireless headphones are even more convenient, but this aims for (and achieves) higher performance and features, which clearly still have a market. I'll even add that the dual headphone ports are rather fun when you're on a long trip with a friend (once the initial argument about volume level reaches a compromise, of course).

Why not a larger cel tel with bigger battery and display? Do we have access to cel tel tests like @amirm does for audio gear? How are smart cel tels holding up against a CHORD Mojo 2? Myself I'm more into a bigger display with armor and a pen for commands and stuff.

 

[kanefsky]

When did I say anything about the superiority of one codec or sampling rate over another? I made a simple statement about the popularity and market significance of wired headphones and DACs. I am under no delusions sir, but thank you for the unsolicited lesson (?)

You implied that because Apple had converted their library to lossless, and that because losslessly-encoded music "cannot be utilized" without wired headphones, that wired headphones cannot be a very small market share for on-the-go listeners. That's neither a valid nor a sound argument.

It's kind of like arguing that the ubiquitousness of digital cameras with more resolution, more dynamic range, and the ability to shoot in RAW doesn't mean that most people wont' end up looking at those photos as low-res JPEGs on the web.

 

[srkbear]

You implied that because Apple had converted their library to lossless, and that because losslessly-encoded music "cannot be utilized" without wired headphones, that wired headphones cannot be a very small market share for on-the-go listeners. That's neither a valid nor a sound argument.

There’s absolutely no point of them converting to lossless other than it being desirable by consumers—their own branded headphones are incapable of playing it. And you’re now making an argument that lossless and hi res are superfluous assets after carpet bombing this thread with exuberant praise for this overpriced DAC. If you don’t think hi res sampling rates and wired headphones are any big deal, then why not get an LDAC-compatible DAC that costs a fraction of this thing that’ll do the trick equally well? You’re the one who got defensive and contentious when I simply disagreed with your view that wired DACs are a tiny market and “no big loss”. Please, sit down.

 

[kanefsky]

There’s absolutely no point of them converting to lossless other than it being desirable by consumers—their own branded headphones are incapable of playing it. And you’re now making an argument that lossless and hi res is a superfluous asset after carpet bombing this thread with exuberant praise for this overpriced DAC. If you don’t think hi res sampling rates and wired headphones are any big deal, then why not get an LDAC-compatible DAC that costs a fraction of this thing that’ll do the trick equally well? Please, sit down.

It doesn't hurt anything to start with losslessly-encoded music even if you end up listening to it in a noisy environment when it would be impossible to hear any advantage from it. You made it sound as if somehow it wasn't even possible to listen to losslessly-encoded music on wireless headphones, which is of course not true. The fact is that most people choose to use wireless earbuds/headphones when they're on the go so the market share for people who ride the bus and use wired headphones connected to a wired DAC is very small by comparison. Obviously the people who read threads like this are not representative of the overall market for these types of products.