Review and Measurements of Chord Mojo DAC and Amp

[bunkbail]

Maybe we could have a "Battle of the Under $500 DACs" using already completed measurements and then volunteering up other gear that qualifies?

Khadas Tone Board in SPDIF mode would probably win the battle.

 

[graz_lag]

... Because of 70,000 units sold at $600. That is $42 million dollars of product ....

I went once again fishing within What Hi-Fi : https://www.whathifi.com/features/making-chord-mojo

The making of: Chord Mojo

... the renovated pump house in Maidstone the company and its 30-odd employees call home ...

My quick comment : a company with 30 employees - of which perhaps only half a dozen on the production floor, does selling, so theoretically assembling, 70,000 units ?
Logically, they subcontract to several sub-contractors, where each one of these cover a specific and limited scope of supply (avoiding in doing so to divulge too much know-how) ... and at that point, yes, few employees can easily stick the Made in the United Kingdom super-nice decals on the finished items. (Actually, it's really a super-nice piece of decal, not joking !). Doing certainly some kind of serious QC on each single unit and final packing.

 

[JJB70]

These days just about all manufacturers rely on a complex supply chain, and productivity per employee largely depends on production processes.

 

[billqs]

Khadas Tone Board in SPDIF mode would probably win the battle.

Holy crap! I just went to the thread on here. How have I never heard of this giant-killer of a DAC?

 

[Jimster480]

I can't say I am too surprised with the results.
Chord always struck me as a marketing based company.
People have said that their quality is good.... but with the Hugo2 being reviewed earlier this year and trading blows with the D50 for 10x the price...
The Mojo really is the bread and butter of chord here considering its cheaper and offers the same performance.

But overall it looks like a NX4DSD is a better choice overall...

 

[amirm]

My quick comment : a company with 30 employees - of which perhaps only half a dozen on the production floor, does selling, so theoretically assembling, 70,000 units ?

It may all be built through a CM (contract manufacturer). In that case they do nothing at Chord factory for this unit.

It is also possible Rob Watts was giving us fake news on this unit count.

 

[billqs]

But overall it looks like a NX4DSD is a better choice overall...

Is it better than the D50?

 

[Jimster480]

Is it better than the D50?

The NX4DSD is a portable product, the D50 isnt.

 

[Aibo]

Mojo is really hyped everywhere I read about it, people say it sounds very full and pleasant... I would really like to hear it and compare it to Topping D30 but I can't justify buying it just out of curiosity right now.

 

[xineis]

I am starting to think that maybe the general "audiophile" demographic likes distortion. Maybe it's not the case with the Mojo because I thought the measurements were ok, not superb, but ok.

 

[graz_lag]

It is also possible Rob Watts was giving us fake news on this unit count.

That might be well possible : https://gb.kompass.com/c/chord-electronics-ltd/gb32510499/
It's hard to image that Chord Electronics - even dropping into the game a product that sells well like the MOJO, might grow from a turnover "Under 250 000 GBP" (2014, as reported by kompass.com ) to several tens of millions ...
It would have been a much higher spike than the ones Amir finds out in the graphs ...

As of today, Chord Electronics' team is composed of 27 fellows, 7 of whom have a title position relevant to assembling/manufacturing ...
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/our-team/

 

[Jorj]

Mojo is really hyped everywhere I read about it, people say it sounds very full and pleasant... I would really like to hear it and compare it to Topping D30 but I can't justify buying it just out of curiosity right now.

They are both competent DAC\amps, with different use-cases. My IEMs don't need the power, so I just stick with my Cayin N3 DAP for them when I'm out. If I want to bring my HD6xx to the park for some hammock-n-book time, then the Mojo comes along to add the power they need to fill in the bass. For home use, the DX7s or D10 are my go-to's (D10 for desk, DX7s balanced for the armchair).

The Mojo does sound good, very good, in fact (but not magical). Amir's measurements and March's agree. It is easy to transport and the battery life is quite good, even when feeding power-hungry cans. If you can find one used for $300-350, it's a good buy.

Oh, and I'm firmly NOT in the Amir camp with regards to the controls. I like the Mojo design very much. It's quirky, but functional. I don't need to read displays to enjoy music, the lights do just fine.

--edit--

I should add, I'm no fanboi. If the Monoprice THX AAA 788 Portable is as good as I hope, my Mojo will quickly be up for sale.

 

[Killingbeans]

I am starting to think that maybe the general "audiophile" demographic likes distortion.

I get the same feeling. I can't even count the times I've seen threads on DIY forums, where someone points to or asks for measurements on a design, and everybody then immediately start crying: "You hear music with your ears, not with your measuring instruments!"

People, who design via listening tests don't really bother me, but what does bother me is when the same people claim to have found that magical tranparent "wire-with-amplification" by doing so. That's alchemy, and it deserves ridicule.

 

[xineis]

I get the same feeling. I can't even count the times I've seen threads on DIY forums, where someone points to or asks for measurements on a design, and everybody then immediately start crying: "You hear music with your ears, not with your measuring instruments!"

People, who design via listening tests don't really bother me, but what does bother me is when the same people claim to have found that magical tranparent "wire-with-amplification" by doing so. That's alchemy, and it deserves ridicule.

Agreed! I have absolutely no problem with my current DAC/Amps which are nothing stellar (and maybe even bad, yes I own a Micca Origen+). I know that I bought what fit my budget at the time.

Even so, I believe most of us got used to distortion, be it from tubes or even solid states. And I think that it is because distortion fuses with the sound signal, unlike noise which stands out. Am I wrong?

 

[DaveP]

Amir,

I have enjoyed reading your forum for the past several months, and I finally joined tonight after reading the Chord Mojo piece. I love what you are doing, and I wish I had the gear you have so I could test some of the digital components I've had over the years.

But I'm a bit torn by your findings, and I do own a Mojo. There is no doubt that your measurements show a product that is reasonably well designed, that does come up a bit short when compared to the measurements you've observed for other products. But despite the middle-of-the-pack measurement performance, I find that it sounds superb as a headphone amplifier.

I was also curious about the Mojo's line-level performance as a DAC and I found it to be very disappointing when compared by my heavily modded Audio Note DAC, which I'm certain would measure even worse than the Mojo, although I have no data.

How is it that components that don't measure well can sound so pleasing to our critical ears? And do you find that the products that measure better tend to sound better than those that don't? Or am I missing the point of your efforts?

thank you

Dave

 

[Jimster480]

Amir,

I have enjoyed reading your forum for the past several months, and I finally joined tonight after reading the Chord Mojo piece. I love what you are doing, and I wish I had the gear you have so I could test some of the digital components I've had over the years.

But I'm a bit torn by your findings, and I do own a Mojo. There is no doubt that your measurements show a product that is reasonably well designed, that does come up a bit short when compared to the measurements you've observed for other products. But despite the middle-of-the-pack measurement performance, I find that it sounds superb as a headphone amplifier.

I was also curious about the Mojo's line-level performance as a DAC and I found it to be very disappointing when compared by my heavily modded Audio Note DAC, which I'm certain would measure even worse than the Mojo, although I have no data.

How is it that components that don't measure well can sound so pleasing to our critical ears? And do you find that the products that measure better tend to sound better than those that don't? Or am I missing the point of your efforts?

thank you

Dave

The reason you can listen to something which has distortion and still find it magical is due to psychoacoustics.
After days of listening you will become accustomed to the sound, and it will sound fine to you.

Another point is that if the unit has audibly transparent distortion, its unlikely to be discernible via any other product that has transparent distortion.
As discussed before, the difference in sound between products usually comes from output impedance and frequency response.

 

[billqs]

I'm pretty new here DaveP, but I can tell you this site values objective standards over subjective impressions. You can measure standards using a set of industry benchmarks and really good equipment such as Amir has. There really is no way to measure your or my subjective experience from a piece of hi-fi equipment. The measurements and standards are there so that no matter how inexpensive or expensive or how well built or badly built a DAC is, you are always comparing apples to apples.

Now that doesn't mean your impressions are wrong. I feel similarly about the Mojo. Everyone is entitled their own opinion and judgement on a piece of gear. It's just you can't look up an opinion on a oscilloscope. Why does bad measuring gear sound good? A number of reasons. Partly, a number of the measurements are below the audible range of human hearing. In that sense they are being judged on how expertly designed and engineered the equipment is. Also, a lot of us grew up listening to gear that had much more distortion than you run into on a well-made component today. The old age of tubes has taught many of us to regard a warm sound as being pleasant and inviting even if it isn't the most accurate and the warmth is a product of distortion.

At the end of the day, the only way to be able to share information in a way that everyone understands is by using standards and accurate measurements. Ultimately it boils down to reference versus preference.

 

[Liberal Democracy]

I belive it’s true you do become accustomed to what you listen to and in fact demand that sound and assume it’s ‘correct ‘ vs another potentially more accurate sound.

I’m reading a book on music by David Byrne at the moment it’s suggests humans not only do that but also create music that sounds pleasing in the acoustic environment they frequent. Percussion , African music developed outside and that’s where it sound best , likewise it’s suggested jazz developed partly through the evolution of the music halls and clubs but also rather ironically to the limits of the early recording equipment that was about in the early 20th century .

I believe this is what might drive our preferences, basically what your used to. I grew up with cassette tape and then CD , it was obvious CD was better. If you play me vinyl I can’t stand it, sounds wrong and broken to me but likewise if you play digital to guys bought up on vinyl they say it sounds profoundly wrong to them, I guess many folk grew up listening to radio too so that might have a influence on their preferences.

The evolution of music and indeed how that’s tide to our listening environment is fascinating.

The measurements we take exclude all those variables and just show how things perform vs the objectivity ideal and or the best wev found. When it comes to DAC’s that drive headphones it seems the main point of difference is in driving the load of the headphone rather than the DAC’s themselves as though they all measure diffrent a deal of that is irrelevant to your ears .

 

[Wombat]

I belive it’s true you do become accustomed to what you listen to and in fact demand that sound and assume it’s ‘correct ‘ vs another potentially more accurate sound.

I’m reading a book on music by David Byrne at the moment it’s suggests humans not only do that but also create music that sounds pleasing in the acoustic environment they frequent. Percussion , African music developed outside and that’s where it sound best , likewise it’s suggested jazz developed partly through the evolution of the music halls and clubs but also rather ironically to the limits of the early recording equipment that was about in the early 20th century .

I believe this is what might drive our preferences, basically what your used to. I grew up with cassette tape and then CD , it was obvious CD was better. If you play me vinyl I can’t stand it, sounds wrong and broken to me but likewise if you play digital to guys bought up on vinyl they say it sounds profoundly wrong to them, I guess many folk grew up listening to radio too so that might have a influence on their preferences.

The evolution of music and indeed how that’s tide to our listening environment is fascinating.

The measurements we take exclude all those variables and just show how things perform vs the objectivity ideal and or the best wev found. When it comes to DAC’s that drive headphones it seems the main point of difference is in driving the load of the headphone rather than the DAC’s themselves as though they all measure diffrent a deal of that is irrelevant to your ears .

You can't say vinyl preference is a no-brainer. Think about it.

 

[PyramidElectric]

I own a Topping D10 and a Chord Mojo, using the optical out of the D10 it's possible to feed both Dacs the same signal. I plugged them both into a Naim Nait5si and switched between them whilst music was playing. Once level matched I could not discern any difference whatsoever, no matter what music I played.
One thing re this review though: I've read quite a bit of Rob Watt's postings on the Mojo, and I get the impression it's somewhat sensitive to noise from both USB signal and USB power. I think that it was initially designed to be used via battery power and with the signal coming from something like an iPhone/iPad which supposedly has very clean USB signal vs a PC. I usually use mine connected to a MacBook via the optical and I *think* it sounds a bit better than the USB, but I'd love to see measurements to confirm/deny this.