Chord MOJO - Review

                      Chord Mojo – Review
Ladies and gentlemen and audiophiles please allow me to introduce you the portable Chord Mojo  DAC / Amplifier. Being built from aircraft aluminium,the quality is very high  MADE IN UK as expected from a brand like Chord Electronics, same people behind the legendary Hugo.
TECHNICAL SPECS:
Output Power @ 1kHz

600 ohms 35mW

8 ohms 720mW

Output Impedance: 0.075 ohms

Dynamic Range: 125dB

THD @ 3v - 0.00017%

Dimensions: 82 l x 60 w x 22  h mm

Weight : 180 g

 

I have been using Mojo DAC for 24 hours now, so i think is a very capable portable DAC/Amplifier., especially with that sweet price, making it a very good value for money.

It will play almost any audio file, up to 768kHz 32bit, and up to quad DSD 256. As you can see from the description this unit is very small making it the ideal transport system. You can either use it paired with your music player on the go or with your laptop. Simply just plug it in your windows laptop (as in my case ) and the driver will automatically install and it can be used within seconds. The battery life is around 8-10 hours, considering its size and all the codec support I think is really amazing what John and Rob have managed to make. Mojo’s design has been inspired by his bigger brother  Hugo. The construction is very simple making it very easy to operate. The inputs are: 1 optical, 1 coaxial ,1 micro USB capable of 758 kHz/32 bit, 1 micro USB that acts as a charging port; outputs : 2 x 3.5 mm headphone jacks. In the box only a micro USB charging cable is included, but I am sure you have all the cables need at home already.

I have heard about people complaining regarding the lack of 6.3 mm jack output, but, in my opinion, this DAC looks different with a jack on board, plus on the market you can find many high quality 3.5 mm- 6.3 mm adaptors.

For more detailed specification of Mojo, manual and drivers please refer to Chord own website:

http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo/

I will add photos at the end of the review , to see how small this device is. Now just let me focus on the sound quality.

Having owned the Hugo for a while, I think that Mojo really changed the game. It is very hard to find a similar size DAC out there with those high specification and power. Straight out of the box Mojo delivers 70-80% sound quality compared to Hugo and, in my opinion, the sound will only improve over time. Hugo cost in the UK £1400 and Mojo is only £399, so I would say that this is a real bargain, making it possible for anyone who loves and cares about high quality music to be able to afford one.

I would say that due to the size of Hugo the sound is more micro detailed, more spacious, but there isn’t a huge difference compared to Mojo. I find both to sound similar, so if you love Chord sound signature you will love Mojo for sure.

The last has the same amazing black background, which makes it very easy to listen and non fatigue. The headphones used in this review are the non expensive Koss Porta pro modified. You may ask yourself why I have chosen a low end headphones for the review; well, I trust my hearing and I like what I hear. Later on I might add other headphones to the review.

The only thing I could argue about, and I am just being very critical, are the illuminated buttons: I would have loved to be able to turn them off. Now, if both buttons are held down, after Mojo is powered on, you have the options for high or low brightness, so this is a great feature, especially when listening in bed, at night, as you don’t get distracted.

Just have to thank Chord for making such an amazing device at a great price.

Try to hear one for yourself , i know you want one  and then you will realise that this  portable DAC is truly a game changer.

More impressions to follow as the device’s sound will expand over time .




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

I know Windows drivers need to be installed for the mojo.  Do you have the Hugo as well, and is the driver already installed on your windows computer?
 
Maybe that's why you didn't need to install a driver for it to work.

Sorry, but I can't call it a review. These are not even first impressions.

Reserved...

My full review is up on the product page. Enjoy!

http://www.head-fi.org/products/chord-mojo/reviews/14291

Subbed for more impressions!

my full review, including MOJO against HUGO,  is also here on this page   enjoy...

This terrific little over-achiever has already garnered a lot of praise here and in the audio press after only about 6 months in production.  I am using it to listen to music stored on my PC hard drive at home only and in the following manner:
 
1.       1. As a USB headphone DAC/amp powering my IEMs (Thinksound MS01).  The Mojo performs brilliantly and to use an old cliché I have instantly “acquired a whole new music library” and it really is true.  I love to listen to the DSD files I have (some downloads and some PS3 rips of SACD discs) in DSD as opposed to converted to PCM but what impresses the most is the conventional CD ripped to uncompressed WAV.  At this point, using the Mojo, I really feel there’s no valid argument for DSD or Hirez.  MQA sounds fab too.  Highly recommended.
 
2.       2. As a DAC for my “big rig” (setting output to the fixed level at 3V).  One of the issues I have had with my ProAc Response 2.5 speakers is that they are sensitive to phase and I find myself constantly fiddling with in-/out-of-phase switch.  I had the KEF LS50 on home trial for a month and they did not seem to suffer from this problem, but were bested by the ProAc’s in other respects (volume, bass, dynamics) so they were returned.  Imagine my surprise that with the Chord Mojo playing through the Aux inputs on the preamp, this problem has entirely disappeared!  No more phasey-ness, no sweet spot, just music flowing to every corner of the room.  Certainly didn’t expect that.  Highly recommended.
 
3.       3. As a DAC for my Beyerdynamic A20 desktop headphone amp (same Mojo setting as above).  Now we’re getting into the “angels dancing on the head of a pin” sort of a debate.  There is no question that the amp provides additional value in terms of a more immersive listening experience -- stronger dynamics, general tightness of sound, soundstage & imaging --  all probably in part on its own merits and in part from relieving the USB/amp from its amplification chores.  But of course there is a certain inconvenience with an extra box, additional cables, etc.  Recommended for perfectionists only.

I have X3ii+black dragon cable+Mojo+HD600.
I feel it is harsh at high. But all the reviews said mojo no harsh.
Is there anything wrong with HD600 or X3ii or the cable?

athos2017 said:

I have X3ii+black dragon cable+Mojo+HD600.
I feel it is harsh at high. But all the reviews said mojo no harsh.
Is there anything wrong with HD600 or X3ii or the cable?

Click to expand...

Well. I can vouch for the Mojo -- not a harsh bone in it! As far as Sennheisers go, I am only familiar with the HD800 which I had on home trial for a month and was extremely impressed -- smooth as silk (in combination with the Mojo and Beyerdynamic amp). Not familiar the other equipment pieces, can only suggest you double-check the setup selections and try different types of files for playback. And give it some time, I am sure it will grow on you.

I did a side-by-side comparison of the Dragonfly Red and the Mojo, and chose the Red. I just added the Mojo to my collection, and my first impressions remain the same. I paid $400 used (USD), but it doesn't sound 2x as good as my Dragonfly (even on my Audeze's). Just my unsolicited opinion.

I have had the Chord Mojo for the last 2 years now and use it mostly for my family room system (SimAudio 250i integrated amp and JM Reynard Twins MKii) hooked up to my MacBook Pro running Pure Music. I was using an iFi audio iSilencer3.0 and a Curious USB cable designed specifically for the mojo and Hugo. Both the curious cable and iFi device improved the sound quite a bit over using a standard USB cable But I wanted more!

I then purchased an iFi Audio iGalvanizer3.0 with unfortunately no luck. Even though the sound improved, I had quite a bit of music dropout and noise in all switch setting. Anyhow, I returned and then purchased the Uptone ISO REGEN with their linear power supply LPS 1.2 and the adapter to connect between the mojo and their device. Wow, music is more engaging and organic! I decided to sell both the iFi device and Curious USB cable. I’m listening to digital more and more thanks to the the ISO REGEN!

deBrazza said:

I did a side-by-side comparison of the Dragonfly Red and the Mojo, and chose the Red. I just added the Mojo to my collection, and my first impressions remain the same. I paid $400 used (USD), but it doesn't sound 2x as good as my Dragonfly (even on my Audeze's). Just my unsolicited opinion.

Click to expand...

May I ask which cable are you using?

Smokeyjoecafe said:

I have had the Chord Mojo for the last 2 years now and use it mostly for my family room system (SimAudio 250i integrated amp and JM Reynard Twins MKii) hooked up to my MacBook Pro running Pure Music. I was using an iFi audio iSilencer3.0 and a Curious USB cable designed specifically for the mojo and Hugo. Both the curious cable and iFi device improved the sound quite a bit over using a standard USB cable But I wanted more!

I then purchased an iFi Audio iGalvanizer3.0 with unfortunately no luck. Even though the sound improved, I had quite a bit of music dropout and noise in all switch setting. Anyhow, I returned and then purchased the Uptone ISO REGEN with their linear power supply LPS 1.2 and the adapter to connect between the mojo and their device. Wow, music is more engaging and organic! I decided to sell both the iFi device and Curious USB cable. I’m listening to digital more and more thanks to the the ISO REGEN!

Click to expand...

I find this very interesting, thanks for sharing. However, this solution obviously doubles the cost and leaves you with a mess of cables, rendering the Mojo not mobile anymore... In any case, would you remove the battery out of the Mojo, or leave to permanently charge?

I really don’t mind the extra cables. I will also move the UpTone ISO REGEN to my main system with the MacBook pro. The mojo is really for my make shift system downstairs when I want to listen to digital music that I don‘t have on CDs.

I do plug the mojo charge cable into the MacBook Pro so that it can charge will playing. When I want to listen outside with my headphones I just disconnect the mojo and take on my travels. For source, I use the Shanling M0 with my music library on a 400G micro SD card.