I'm sure we could have achieved that price had we just done what everyone else in this industry does. That is to put a industry standard Dac chip inside. But had we done that it would sound like every one else's does too. Instead inside mojo you have got a reference quality custom Dac that has about five hundred times the signal processing that other Dacs have including forty or more DSP cores running similtainiosly. Never underestimate something just because it is small. surprisingly Mojo has far more active electronics than virtually all desktop dacs too.
I considered this, and the many technological posts by Rob. Although I struggled with the science (I repeatedly looked up terms), I did not struggle with the language in which they made these claims: straight forward, reliable, and without a need to persuade.
I compared this with the fact that corporations like Sony may have research budgets bigger than most companies' entire budgets, and considered that they do
not post their scientific or engineering facts like Chord does. With the scientific minds and freedom (still) of the internet, every claim they make is open to healthy, scientific scrutiny.
Next, I read every review I could find. I continued to read reviews of other popular products in comparison, noting prices as I escalated up the chain of sophistication.
I then read what Hugo owners had to say, looking at what they spent, and how they felt about Mojo, including a few emotional posts. I considered the pricing. I read DAVE posters, too.
I bought Mojo.
I found it 'not even close' to every other product I had tried.
This was so that it replaced my high quality desk top DAC, my high quality and well made amp, and my highly rated and nice portable dac/amp.
All of this is what caused me to consider
that I may be holding $5,000 or $10,000 worth of technology in my hand, excluding that it is built so solidly, that I have no fear of traveling with it.
If I could afford DAVE, I would purchase it, but I believe that I have come close to it, via Mojo.
Business wise, I think Chord has taken a major risk putting all of this technology (30 years culminating work) into a $600 package, much like the fact that the iPhone is a phone and an entire computer, in one, and only works, business wise, if sales are wide spread.
This is why I am grateful.
I am listening to music that under normal circumstances, I would not be able to afford such definition. Last night was a school fair in which several entries were about music, including a marvelous award winning booth about Bach. After the awards, with the family, I demo'd Mojo for people, using the T1s. I should have taken pictures of how many 'open mouths' revealed the surprises they heard!
I am so very grateful to Chord for making this within my reach. I will get a second for my wife, and if business ever gets to the point where DAVE is in reach, I'll grab him.
It's the thankful 'satisfied ambition' balance.