CHORD Mojo 2 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[srkbear]

You are seriously talking about elegance and aesthetics in relation to any chord product??? They are simply ugly as hell

I agree. I think all of their gear looks like it was made by Hasbro or Mattel.

 

[onchuner]

Hi thank you for review

How does Mojo compare against RME ADI DAC FS?

 

[srkbear]

Hi thank you for review

How does Mojo compare against RME ADI DAC FS?

Well, those are two completely different animals altogether. I would never use this Mojo as my desktop option (there are so many options that perform better)—and the RME is rare among DAC/amps in terms of features…

 

[kanefsky]

No menu fussiness required. The jacks are just there if you them, and I’ve used just about all of them. I have balanced Focal Utopia, Sony Z1R and Susvara cans, and the 4.4mm plug is handy (and surprising absent from all of Chord’s offerings).

There’s nothing wrong with including a significant number of features if they do the job and don’t interfere with the fundamental functions of the DAC. And in the xDSD Gryphon’s case, I don’t think they cause any problems whatsoever. However, I do find the dual 3.5mm jacks on the Mojo superfluous, but that’s just because I have no use for them.

The extra connectors and whatnot just clutter the thing up and hurt the aesthetics if you don't need them. I remember buying a few AV preamps and receivers after I had gone completely to digital video and it always drove me a little crazy that they all had a million connectors for composite video, component video, s-video, analog tape decks, AM radio antennas, and all sorts of things that I would probably never use again.

Balanced connectors are rarely needed for headphones, so it's generally a lot better to just standardize on 3.5mm for everything if you're doing a lot of swapping of headphones and DACs. It would be absolutely fine with me if there were no second 3.5mm jack on the Mojo 2, although a couple times I have used it to leave two sets of headphones connected at the same time so it was easy to switch between them (even though they aren't necessarily volume matched). Also it does improve cable routing ever so slightly by having the choice of whether to connect the headphones to the left or right side of the device.

 

[srkbear]

The extra connectors and whatnot just clutter the thing up and hurt the aesthetics if you don't need them. I remember buying a few AV preamps and receivers after I had gone completely to digital video and it always drove me a little crazy that they all had a million connectors for composite video, component video, s-video, analog tape decks, AM radio antennas, and all sorts of things that I would probably never use again.

Balanced connectors are rarely needed for headphones, so it's generally a lot better to just standardize on 3.5mm for everything if you're doing a lot of swapping of headphones and DACs. It would be absolutely fine with me if there were no second 3.5mm jack on the Mojo 2, although a couple times I have used it to leave two sets of headphones connected at the same time so it was easy to switch between them (even though they aren't necessarily volume matched). Also it does improve cable routing ever so slightly by having the choice of whether to connect the headphones to the left or right side of the device.

Balanced connections help drive my Susvaras. Do you even own the Gryphon, or are you just trying to justify your purchase of the Chord? Can’t they both have merits and flaws?

If the Gryphon measures equally well to the Mojo 2, then by price alone the Gryphon is a far better choice. We’ll see…

 

[kanefsky]

Balanced connections help drive my Susvaras. Do you even own the Gryphon, or are you just trying to justify your purchase of the Chord? Can’t they both have merits and flaws?

I don't own the Gryphon, but I do own the RME ADI-2 DAC and ADI-2 Pro, Benchmark DAC3, Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro, Qudelix 5k, iFi GO blu, Fiio Q3, Sony PHA-3, and probably some others that I forgot . There's a few I've sold or returned as well.

I'm the first guy to point out the pros and cons of anything. I've given praise to the Mojo 2 for some things but also said that I wouldn't use it at all in certain circumstances, for example. I'm not sure the Gryphon would be my choice for any of my use cases.

 

[raif71]

Other than the lighted buttons, I don't think it has a toy-like aesthetic at all. It's a very classy black metal finish. But I actually love the colored buttons. They improve my mood just looking at them, plus when I'm using it in a darkened room they make it incredibly easy to operate the device.

I'm reminded of the movie "Mars Attacks", where the Martians had these cool toy-like weapons that totally outperformed the complicated, industrial-looking American weapons




More is not always better. If you don't actually need all those features and just want a DAC that does its job without unnecessary complexities or having to read and navigate tiny menu displays, then the Mojo 2 is a very nice alternative to the DACs that try to cram everything but the kitchen sink into one device.

Reminds me of Thanos and the infinity stones. Thanos has the mojo

 

[raif71]

I don't own the Gryphon, but I do own the RME ADI-2 DAC and ADI-2 Pro, Benchmark DAC3, Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro, Qudelix 5k, iFi GO blu, Fiio Q3, Sony PHA-3, and probably some others that I forgot . There's a few I've sold or returned as well.

I'm the first guy to point out the pros and cons of anything. I've given praise to the Mojo 2 for some things but also said that I wouldn't use it at all in certain circumstances, for example. I'm not sure the Gryphon would be my choice for any of my use cases.

I own Fiio Q5s, ifi hipdac, topping nx4dsd, sony pha-3, mojo and now the e1da powerdac v2. As far as sound, power and portability I will go with the mojo. I like the powerdac too but only as a desktop setup which I use it with a powerbank.

 

[Chester]

There is no such image or option in the user manual?
Just because a battery is internally connected via a connector doesn't make it automatically officially something that a user can and is allowed to change it.

Where have you read the battery is not replaceable?

People may be trying to decide if this product is right for them, and saying the battery is not replaceable could be a deal breaker to a lot of people, for the reasons you outlined. So it’s important we’re dealing in facts.

 

[raif71]

Where have you read the battery is not replaceable?

People may be trying to decide if this product is right for them, and saying the battery is not replaceable could be a deal breaker to a lot of people, for the reasons you outlined. So it’s important we’re dealing in facts.

When I bought a used mojo, the previous owner said that he had just replaced the battery with a brand new one.

 

[thewas]

Where have you read the battery is not replaceable?

People may be trying to decide if this product is right for them, and saying the battery is not replaceable could be a deal breaker to a lot of people, for the reasons you outlined. So it’s important we’re dealing in facts.

Where in the manual does it show how the user can change the battery?

Of course a skilled technician can replace almost every battery and even heat open a glued(!) Apple by voiding the warranty and hoping to find the same exact specific cells but this is something very different to a user and sustainability friendly dedicated hatch.

When I bought a used mojo, the previous owner said that he had just replaced the battery with a brand new one.

Thank you for the confirmation.

 

[AudioSceptic]

What’s the voltage output range of the DAC? I saw that Amir tested it at 2 volts but then pushed it up “higher” but I couldn’t find how high.

This unit seems laudable enough for its limited features. But the iFi xDSD Gryphon I own is $150 cheaper, and is certainly more sophisticated and less “toy”-like in its build aesthetics. Instead of the superfluous dual SE outputs on this, it has:

—a 4.4 full balanced headphone out
—a 3.5mm SE jack
—a rear 4.4mm jack that can act as an input or output depending on whether it is being used as an external DAC
—a rear 3.5mm jack that does the same as above
—two discrete USB C jacks, one for power and one for data (although power can be added to data jack through the graphical GUI)

In addition, it offers;
—a high resolution GUI that displays sample rates and has menus to adjust filters and other features—1000 mW at 32 ohms of balanced output power vs 600 for the Chord (and I have balanced cans)
—Full MQA decoding, for those who care
—built in ieMatch (see Amir’s laudatory review of this tech)
—analog xBass and Presence enhancement tech (ASPs)
—very impressive battery life, and the unit can be run on DC power while plugged in. I can’t comment on the Chord’s battery life because this wasn’t reviewed.

I’m aware of the hit-or-miss performance of iFi’s offerings on this forum. I think it may be time for me to submit my Gryphon to Amir for testing to see if it offers a competitive alternative for this Mojo 2 (and I’ll try to do this without feeding into my long-standing vitriol against Chord as a company and Rob Watts as a “guru”—I absolutely detest the both of them and just about everything they stand for!)…

I'd also like to see how the Gryphon performs. It looks like the most complete portable DAC-amp available, and ergonomics look good too.

What is it about Chord/Watts that you so detest? Unlike most "high-end" boutique brands, their products do perform. I've always been dubious about iFi because they don't always perform, plus they make some dodgy stuff like the digital "enhancers" and "purifiers". Having said that, the Go Bar <https://ifi-audio.com/products/go-bar/> looks *very* interesting.

Edit: the GO Bar is £329 in the UK. For < £200 I'd be interested, but this is too much. There's also a snazzy gold version for £499.

 

[raif71]

Where I am, the Ifi Gryphon is more expensive than Mojo 2.

 

[Chester]

Where in the manual does it show how the user can change the battery?

Of course a skilled technician can replace almost every battery and even heat open a glued(!) Apple by voiding the warranty and hoping to find the same exact specific cells but this is something very different to a user and sustainability friendly dedicated hatch.


Thank you for the confirmation.

I have never claimed the battery is user replaceable. It might well be but that’s not what I was saying.

You on the other hand, claimed “the battery is non replaceable” implying once it fails, you toss the whole thing in the bin. It’s misleading and not even stated from a place of knowledge. That was my point.

This back and forth is not really serving the discussion so I’ll leave it there.

 

[Ismapics]

This is unjustifiably expensive for what it is. If looking at a simple Sinad to Price ratio it would be underwhelming.

 

[Rottmannash]

I thought about a small desktop amp/dac from your reviews but then I’d be tied to listening in the house and at one place, my only use would be with an iPad/iPhone and camera dongle thingy so portable was my first choice so I could take it from living room/garden/bedroom as I shuffle around.

I’m not a loud listener as a rule so power shouldn’t be an issue, I very rarely listen more than 75-80 db with my dynaudios and my hearing is one of the few bodily functions that’s not buggered up by ms so I don’t wish to abuse it.



At the glacial speed I can move due to spms I guess a casual observer would actually say I’m stationary and there’s no chance of working in the garden, I can stand up if I’m holding onto something with both hands for support but if I let go and fall over I’m lying there till the crows finish me off

Sounds like an inexpensive DAP and the Elegia might be the solution for you, if your wifi will reach into the garden (provided you stream your music).

 

[Garrincha]

I don't own the Gryphon, but I do own the RME ADI-2 DAC and ADI-2 Pro, Benchmark DAC3, Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro, Qudelix 5k, iFi GO blu, Fiio Q3, Sony PHA-3, and probably some others that I forgot . There's a few I've sold or returned as well.

I'm the first guy to point out the pros and cons of anything. I've given praise to the Mojo 2 for some things but also said that I wouldn't use it at all in certain circumstances, for example. I'm not sure the Gryphon would be my choice for any of my use cases.

Why don't you get another dac? Ok, seriously, how many listening rooms do you have, or are you doing DADADA conversion?

 

[kanefsky]

Why don't you get another dac? Ok, seriously, how many listening rooms do you have, or are you doing DADADA conversion?

Quite a few listening use cases: Living room, dining room, bedroom, office, exercise bike, digital piano, drum shed, walking around the house, running errands outside the house, working in the workshop.

For several of them I have full-size desktop DACs like the RME or Benchmark. For some I use compact DACs like the Mojo 2. For some I use overgrown dongles like the Qudelix. For some I use wireless earbuds (sometimes just in one ear) or a bluetooth speaker. For some I use pro interfaces because I'm also using mics and doing mixing.

 

[srkbear]

I don't own the Gryphon, but I do own the RME ADI-2 DAC and ADI-2 Pro, Benchmark DAC3, Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro, Qudelix 5k, iFi GO blu, Fiio Q3, Sony PHA-3, and probably some others that I forgot . There's a few I've sold or returned as well.

I'm the first guy to point out the pros and cons of anything. I've given praise to the Mojo 2 for some things but also said that I wouldn't use it at all in certain circumstances, for example. I'm not sure the Gryphon would be my choice for any of my use cases.

I use it for my portable option. Until it is subjected to measurements, I can make no claims of its superiority to the Mojo 2.

 

[srkbear]

I'd also like to see how the Gryphon performs. It looks like the most complete portable DAC-amp available, and ergonomics look good too.

What is it about Chord/Watts that you so detest? Unlike most "high-end" boutique brands, their products do perform. I've always been dubious about iFi because they don't always perform, plus they make some dodgy stuff like the digital "enhancers" and "purifiers". Having said that, the Go Bar <https://ifi-audio.com/products/go-bar/> looks *very* interesting.

Edit: the GO Bar is £329 in the UK. For < £200 I'd be interested, but this is too much. There's also a snazzy gold version for £499.

I bristle at the DAVE selling for >10 grand given that it’s almost eight years old and has much in the way of obsolete tech. I disdain Rob Watts’ arrogance and many dubious scientific claims he makes about his gear to justify its price point. I am appalled by what he is charging for his portable streamer (that requires two components to work unless you buy his DAC), given that an RPI can do everything it can at a fraction of the cost. Mainly it’s about their price points, which I think are grossly unjustified.