Chord "Mojo"

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

  1. mykeldg

    mykeldg New

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    Interesting, I also have a reviewer friend who has both and after upgrading the Modi Multibit firmware, it has solved some characteristics (such as too much warmth) that kept it from being ahead of the mojo.
     
  2. ohshitgorillas

    ohshitgorillas Friend

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    Obviously there are a lot of variables involved with each individual system, but I'm curious what people are using as transports to get those results. Both DACs are sensitive to transport quality, and I've spent a fair bit of time switching back and forth between Mojo's different inputs with various devices... not so much with Modi Multibit, I've heard a handful of sources but never really done back to back comparisons. That said, with the xDuoo X10TII feeding the Mojo via coax or toslink, it's no contest head and shoulders above MM (with Eitr or the xDuoo, although I should also say I find the xDuoo superior to Eitr) in so many aspects, I have to wonder what they're feeding the Mojo to get those results. Don't get me wrong, MM is damn good for the price, but even with v2 firmware it has (relatively) congested/muddy staging and smooths over a lot of fine transient details, e.g. snare drums and cymbals. Mojo has no sense of congestion in its staging/imaging that I can hear (except maybe relative to Bifrost 2), and does an excellent resolves transient details with finesse and subtlety, and has significantly cleaner/better extended bass. Usually when people complain about Mojo not sounding very good, they usually say that it suffers from congestion which, ime, could not be farther from the truth. From my experience, Mojo is much closer to Bifrost Multibit than Modi Multibit.
     
  3. mykeldg

    mykeldg New

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    ^^ can never contest that as you have both and listened extensively. I think his source was bluesound node 2 coax. He's quite a Schiit fanatic as he has the Yggdrasil so IDK if personal preference came more into play in his comparison.
     
  4. microCuts

    microCuts Acquaintance

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    The main issue with the Mojo is the poor battery implementation. It sounds pretty decent but it will just die within a few years.
     
  5. mocenigo

    mocenigo Acquaintance

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    The battery is easily replaceable, and it does not even cost much.
     
  6. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Does it require soldering?
     
  7. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    No soldering needed, authorized Chord dealers can get replacement Mojo batteries from their distributor at least in the USA, YMMV for other distributors. The local service center in LA charges like $160 I believe for full service battery replacement and you can do it for less than half of that yourself.
     
  8. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Eek. $160 seems steep. Have you done one yourself? Is it tricky? How cool would it be if everything had user replaceable batteries.
     
  9. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    My old tech support guy from the Chord distributor said the service center option is pricey but doing it yourself is pretty easy. Haven't done it personally, just checked a video of someone else doing it. Seems like its mostly unscrewing the bottom of the mojo, pulling out the old battery and putting everything back together.
     
  10. iDesign

    iDesign Almost "Made"

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    The battery replacement is simple and you can easily purchase the same battery fitted inside your unit online. Battery failures in the Mojo seem to be high and I suspect Chord's battery charging algorithm is not well optimized and the problem is also compounded by the fact Chord does not supply a standard charger and thermal issues (e.g. simultaneous charging and playback generates very high temperatures). You should also note that although the Mojo was not designed to operate without a battery, it can be removed and used with an appropriate power source.
     
  11. Superexchanger

    Superexchanger Friend

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    This is exactly how I've used mine as a desktop unit, with zero issues powering from an old iPhone 6 wallwart, although I only drive efficient IEM's and dynamics with it.
     
  12. microCuts

    microCuts Acquaintance

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    It costs cheaper at certain places but not all. In my place not only it is expensive (around $60-70usd) but also required the original receipt of the mojo just to buy the battery replacement. I showed the receipt which i bought the mojo oversea and still not qualified to buy the battery locally. Importing from oversea is a more costly option considering the shipping fees and too much hassle since not all vendors willing to ship battery internationally. So I ended up using my mojo without the battery for a short period and this is how my Mojo totally dead eventually. Will never buy a battery-powered Chord product anymore. Much worse than a China made DAP which easily last longer. Yet in HF all the fans are still defending the Mojo and claiming it is the users' problem. f**k them.
     
  13. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Someone please point me to a place where I can read the “valid” reasons Chord is giving for this price gouging and disqualification of being able to buy a battery replacement. This, for a product they had specifically said could be plugged in all the time with no issues (only to find out later, “oops, sorry - issues”)

    This reeks of profiteering and unethical business practices, not to mention the immorality of having to throw away something that could be perfectly usable if a replacement battery were made available.

    I purchased a used Mojo some time ago because I wanted to hear one and compare it to my DACs at the time (to which, in my 2-channel system, it did NOT live up to the hype, and I preferred Modi Multibit).

    I had kept it around a while because I wanted to compare it to others, but then I started to hear about these battery issues and sold it quickly. Thankfully I did, because if my battery had died, I would have eventually been left with a brick that cost me hundreds and would be thrown in the garbage (unless I found some non-sanctioned way to replace it.) I feel for you @microCuts
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2019
  14. mykeldg

    mykeldg New

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    I found this interesting video of a dac shootout between the Modi Multibit v2 vs mojo.

     
  15. mocenigo

    mocenigo Acquaintance

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    Nope. Pull plug of old one, insert plug of new one, done.
     
  16. Lacas

    Lacas New

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    Hi,
    I was happy to find your post :)
    What output of the x10T II do connect to what input of the Mojo?
    I could get a used Poly for a good price. I would like to decide between the x10T and the Poly just based on SQ.
    Could you also try the Chord Poly? Is the SQ of the x10T better then the Poly's?
    Thanks
    Lacas
     
  17. iDesign

    iDesign Almost "Made"

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    A little perspective from my experience with this issue: My Mojo battery failed exactly 17 hours after the warranty period and Blue Bird refused to repair the unit. As you can imagine I was disappointed on principle and it was Colin Pratt and Matt Bartlett from Chord who did the right thing and instructed Blue Bird to authorize the battery replacement at no charge. I later learned Chord's relationships with independent repair facilities and pricing in North America are primarily set by their distributor Blue Bird. For example, The Service Department CT is one of their service partners and has a standard labor rate of $105 per hour (their negotiated labor rate is unknown). Also bear in mind the battery is approximately $75.00. Outsourcing the repairs drives up costs and they should look at ways to restructure those relationships.

    Fortunately the battery replacement procedure is a simple DIY, and unlike most Apple products, the Mojo would get a 10 on iFixit's reparability scale. Hopefully Chord will improve their battery charging algorithms, thermal dissipation, service, and repair processes in the future now that they have sold enough first generation Mojo and Hugo units to understand ways they can improve.

    And for those of you who need the battery:
    https://www.hifipro.ca/en/chord-electronics-mojo-original-battery-replacement-accessories/

    Useful tools:
    https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/T6-Torx-Screwdriver/IF145-004?o=2.
    https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Adhesive-Cleanup-Kit-Set-of-12/IF145-308?o=1
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
  18. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    I spoke with Bluebird last year, July 2018, about Mojo 2 and when that is coming. They said they expected around 2 years before the next Mojo would be coming since Chord bought parts for a lot of Mojos and it was expected that it would take 2 years to finish production. If I had to make any wild and obvious guess it would be CanJam London 2020 to be launched.

    The battery seemed to be main point of concern/issue I have had over the years with the Mojo/Hugo 2. Bluebird has offered Mojo batteries for sale and it is a simple enough process if you know what you are doing. Not a big fan of having folks open up and doing the Mojo battery replacement themselves but the out of pocket cost for a service center to do the work is little much.

    Hope Mojo 2 has an improved battery and all that to make it last longer.
     
  19. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    What's the nominal voltage of the battery? Seems like a simple LiPo with a common connector. Probably possible to replace forever with a little know how.
     
  20. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Poly has been a disaster since the day it was released. The Head-Fi thread is over 14,700 posts and most of it from customers having problems getting it to work.
    I was curious about what Poly does and ended up following the thread for months because it was like watching a train wreck in progress and I couldn't look away. It was great entertainment. Just a few (of many) tidbits:
    • The head of Chord was on the thread responding to users having WiFi connection issues, and he began arguing with customers and blaming problems on their "bad" WiFi. Nevermind that many of these customers are tech savvy and had a dozen other WiFi devices working fine. One of the customers was a network specialist and posted trace logs proving that the Poly kept disconnecting. Eventually the head of Chord stopped posting and was replaced by a tech liaison who was much more sympathetic to customer concerns.
    • Initially the Poly could not connect to WiFi SSIDs with spaces or special characters. The initial response was to tell customers to change their WiFi SSID.
    • The Poly has no power or reset switch. When it freezes or hangs (not an uncommon occurrence), the only remedy is to let it run out of power (takes about a day) then recharge and restart it.
    To Chord's credit they keep following up and try to resolve problems, but it is like a bottomless pit. The product has deep, fundamental flaws. Poly has been a very expensive endeavor for Chord (not the least of which is damage to their reputation) with low sales and I'm sure that given the choice again they would not have created it.
     

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