Disclaimer: I am very new to this hobby, this is my very first review, and my impressions are to be taken with a grain of salt as I have limited experience with headphones, DACs, and Amplifiers. I am still learning how to accurately describe what I hear and convey it to others accurately. The Gizmo action figure is mine, does not come with the amplifier and was added by me to the pictures.
It was my first Canjam, I planned on taking my time, visiting each booth, and enjoying everything this experience had to offer. Most importantly, however, I was determined to come away with a new amplifier for my beloved Audeze LCD-4s (200 ohm). I went from Audeze to Cavalli, Chord to Questyle, Schiitt to Cayin ... I was left wanting. Finally, I arrived at the Ampsandsound table, the beefy Mogwai stared at me as if to say, "I won't disappoint you". Justin Weber, owner of Ampsandsound, arrived and we exchanged pleasantries. I unpacked my LCD-4s, connected my source material and turned up the volume. Wow. I was at my desired listening volume, but I was compelled to turn it up until the sound became distorted. The volume soon became unbearable, yet the sound was still clear and undistorted. Wow. My search was over, Justin was kind enough to offer a show discount, I called dibs on the Mogwai, we shook hands and I departed for the day, but regularly returned throughout the weekend to have extended listening sessions with my new amp.
The Mogwai is sturdy and built like a tank. The unique design has all the inputs on the top plate, towards the back of the amp, including the power adapter, speaker connections, RCA inputs, and the 1/4" single ended input. Towards the front, the input bulb (6SL7) is flanked on the right and left by the output bulbs (KT 88s). Towards the front left is an volume knob.
The Mogwai replaced my former DAC/AMP combo Burson Conductor Virtuoso 2. My set up for this review: Macbook Pro, Chord Dave, Mogwai, LCD-4, Utopia (borrowed from a friend), Nordost Blue Heaven Power cables, Nordorst Blue Heaven RCA phono interconnects, and Nordost Blue Heaven A/B USB.
The Mogwai's sound is lush and warm, providing a large soundstage and excellent bass extension. The highs are rolled off a bit, eliminating some of the harsh peaks some headphones possess. For this review, I used both the Utopia and LCD-4 through the Chord Dave's built in amplifier, and then through Mogwai (Chord Dave in DAC Mode).
The Chord Dave drives the Utopias well, and provides a large soundstage, excellent instrument placement, and detail. However, driven directly from the Chord Dave's amp, the Utopia is too bright for my taste, and the fatigue makes longer listening sessions difficult. I winced as Adele hit her high notes in "All I Ask" and as the crowd applauded at the end of Diana Krall's "A Case of You". Metallica's "Enter Sandman" was only enjoyable only at lower volumes. Powered by the warm Mogwai, however, those harsh highs were wonderfully masked. The bass had more authority and extension. The soundstage was widened. With those harsh highs neutralized, and the volume turned up, the music was not only heard, but felt. I could hear Diana Krall's lips separate and inhale before her intoxicating voice filled my ears. The drums in the beginning of Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness" were heard and felt like never before. A friend who heard the combination of the Utopia paired with the Mogwai and reported in our discord channel that he just had his "Mind Blown".
The LCD-4s powered through the Chord Dave's amplifier left a lot to be desired. It lacked the power to effectively drive the LCD-4 to its potential. All the magic of the Chord Dave was on display, albeit at a distance, as I was unable to turn up the volume of the amplifier to an enjoyable level before it began to distort. It's as if you are on a phone call in a noisy area, and you cover your other ear in an attempt to concentrate on the voice of the person you are talking to. Through the Mogwai, the magical bass of the LCD-4 was heard and felt with authority. Instrument placement and separation was wonderfully accurate, and the soundstage was again widened. The drums and cymbals in "Enter Sandman" were authoritative and I could almost feel the power of the swing as the drummer struck his instrument. With the Mogwai, the LCD-4 could be listened to crystal clearly at higher volumes, making it feel as if Adele and Diana Krall were not only singing to me, but for me. Eric Clapton's "Layla" had me at the table just off the stage, each instrument wonderfully separated from the other and perfectly placed. The Mogwai enhanced the already beastly bass of the LCD-4 and brought to life the excellent detail retrieval of the Chord Dave's DAC.
Overall, I would describe the sound of the Mogwai as warm, detailed, and laid back. It is not fast and dynamic. When I listen through the Mogwai, I feel the music, the emotion, the excitement and I can do so for extended listening sessions without harshness or fatiguing. It pairs wonderfully with bright headphones and enhances all the best features of warm or darker headphones. It has an excellent midrange, putting the vocals up front and in your face. The sound stage is large and instruments are well separated and accurately placed. The bass is tight, palpable, and not overly extended. Other impressions I have read make a point to say the Mogwai responds well to tube rolling, although I myself have done very little tube rolling, so I am unable to offer suggestions and pairings.
Justin from Ampsandsound was awesome throughout the whole process, from demoing to shipping the Mogwai. After it arrived he was always available to answer my questions and was eager to hear my impressions. I have one minor gripe with the Mogwai, and that is the headphone input is in the back, making it tedious to connect and disconnect if it sits inside a cabinet or inside shelving. I relayed that to Justin and he said he is looking into rectifying that with future models.
The Mogwai is made in the USA and retails for $1850. The following specs were taken from the Ampsandsound.com website.
Specs:
Input impedance is 10K ohm with alps pot, .5v for full power.
Input Sensativity 800mV peek for full power out.
32ohm power: 1.8watts RMS @ 1khz, 7.6VRMS
Frequency bandwidth 20hz -1db to 20khz -3db @ 500mw output
Frequency bandwidth 20hz -1db to 14khz -3db full power
Noise on 32ohm tapp @ 580uV
8ohm power: 3watts RMS @ 1khz, 4.7VRMS
Frequency bandwidth 20hzhz -3db to 17khz -3db @ 2watts
Noise on 32ohm tapp @ 340uV
Lemme put it this way, I love the mogwai for it's dynamics and slam but wish it had more resolution. I love the otomon for it's resolution ( the way it renders treble is fantastic, I'm treble sensitive and it tires me out to listen to bright system for more than an hr) but I wish it had better dynamics. Mogwai is head banging sucked into the music listening. Otomon is a cigar and a glass of whiskey by the fire listening.
The feliks envy does 95% of both. But by God does it cost a bomb and the 300bs aren't cheap either. But I decided to get one anyway and keep away from amps for a few years atleast.
Good luck on ur search for "the" Amp for you. Do lemme know what u buy when u do. Cheers