Thanks to Pierre Costers from Belhifi (a dealer near Bruxelles) and to @Ultrainferno, I had today the opportunity to try during almost 3 hours the WA8 against the HUGO alone and the HUGO+TU-05.
 
Gears used  :
 
I tested the WA8 only in the 3 tubes configuration using my HE-X headphone with a DHC Molecule Elite 22 silver 8 wires cable. The analog interconnect was also a DHC Molecule Elite 22 silver 6 wires cable. The Tablet PC was runing ROON without HQPlayer, the USB cable was a very basic computer cable and no Audioquest jitterbug was used (improvement possible here)
I also brought with me my Roxane custom IEM but I did not get the time to use them.
 
The TU-05 was fitted with 2 Telefunken DF96 diamond base tubes and 2 TEN 3S4-SF (3W4) tubes (a pretty rare Japan made tube ! ).  
I have no idea if tube rolling is possible or easy on the WA8, but on the TU-05 it is very fun & easy to find cheap tubes on EBAY ($10 to $15 / tube). I have +40 pairs of tubes for the TU-05...
 
 
 
     

 
- First I used the HUGO feeding the WA8 and the TU05 together through line-in so that the WA8's internal DAC was not used. (I also tried with my MOJO)
 

 
 
In this configuration, the TU-05 was clearly better than the WA-8, offering more BASS and improving the HUGO sound, by increasing the soundstage & "space around" while not loosing the  precision of the HUGO.
On the other end, the WA8 did not really improved the HUGO sound (to my ear and with the HE-X) and I even prefered HUGO direct better than HUGO+WA8. Indeed, HUGO direct was more clear & precise.
 
So...after this first part I was quite disapointed by the WA8 but....
 
 
- Then I compared HUGO>TU-05   against  Tablet PC >USB>WA8, and....magic hapened 
 

 
 
When using the WA8's Internal DAC sudently the WA8 becomes spacious, enjoyable, full of bass, and very detailed.  The volume was set at 4 or 5 out of 10, so there was plenty headroom.  In this configuration the WA8 becomes really better and fuller than the TU-05. The change of SQ was so drastic that I tested again HUGO>WA8, and the later sudently sounded boring, and I also tested HUGO alone and it sounded also less enjoyable.
 
So, either the HUGO & WA8 offer a very bad synergy (I could not test another DAC to feed the line-in of the Woo) or the WA8's internal DAC is very well implemented and offer a wonderful synergy with the internal Amp.
 
 
This combo DAC/AMP is so enjoyable that after the test I tried to purchase the demo unit from the dealer, but... I couldn't because it was a Press unit. So I will have to order one and wait.
 
CONCLUSION : It is a wonderfull DAC/AMP.  I just wish it offered better battery life (after 2,5 hours, only 2 leds on out of 5, so I do not think 4 hours is achievable) and also had a Toshlink optical digital-in (It can't connect to any A&K DAP through digital-in).  
 
 
ASIDE NOTE: I have not used my TU-05 during this last year since I was using mostly my HUGO direct to HE-X or to feed my Eddie Curent 445, but.... thanks to this test I realized how the TU-05 improves the HUGO when using the HE-X, so now I will at home always use HUGO+TU-05 instead of HUGO direct 
 
 

I was lucky enough to be elected by CHORD as captain for the Belgium review tour.  What a responsibility   
 
Intro:
 
As the happy owner of a HUGO that is my goto AND my Desktop DAC since 2 years, I will also try to compare the Mojo with it’s bigger brother.
 
I have always be impressed by HUGO’s precision and clarity, but also I found it sometime a little too analytic and not enough engaging (don’t shoot…this is my personal opinion, other may differ).  However, today I still have to find a desktop DAC in the Hugo price category that is worth to be bought to replace my HUGO.  Only the purchase of a DACs in the + 6000 € and above can be justified IMO to replace HUGO in my desktop setup.  This is why I am now waiting for the DAVE and also testing the TotalDAC D1-Dual.
 
We will see how the MOJO’s sound signature ’s compare …
 
For the testing, I have used the following arsenal of headphones:
 

1. JH Roxane customs IEM
2. Fostex TH900
3. Ultrasone ED5
4. HifiMan HE1000
5. Astell & Kern TP5
6. OPPO P3
7. Piano Forte VIII

 

1. And I also connected it to my desktop tube amp Eddie Curent EC445.

 
 
As for sources, I tested it with my AK100 (optical in) and my Auralic ARIES (USB in)
 
 
We will see which Headphones the Mojo can drive correctly and which one he can’t (being able to bring the Headphone’s sound to a high volume (SPL) do not means that the amplifier drive the headphone to it’s full potential.  The headphone need power AND also authority and Control to have some weight (relatively speaking) and some blood and guts to it’s sound).
 
Packaging and design: 
 
The Mojo comes in a very small and tight package, with inside a very short and nice Micro-USB cable that will be used for charging as well as for connection to a Computer.  There is no manual but a starting guide is printed under the box and a sample frequency color list is printed on the side of the box.  So…. Don’t throw away the box 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The MOJO is much smaller than the HUGO (82x60x22mm). 
 
It is a perfect fit with most small DAP like my AK100 (same footprint) and even to built a resonably compact 3 pieces "electrostatic" brick with a SHURE 1500.
 
  
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Also, the UI has been improved, correcting some very irritating design aspects of the HUGO:

1. The microUSB plugs are NOT recessed like in the HUGO, so there will not be any cable fitting problems like it happened to me with my HUGO
2. The tiny-tiny recessed on/off switch has been changed for a big push-button
3. The volume wheel (that I still have not get used to after 2 years)  is now replaced by the 2 other up or down push buttons. Of course, those buttons change color to show indication of sampling rate and volume.  This is Hugo in heritage…

 
The only usability loss is the abandon of the ¼ headphone Jack that I have always used with my HUGO to drive my full size headphones.  Here « only » two 3,5 mm jacks.  But I guess the target of the MOJO is more portables headphones than with the HUGO.
 
 
Usage:
 
Being made of Aluminum, the Mojo is very rugged and heavy in the hand. Build quality is topnotch and reassuring.
 
I have measured 10 hours battery operations (using the Roxane IEM) and 5 hours charging.  So, battery last very long, but also needs a long charging time…
 
OUTPUTs : Like it’s big brother, there is no dedicated « line out » but the headphone jack can be used for this purpose since it is very clean (in fact there is no real headphone amp in the path. The headphone are directly using the signal from the DAC) and it can be set to a determined line-level output (3 volts) by de pressing the two volume buttons at power on.
 
INPUTs: There are 3 inputs: MicroUSB, coax S/PDIF and Optical Toshlink PLUS there is a separate Micro-usb port for charging. There is no Line-in (analog), only digital-in, so the MOJO cannot be used as an amplifier only.  It must be used as a DAC or DAC/AMP.
No cables are supplied besides the tiny micro USB cable.
 
As opposed to the HUGO, the input selection is automatic. There is no switch for this, which is very convenient.
 
The MOJO has no built-in storage, no screen interface, so it needs a DAP or another digital source to be used.
 
The Best Optical cable (IMO) comes from canada. It transmit 24/192 without any loss.
You can order the exact lengh and angle needed for your DAP/AMP combinaison.  This one is for my HUGO :
 

 
 
 
Sound:
 
The MOJO being released 2 years after the HUGO, Rob Watts has been able to fine-tune its sound signature through some minor alteration to the filters and to the programing code of the FPGA Chip. This may be the reason why I find it's sound a little bit smoother than the HUGO, which is a very good thing to me.  The Mojo offer a little bit more of the warmth that sometime lacks my HUGO while keeping its super high precision and focus.
 
On the other side, MOJO is weaker than the HUGO, which is really not a problem with portable headphones, but do not allow to drive my HE1000 or Ultrasone ED5 to their full potential (weaker not in term of SPL, but in term of impact and  “weight”)
 
Very good synergy has been found with my JH Audio Roxane, TH900 and OPPO PM-3. And also with the Piano Forte FP VIII which may be the best synergy...
 
  
 
 
 
And surprisingly, MOJO drives the HE1000 to a very high sound volume. Even if it lack some authority & soundstage, the sound is still acceptable;
 

 
If more power is needed : A very exotic set-up that provide some very good sound...but not the ultimate portability :  MOJO + Analog Square paper TUR-06 or TU-05  
 

 
 
 
 
 
With my tests tracks (pink Floyd: shine on your crazy diamond, Saint Preux: concerto pour une voix, Kelly Hogan: Dusty Groove, plus some Classical piano solo…), instruments positioning and separation are clean and focused.  Piano solos are wonderful and impactful, and I have rarely found pink Floyd so engaging. No needs for « special substance » here …  
 
Soundstage may not be at the level of desktop DACs, but this is not a problem to me, and can be compensated by the amplifier or the headphone.  The lack of the crossover feature, that is available with the HUGO, is also not a problem for me since ….I never used it with my HUGO.
 
I am sorry, I will not break down the bass, mids and treble as most reviewers do, I prefer to describe my experience as having been very engaging and never fatiguing despite the high amount of details provided. In some aspects the MOJO bring the warmth that the HUGO was lacking and that lead me to try some tube rolling on my Eddie current desktop tube amp. 
 
I thought that it was my Eddie current that was some how too sterile and analytical, but when connecting the MOJO to it instead of the HUGO, I realize that it was more the HUGO to blame than the tube Amp. On the other side, HUGO is more detailed and impactful.
 
 

 
 
As for portable use, which is the primary target of the Mojo, I find it really convenient, and easier to use than the HUGO, not only due to it’s diminutive size but also because some of the design flaw (recessed plugs, tiny switches, volume wheel…) have been corrected, while sound quality has been preserved.
 
All this do not mean that I do not appreciate my HUGO that has brought me hundreds hours of very happy listening, but the MOJO’s sound signature is may be a little more to my taste.