Chord "Mojo"

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Judeus, Oct 12, 2015.

  1. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Great to hear, I am getting the Aeon closed so hoping for great things :) My anguish is that the in-home trials would be expensive; once I open the Mojo box I'll get hit with a rather large "re-stocking" fee versus the Schiit, but with them I have to pay tax, shipping, and return shipping if don't like it so ....

    I'm a newbie to all the high-end headphone gear and ultimately not sure I'm an "audiophile" but I do love listening to all kinds of great music and it seems like after 20 years of audio tech wilderness (for me) I'm getting back to a time when having a large varied collection I can play on great sounding stuff is affordable: a modi/magni is $198 and a decent set of HPs is $500. Get a Tidal subscription and you're off! So I'm excited to get back into it
     
  2. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    @Gruss Gott

    FYI- Schiit charges a 5% restocking fee so that can be hefty on a Gungnir Multibit Asgard combo you mentioned for example.
     
  3. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Be aware that buying a Mojo is a classic beginner's mistake/trap. Many of us have done it, before we understood just how wrong it's possible to be. Even with a cleanly-clocked and RFI-free SPDIF source, it's lacking in detail, rolled-off at each end, and prickly in the treble (weirdly, these things are not mutually exclusive). The USB in is, to be kind, crappy.

    It is a very bad value proposition, performs relatively poorly in absolute terms and has terrible ergonomics and utility as a portable device. As a desktop DAC, it is frankly embarrassing compared to the cheaper Modi Multibit. Once you're used to hearing better gear and making reasonable assessments of quality, you'll kick yourself.

    There's a reason why there's a thriving second-hand market in Mojos.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2017
  4. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Geezus, that's the problem with this hobby, it's $250 to look at something.

    I should get into boating. Or golf. seems cheaper.
     
  5. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

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    Couldn't agree more , though my comparisons were done with Fiio X5iii.
    The results were embarrassing for the mojo,
    I can't believe the hype for this piece of junk.
    Avoid.
     
  6. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    Again, for its intended use as a portable dac/amp Hugo 2 was really good. It's not good for a 2300 dollar desktop set up. But I preferred it to like the WM1Z even.
     
  7. drgumbybrain

    drgumbybrain Science Nut

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    Do you remember the difference between chord and Sony gear?
     
  8. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    To me it always comes down to the same thing with Chord vs other brands. The Sony sounded technically excellent and clear. The Hugo 2 had that typical Chord sound like Mojo but with noticeably more detail. It sounded fun. That's how Chord stuff always sounds to me, the music feels very alive, even though with Mojo when you listen close you can hear its deficiencies. Hugo 2 just didn't really have glaring flaws like the Mojo in the brief time I used it. It also probably paired well with my Dita Dreams though as the midrange feels more present on it iirc. For better or worse I tend to just listen to the music on the Chord gear instead of analyzing the sound quality like some other dacs. Like instead of thinking wow this sounds precise I'm just thinking wow this sounds good. Idk if that makes any sense.

    Please note I still think it's crap as a desktop dac/amp and don't really like Chord as a company lol. I tried to find anything else over Hugo 2... Went to RMAF to try iems and daps lol. My first impression of Hugo 2 was essentially, "Shit I still want it."

    I'll have one eventually if Chord decides to ship the thing and I can compare it more accurately vs Mojo and Yggdrasil/Raggy.
     
  9. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    GusGrott,
    gawd, unless your headphones are broken or the tracks are brickwalled- your ears should easily detect an improvement with a USB Gen5 Bifrost Multibit+ Jotunheim over Mojo. the Jotun amp alone will blow the balls off a Mojo.

    then again, this could be a pairing thing- maybe Aeon Flow doesn't match up with the speed and power of the Jot.
    in which case it's up to Modi Multibit over Mojo DAC section. your cans. your call.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2017
  10. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    I decided to go with the Mojo for now, mostly because I do like the mobile option and I don't have trained ears yet.

    For the last 20 years I've stepped out of the audio scene as it just became too expensive and eventually all my stuff went away or became ridiculously outdated. About 3 years ago, I got google play and some PSB M4U 2s and started getting re-acquainted with all my music ... it seemed awesome! But there was no big true "musicality"; fun, but it wasn't big time moving me.

    I was traveling a lot then and started looking for a good ANC set and tried the Bose QC35s and the MDR1000Xs - what a pile of shit those are.

    I don't know what you experts think about the sound but for me it was absolute garbage ... so I got a set of B&W P7Ws last year and that lit the fuse as I started listening to some FLACs but still wasn't ready to dive into this murky horror show.

    Then I got a free trial to Tidal HiFi and realized there's no way the P7s could keep up, so now I'm back in :(

    I'm going Aeon closeds (unless I hate them - tomorrow's the day) and mojo. If, after a few weeks, the mojo isn't good enough to start I'm going Modi Multibit/mangi. If it is, and i'm still down, then next oct I do a Gungnir Multibit/lyr or mjo ... or whatever stupid shit they come up with between now and then. I like Schiit, their Cali lifestyle (I'm pretty sure that one dude is stoned constantly), and their warranty.

    TLDR, it's on and I'm tooling up :mad:
     
  11. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    What an awful waste of money. If you're not going to spend on a "proper" setup, and want something small, you may as well just get a Fulla 2 for now, and keep saving up until you can afford something decent. The Mojo is just burning money to little practical end. Listen straight out of your phone or use a cheap upgrade (Fulla 2, Dragonfly Red), rather than spending non-trivial money on under-performing and poorly-engineered tat.

    Generally, HeadFi-style buying decisions lead to mediocre sound and wasted money. It ends up costing you a lot more in the end. Now you've made the first mistake, do try not to compound it by getting antsy and getting something else similarly underwhelming (most iFi springs to mind) as a wasteful side-grade.

    Some of us have the excuse of not having access to actual sound advice when they started buying that bilge, and the Chord fanboy echo chamber is pretty obsessive- "if I knew then what I know now". Not sure what to say to someone who was warned about the kool-aid and chugged it anyway.

     
  12. Sonorus

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    Dragon fly red is much better than chord mojo IMHO.
     
  13. drgumbybrain

    drgumbybrain Science Nut

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    well... if you use performance/price ratio, then yes.
    But mojo is better overall
     
  14. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

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    For my taste red is more clear and clean with better sound sign overall.
    Sure it lacks inputs/outputs.
     
  15. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    If your mind is made up on the mojo, at least buy used.
     
  16. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    What’s your favorite portable dac amp?

    I agree about the price and Mojo is not good for over ears.
     
  17. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    I like that the word "Mojo" is in quotations in the title of this thread.
     
  18. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Wow the chord hate on this thread is delicious! I'm hoping that, with time and attention to detail, I can develop the same strong feelings ...

    In the meantime, FWIW, here's my quickie non-audiophile preview review:
    Setup: 2015 MBP > Tidal HiFi > Chord Mojo (USB, Anker Powerline+) > wired B&W P7W (i.e., passive)

    There's definitely an improvement in SQ versus the MBP's output, although for anyone who's a noob user / non-audiophile I have to say it's not big, i.e., it's not an immediate OMG moment. After you listen for a bit and do some A/B testing (blind if you can), then you hear it ... and for me the "it" is more detail at lower volumes. You can hear small things in the songs you didn't hear before and overall the music is more "there", whatever the right word for that is. It's easier to get into a song without the volume cranked up. Visually it'd be like going from watching a movie on a 45" LCD to a 50" LCD - it doesn't feel like a big change, and it's not, but it's a change that's a bit better and more engaging.

    It's strange in that using my B&Ws wirelessly and A/B testing AptX versus SBC I can more quickly and easily hear a difference with the SBC sounding more "grainy". Here, this difference is much more subtle but possibly more impactful as it provides an overall more smooth sound that kind of pulls you in.

    Today I'll try the same tests with the Aeon Flow Closeds ... I gotta say I'm a bit nervous I'm not going to find a huge difference with the Aeons. If I don't, not sure what I'll do ...

    TLDR: With passable HiFi HPs the Mojo makes a subtle difference to noob ears, but it's a difference that you don't want to give up, but don't expect it to change your life - at first blush it's slightly better. If $529 seems like a lot for a blinkie box that slightly improves things, I'd pass. If you're willing to walk the path of the damned, then dive in.

    Now ... should I get Audirvana ... and the AFCs are up next!
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2017
  19. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Like a lot of people, I don't bother with portable DAC/amps any more, this way lies madness. Way too many compromises, way too fiddly, way too unreliable. The novelty wears off, as does the appeal of carrying that much crap about.

    If I am travelling light, some 3.5mm-terminated IEMs* right out of a phone will do, otherwise I use a Sony WM1A driving a pair of UM Martians balanced. I would have gone for Andros; I love the sound, but I found that the nozzles are too short and won't stay in my ears.

    * Something modest, maybe some Noble-X, they're OK right out of a phone, in a pinch.
     
  20. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Stop stabbing those kittens?

    That's what I hear most of the time anyway.

    In my defense, with my new HP setup, it's pretty hard to hear what anyone is saying.
     

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