QoA Mojito

Queen of Audio(QOA) might be a new name in the industry but from what I have heard about them, they are a sister brand to Kinera and have a professional team with years of experience. Like Kinera designs and names, all their IEMs related to gods from the Norse Mythology QOA products are inspired by cocktails. Earlier they released Pink Lady, a triple hybrid driver IEM with beautiful looks. It grabbed decent reviews from the people around them. My review is still pending for it lol but I promise to deliver it soon. Earlier this year, they released their second IEM, the QOA mojito. It is a very beautiful pair with sparkling looks and a powerful 6BA setup on each side. Today I am gonna share my experience with the Mojito with you all.

Disclaimer:-

I received the QOA Mojito for review purposes from the review circle organized by hifigo.com in my country. I am not affiliated or paid by anyone to write any positive or negative thoughts about the pair, all impressions are based on my personal experience with the pair.

Buying Link:-

QOA Mojito 2 Sonion BA+4 Knowles 6BA Driver In Ear Earphone IEM

You can also read my review at my blog here:-

https://gadgetgenerations.com/queen-of-audio-mojito-review-lovely-vocals/

Unboxing:-

The QOA Mojito comes in a beautiful cardboard case that looks like a cookie/chocolate packaging. As I open up the packaging, the first thing I notice is the beautiful earpieces sitting firmly in the foam cutouts. There are six pairs of silicone ear tips, three black and three color matching to the IEM color. The package also has a leather carry case that holds the 3.5mm terminated copper cable. The package looks beautiful and comes with all the required accessories. Though if you use foam ear tips, you don’t get them in the package.

Package Contents:-

>Pair of QOA Mojito IEMs.

>2-pin pure copper cable with a 3.5mm termination plug.

>Six pairs of silicone ear tips( 3 pairs of color-matched, 3 pairs black).

>Leather carry case.

Build Quality & Fit:-

One thing everyone will praise about the QOA Mojito is the beautiful looks of the pair. I got the Grape Sparkling Wine color, believe me, it looks very beautiful in hands. They are made with natural wood and have that wooden texture feel to them. Both the earpieces with me have different unique textures with a smooth finish. The cable included looks to be of very good quality, it is very soft, connects firmly to the earpieces, and has a straight plug 3.5mm termination plug.

Earpieces are actually very lightweight and provide a very comfortable fit to me using the stock color matching ear tips. I get proper isolation from outside noise.

Driving the QOA Mojito:-

The QOA Mojito has a low impedance rating of 23 Ohms with a high sensitivity of 118dB, it is very easy to drive. I used it with my smartphone Samsung Galaxy S10, my DAP iBasso DX160. I was able to enjoy music at around 50-60% volume on both the devices with more than adequate volume.

Sound Quality:-

The Mojito is a dark/veiled sounding pair of in-ear monitors. It shows impactful mid-bass slams with a rich textured feel to them complementing the main attraction, Vocals. The vocals have a lush, crisp clarity to them with natural tonality. Vocals are actually one of the best I have heard so far, superior to DK3001 Pro. The Bass portion shows good powerful slams but is a bit less in quantity and speed as compared to dynamic driver IEMs. High frequencies show decent details but suffer early roll-off resulting in mediocre performance in the high frequencies.

Lower End:-

The lower end shows good texture, impactful slams, brings layered feeling to the music but it lacks in quantity and speed when compared to a DD IEM. It is slower compared to dynamic driver bass but it leaves its impact. I must say the mid-bass slams are pretty powerful and rich in texture. The sub-bass portion shows its presence with good rumble complementing my music. For me, It is more than adequate with rich layered slams and feeds my hunger for thumping in music.

Mid Frequencies:-

The mid frequencies take a step forward as compared to the lows and highs. Sometimes I feel like it has an “A” shaped sound signature with elevated vocals. They are decently detailed with high-resolution natural vocals. It’s right and the presentation is forward for the user. Vocals are actually the main attraction of the pair. They sound really soothing and crisp with a natural tonality and never sound fatiguing or shouty even at louder volumes. Listening to vocal-centric artists like Damien Rice, Gloria Gaynor is bliss with the Mojito where they pop out in a rich tone.

High Frequencies:-

The treble portion suffers early roll-off in the tuning of QOA Mojito. This makes the pair sound veiled and makes instruments like Violins, Electric guitars lack some extensions. The plus point here is that it shows no signs of sibilance or harshness even at louder volumes. It is very smooth and transparent.

Soundstage and Imaging:-

QOA Mojito has a very good soundstage presentation. It is wide, deep, and produces a big headroom for the user with ample airiness. The headroom is more than adequate for different genre’s of music and shows good imaging capabilities.

Conclusion:-

Overall the Mojito is a decent pair of in-ear monitors with outstanding looks, superb build quality, and a high-quality cable bundled in the package. In terms of sonic performance it produces some of the best vocals out there with impactful yet slow bass performance, and a veiled treble portion. For people who love bright sounding IEM’s, this might be a disappointment for you. But if you crave for smooth performance and natural vocals, the QOA Mojito has that in an ample amount to make it an excellent choice for you.

QOA Mojito Vs TFZ Secret Garden 3:-


I compared the QOA Mojito with TFZ Secret Garden 3.0 which is also an all BA driver IEM and features 3 BA drivers on each side as compared to the 6 on the Mojito. Not to mention both the pairs look outstanding but in my opinion the Mojito outperforms it in terms of looks and build quality with premium stable wood ear shells.

In terms of sonic performance, The TFZ SG3 produces a brighter signature as compared to Mojito and has better extensions in the higher frequencies. While the Mojito produces better vocals and bass-slams, the SG3 produces better instrument details with a little bit better bass quantity. The soundstage is more or less similar in both the earphones. So if you are someone like me who craves rich vocals, the Mojito is the one to go for.

Disclaimer:

The unit has been sent to me from Hifigo as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to Hifigo and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purchase Link: https://hifigo.com/products/2020-qo...er-in-ear-earphone-iem?variant=32047937945649

Product Specification:

Driver Configuration : 2 Sonion Balanced Armature and 4 Knowles Balanced Armature
Frequency response range : 20-20000 Hz
Stock Cable : Furukawa 1.2 m ± 3 cm Pure copper and Silver Braided
Interface type : 0.78 mm -2Pin connector
Plug Type (Stock Cable) : 3.5 mm
Impedance : 23Ω
Earphone sensitivity : 118 ±2dB
Color: Available in Aqua Blue / Amber Orange / Grape Sparkling Wine

Introduction

QoA was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera's technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in product positioning.

Design

The Mojito demands attention at the very first look that it gets. With three color variants, Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine, you have multiple choices available to spoil you.




Sources Used:
I have used Cayin N6ii w/A01 module for this review purpose.



Sound Analysis:

Lows:

In simple words, No Bass. Mojito will always make you question…where is the bass? With no Sub-bass rumble, and no depth in bass, my favorite tracks for bass testing felt un-natural. I know, what you are going to say…All BA setup…but…having used the Shozy Pentacles (Also an all BA setup), I disagree. Mojito has to works its ass off to give you the bass.

Mids:

The mids fare off better than the bass. There…I said it…but…the mids are still not what one would expect with a 399$ IEM. These require further tuning. Also..Cable change and tip rolling helped a lot with mids. The Vocals are clean, well-forwarded. However, highly dynamic tracks feel crowded. For example, Noor-ul-ala-Noor by A R Rahman.

Highs:

The highs are the most decent part of Mojito’s sound spectrum. But you will still experience the Treble roll-off and lacks energy. The higher frequencies will give you a cluttered feeling.

Soundstage:

The QOA Mojito has decent soundstage. The instrument separation is ok. As I said earlier, if you use a highly dynamic track, you will feel it becomes crowded.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Mojito is not a poor performer, but it will leave you feeling incomplete. I guess, that comes as an expectation if you will pay 399$ for it. Leaving the soundstage, the rest of the performance areas need improvement. I hope QOA takes this review positively and work on that tuning. Overall it is a decent first attempt.

Disclaimer:

The unit has been sent to me from Hifigo as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to Hifigo and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purchase Link: https://hifigo.com/products/2020-qo...er-in-ear-earphone-iem?variant=32047937945649

Note: Please note that my opinions and ratings are based on price, category, market competition and personal expectations and are subjective in nature.

Product Specification:

Driver Configuration : 2 Sonion Balanced Armature and 4 Knowles Balanced Armature
Frequency response range : 20-20000 Hz
Stock Cable : 1.2 m Pure copper and Silver OCC Hybrid Cable
Interface type : 0.78 mm 2Pin connector
Plug Type : 3.5 mm
Impedance : 23Ω
Earphone sensitivity : 118 ±2dB
Color: Aqua Blue / Amber Orange / Grape Sparkling Wine

Introduction: QOA (Queen of Audio) is a new Chinese brand, however they are a sister brand of the popular brand Kinera. Mojito has a 6 BA driver setup consisting of two Sonion and 4 Knowles drivers each side. It comes with a 3.5mm pure copper and silver occ hybrid cable, 3 pair of silicon tips, three pairs of earpiece matching colored ear tips and a hard case.

Design, Build Quality and comfort: The Mojito earpieces are made of solid stable wood with natural grain wood, which is combined with soft matching shell colors. The name “Mojito” is etched on the face in golden inside the shell. The earpieces come in 3 colours- Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine. I received the Grape Sparkling wine variant. The connectors are 2pin 0.78mm and the cable is very premium and well built. Its lightweight and flexible. Mojito looks really beautiful and carries a style statement. The iem is pretty lightweight and the fit is very comfortable.

Score: 4.5/5

Lows: The bass on the Mojito is quite low and lacks sub bass rumble. However there is good detail retrieval and texture in this region which often goes unnoticed due to lack of quantity. The punch seems missing in most tracks and creates an unnatural experience.

Score: 2.5/5

Mids: Coming to the mids, they sound decent. Maybe the only good thing about the Mojito are its vocals, they sounded clean, smooth and appropriately forward. They weren’t shouty either and had a relaxing tonality to the mids. But as we moved into some busy tracks, they started sounding congested. The vocals lost clarity and the activity happening across the mid spectrum sounded cramped up.

Score: 3.5/5

Highs: The highs sounded decent in tonality but there’s a heavy roll off. Cymbals, acoustic guitar sounded as if the extreme frequency was cut off. Cymbal hits, hi hats sounded incomplete.

Score: 2/5

Soundstage, Imaging, Separation: The Mojito has decent soundstage width and depth. This is one area where the Mojito does good apart from its looks. The imaging is fairly decent too. There’s decent separation as long as the tracks are not heavily instrumented. For heavily instrumented tracks, the imaging and separation takes a hit and the sound becomes slightly congested.

Score: 3/5

Overall Sound: The overall sound signature was more or less balanced however the tonality was heavily messed up. Somewhere I felt that it’s a well-designed iem with tuning gone wrong. It lacks the naturalness and is heavily coloured. At a price point of $399 there’s nothing that Mojito does special which is really not acceptable in this price point.

Source and drivability: The Mojito is easily drivable by any source and there’s hardly any change in its sound signature with change of source. I have used Ibasso DX160 and modded Q5 with am3a and am3d (thx) module.

Disclaimer:

Queen of Audio Mojito IEM has been sent to me for review purpose by HiFiGo. I am in no way related to them nor working for them. Shared opinion is based on my listening and my sources. You can purchase Mojito from HiFiGo from the link provided below.

https://hifigo.com/products/2020-qo...-ear-earphone-iem?_pos=3&_sid=e35d4b4d6&_ss=r



About:

Queen of Audio, a Chinese brand, is a sister company of much popular Chinese IEM manufacturer, Kinera. Queen of Audio’s lineup consist of Vesper, Pink Lady, and Mojito. Today’s product of review is Mojito, a 6-BA(4-Knowles and 2 Sonion) driver per side universal monitor, which can be purchased for $399 from the link given above.

Fit, Build & Design:



Design of Mojito is very good. QoA released Mojito in three exciting colors: Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine. I got Grape Sparkling Wine colored one for review, and it looks very nice. The choice of the shell color and matching cable and ear tips bring uniformity and looks very good. Cable is of pure copper and silver mix hybrid cable. Cable does look supple and nice to hold. Fit and finish are very good, and isolation is very good too, with less outside noise coming in.



Sources Used:

I have used my only DAP, Cayin N6ii w/A01 module for this review purpose.



Sound Analysis:

Bass

In one word, Mojito lacks bass. Bass quantity is bare minimum. There is no sub-bass rumble. Quantity is so less that you feel bassy songs like Royals by Lorde as bass shy. Drum beats sound unnatural and tinny in the above song and in Issues by Julia Michaels. Bass quality and texture is okay, but quantity is too less taking away the enjoyment factor out of music.

Mids

Mojito’s poor tuning continues here too. Mids lack naturalness and body. Vocals sound dull, lifeless and lack emotions. Mids are somewhat better with N6ii’s other module E02, but still sound off.



Detail Retrieval & Dynamics

This is refreshing section for Mojito after failing in two previous sections. Mojito’s detail retrieval capabilities are quite good, It fares better here than in bass and mids section. But still falls short of what it’s price range demands. Dynamics are pretty good too.

Soundstage, Imaging, & Separation

Mojito’s soundstage has decent width and good depth. In the song Liberty by Anette Askvik, there is a good representation of depth with vocals placed at center. Cymbals sound crisp. Imaging capabilities are quite good. Instrument separation is quite decent, but shows slight congestion in higher notes.

Treble

Mojito falters again after showing decent performance in detail retrieval and soundstage. It gets back to its uneven tuning. Treble is rolled off. Lack extension and energy. Flutes and sopranos lack energy and extension. Upper treble region sound little congested and tinny.

Comparison

Fearless Audio S8F

S8F is my first and favorite IEM in its price range. Sound wise there’s nothing going for Mojito in this comparison. S8F is far better in every aspect, it has better bass, in quantity and quality. S8F’s mids are more clear, natural and detailed. S8F’s treble is well extended and energetic. And S8F is a detail monster and brings everything in music. S8F has little wider and deeper soundstage. Pricewise S8F is just $90 over Mojito, but sound wise its leagues ahead.

Verdict

I had reviewed Queen of Audio’s debut IEM, Pink Lady and found it poorly tuned. And with Mojito, at $399, I expected better things. But, unfortunately it isn’t any different from its $110 little brother. QoA Mojito is a tasteless bland cocktail. Except the decent soundstage and detail retrieval capabilities(even these doesn’t fit $399 price tag), its overall tuning is wonky. There’s nothing in it to justify its price tag. Add another $90 and get Fearless Audio S8F or look elsewhere if S8F’s intensive nature is not for you.

Disclaimer: The unit has been sent to me from Hifigo as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to Hifigo and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purchase Link: https://hifigo.com/products/2020-qoa-mojito-2-sonion-ba-4-knowles-6ba-driver-in-ear-earphone-iem



Build and Fit:
As with all the QoA products, the Mojito is quite a looker. The resin shells are beautiful to look at and are very lightweight, and in actuality the cable weight itself is comparable to the weight of the IEMs. The lightweight nature is also partly due to the 6BA setup (2 Sonion BA + 4 Knowles BA). The fit is quite good for my small ears, with the IEMs giving a good proper seal and passive isolation. The nozzle length and girth are fine for my ears although some people with bigger ears may find it smaller than their liking. Thankfully this time it has a proper lip on which the tips can sit, unlike their Pink Lady. The cable supplied with the Mojito is wonderful to behold and feels excellent on daily handling.



Amping:
At 23Ω and 118±2 dB sensitivity this is driven off anything, no dedicated amplifier needed.



Lows:
The mojito being an all BA setup, we must keep our expectations in check. The subbass punch and rumble are weak and have little impact and texture. It is audible for sure but you can actually feel the drivers straining. But then again, BA. However, the bass proper has some real good texture which caught me off guard. Detail retrieval and texture in this region is quite commendable and surprising.



Mids:
The midrange is congested. Everything feels squished and congealed in your ears. To make matters worse, the tonality is off in this region, instruments sound honky and jokingly off. Vocal tonalities are also tonally off. Female vocals retain its naturality.



Treble:
Treble is rolled offf after the Presence region. Splashy cymbal hits. Lacks a bit of air and sparkle. Will not be a good match for genres that need active treble response.



Soundstage & Imaging:
Although imaging isn’t quite worth noting, the soundstage depth is really something. Depth separation is genuinely very good. The mojito’s depth depiction caught me by surprise in many tracks, giving it a new dimension.



Conclusion:
With its tonally off midrange, it’s a unpleasurable experience to hear certain genres of music on this. The good qualities of Mojito being its strong soundstaging capabilities and excellent resolution throughout the board. Buy only if this is the exact sound signature you fancy.

Disclaimer:

QOA Mojito has been provided to me by HiFiGo as part of their review tour. I am in no way related to them or working for them. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources.

The following review is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configuration and price range.

Introduction:

Queens Of Audio, a sister brand of Kinera, has released the flagship of their current line-up: Mojito. A 6 BA iem with resin shell, it surely is an eye-catcher.




Following is the specifications:

Product Specification:

Driver Configuration : 2 Sonion Balanced Armature and 4 Knowles Balanced Armature
Frequency response range : 20-20000 Hz
Stock Cable : Furukawa 1.2 m ± 3 cm Pure copper and Silver Braided
Interface type : 0.78 mm -2Pin connector
Plug Type (Stock Cable) : 3.5 mm
Impedance : 23Ω
Earphone sensitivity : 118 ±2dB
Color: Available in Aqua Blue / Amber Orange / Grape Sparkling Wine

The sample I received is the Grape Sparkling Wine colour, which is beautiful. The cable complements it perfectly.

The iems are rather on the heavier side compared to Secret Garden 3. Feels solid and premium.

The nozzle is quite long, so the iem sits well outside the pinna cavity. Not much of a problem though. Quite thick nozzle, housing 4 separate bores. It took time, but eventually I got adjusted to the fit.



It came inside a nice leather covered hardshell case. It has a magnetic lock, but it is not much strong.



Note:
1. The iem did not come with all its stock tips, so I used again the KZ star tips.
2. While reviewing this iem I have taken the TFZ Secret Garden 3 (SG3) as my base standard, and all my impressions are based on that. Hopefully that will help in understanding this review better.



Sound Impression:

Bass:
Bass is full bodied, has a rounded feel to it. Very very good quality - distinctly bringing out all the layers very satisfactorily. A nice amount of quantity that gives the bass a meaty presentation without becoming overbearing. Bass decay is a bit long which creates a nice atmosphere. But, even with that, Mojito strikes that balance which gives the basslovers like me the satisfaction from both quantity and quality. But bassheads will be wanting more I guess.

Emphasised subbass which adds a nice amount of weight to the notes. The lowest piano notes stand out beautifully. Noticed it while listening to the track Pink - Beautiful Trauma - But We Lost It. The midbass has a very nice and strong punch. I dare say, the bass is probably the best I have heard from BA till date. It has the body and weight of a well tuned DD and yet has the speed of BA to propagate a very clean presentation.

Massive Attack - Teardrop is my go-to track to check subbass rumbles. Mojito brings it out with authority. The texture is quite detailed with a full body and a forward presence.

In the track Muse - Showbiz the bass guitar and drums become the star of the show. The bass guitar sets up a good weighty bassline while the drums give punchy beats.

Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST - Prelude to war track has some nice big drums. The sound from those drums is punchy with a strong rumble, full, and sets up a nice atmosphere due to longer decay. The texture is just so beautifully detailed and satisfactorily full – the fun meter becomes maxxed out.

Mids:
Mids is where my enthusiasm starts to go downhill. It’s kind of a miss. The tonality is off. Mids are slightly recessed compared to Lows. It’s not V, kind of a U signature.

Vocals are a touch smoother for my taste. They have some added weight too, which makes the male voices sound better, but the female voices lack the sparkle. The details are there, minus the edge, which makes the all over presentation here a little blunt. Also, because of the thickness the separation is slightly fuzzy. Although never muddy and overly thick that will ruin the holographic presentation. Separation still is quite good.

Yao Si Ting sounds quite melodious and emotional, minus any sharpness. Marko Saaresto’s voice is meaty and textured, having even better body than SG3, but slightly recessed than SG3. In the track Temple of Thought - Kamikaze Love there are slightly less air between the multiple vocals compared to SG3.

Instrument section has details, but it is a bit smoothened out. The separation is good though - plenty of air exists, and nice imaging is observed too.

In the track Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST - Prelude to war, snare drums sound off. Kind of dull and lifeless. I have been using this as test track since long so the deviation was immediately apparent. I was immediately irked by that. The details are still present very much and separation & soundstage are good.

Guitars notes sound full, good body, slightly dull, although detail retrieval is good. Violins sound rich with substantial body, nicely textured and never harsh at all.

Kenny G’s saxophone sounds rich and musical with zero harshness.

Yanni’s piano notes are full and have good presence.

Highs:
Here is where my impression about Mojito took a headlong dive. Highs are heavily rolled off. They totally miss the edge to sound alive. Cymbal crashes and shimmers just do not have that sparkle and they sound dull, recessed, and weighted down. QOA played too safe here to avoid any kind of sharpness and sibilance, and in the process they took the life out of the highs totally. Details are ok though. And the presentation is quite airy.

Christina Aguilera’s voice in Hurt (Back To Basics) lacks some power and feels slightly restrained. But then it will sound good for treble sensitive ears.

Flute in the track Yao Si Ting – Donna Donna sounds musical alright, but somewhere it feels as if it is missing the life.

The Witcher game OSTs are literally treble showcase. Mojito strikes a nice balance here, with a stronger bass presence, slightly rolled off treble and a slightly warmer tonality the track sound more musical and easier to listen.


Soundstage, Separation, Imaging:
Soundstage is quite expansive in all directions. Manages to create a quite good out of the head holographic image. Separation and imaging is quite precise which adds to the brilliant overall presentation.

Conclusion:
Overall, the Mojito is not a bad iem, it has got a very nice and pleasing warm and smooth sound signature which is kind of U shaped with rolled off highs. But honestly, I expected better tonality and better highs for the price it has. I was extremely pleased by the bass, dissatisfied by the tonally off mid, and quite disappointed by the rolled off highs. However, soundstage, separation, and imaging became the saving grace. The sweet sweet bass hooks you in, and the beautiful wide and airy presentation makes sure you stay there. And that’s more of the reason behind my disappointment at the highs. If only they could have tuned it better, Mojito would have become an absolute masterpiece!

Disclaimer
QOA Mojito has been provided to me by HiFiGo as part of their review tour. I am in no way related to them or working for them. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources. One can purchase QOA Mojito from HiFiGo using the following link.

Also, The following review is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configuration and price range.

Introduction
A flagship product from QOA (Queen Of Audio) - Mojito is a treat to both ears as well eyes. QoA was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera's technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in product positioning.

The look of sparking droplets of vivid colors embedded with flowing patterns; Mojito catches the attention from the first glance.

With the smooth touch of resin coating, these earphones feel like luxury resting on your fingertips. Available in three colors Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine earpieces with matching ear tips.

These come with 1.2m Pure copper and Silver Mix Hybrid Cable, that complements the color palette of earphones.

A premium quality lush brown leather box also comes in the set which makes it easy to carry these items with care and protection.

Product Specification
Driver Configuration : 2 Sonion Balanced Armature and 4 Knowles Balanced Armature
Frequency response range : 20-20000Hz
Stock Cable : 1.2m±3cm Pure copper and Silver Braided
Interface type : 0.78mm - 2Pin connector
Plug Type (Stock Cable) : 3.5mm
Impedance : 23Ω
Earphone sensitivity : 118 ±2dB



Review
Sources: For this review the unit has been paired to A&K SE100(ES9038 Pro), Fiio X5iii(AKM4490EN), Sony A45 and LG V30+ without any additional amplification. Stock Cable and eartips have been used during listening experience.


Fit: The Fit of Mojito is wonderful; they are so light that one can wear them comfortably even for long sessions without any fatigue. They are very well designed, although nozzle could be bit large for some people. The Silver and Copper hybrid cable feels light and sturdy and adds further quality to the product.

The product feels very premium as of its design and accessories. Plus, the matching eartips provides decent amount of passive noise isolation.




Mids: The Mids tuning is where the mojito’s heart and soul are. The IEM shines vividly on production of mids that makes it perfect for any kind of vocal or orchestral music.

The Vocals are upfront and feel natural without any coloration providing adequate balance. The instruments have got a good timber and wonderful imaging producing an organic and tube-like sound giving a rich and lush experience. The IEM doesn't feel at all congested no matter what track has been thrown to it.

In my experience the vocals of Rebecca Pidgeon in "Spanish Harlem" to Eric Clapton singing "Wonderful Tonight" sounded angelic over these.


Highs: The Treble response on Mojito is bit rolled-off but don’t take me wrong over here, its full of details and separation. The treble response is appreciable with no harshness. Either its high notes of flute or strums of electric guitar all feel layered and musical. There is no sibilance at all, no matter what kind of instrument is playing from violins to electric guitars. This IEM is a bliss if one is not a fan of bright sound signature that even playing "Moondance" from Sirconical hasn't produced any harsh feeling or sibilance factor at all.


Lows: Well if you are a basshead then sorry this IEM will not solve your purpose, although it has the best decay that a I have noticed in products of similar range using balanced drivers only. It has a decent rumble and bass reproduction is also very nice.

The lower mids on Mojito also bit extended that it sounds wonderful and gives feel of presence. The impression of drums is marvelous, there is no sound leak over spectrum and decay is wonderful with great control on mid bass. But yes again bass is not the admirable aspect of Mojito as I would say IEM like Nobel Audio Sage easily surpasses it with respect to BA driver configurations.

Although. for me it was fun listening to “Poem of Chinese Drums” by Hok-man Yim over it.


Detailing: Mojito offers much decent detailing and imaging specially in mids without any kind of compromise in lows and highs from percussion of drums/guitar or the high notes of violins. Wind instruments also sound very much detailed and airy. Sounds of harp and piano are very sweet and fluid over it.

While Playing “Giorgio by Moroder“ track from Draft Punk the staging and detailing was marvelous, from the cheers of crowd to the electro synth drum mix, the imaging and depth was perfect.


Sound Stage: The Mojito has a very airy and wide soundstage. But it’s nothing like out of world. Although it has a good feel of lush and fullness with beautiful imaging and details but the IEM lacks totally on verticality of soundstage.

Playing “Eye-Water” by Hiroyuki Sawano felt too much flat surfaced that the IEM lost all the wow factor in this field.


Music Recommendation: Mojito is best suited for Vocal Emphasized Mid Centric Classical Symphonic Music. Not at all recommended to bassheads although if we compare it to other IEMs in this range with similar balanced driver configuration, it has a great bass decay response.



Final Verdict: QOA Mojito is a wonderful IEM based on Multiple implementation of balanced drivers. Its mid centric tuning makes it perfect vocal reference IEM and ideal for people who would love to have a musical, yet premium vocal emphasized IEM with good imaging and details. Only drawback to me was the lack of vertical sound-staging that one looks at this price point.

Overall, I would say QOA Mojito is a very warm and musical IEM that gives a tube-like sound paired to any kind of source. I still remember the first time I put them on and it instantly made me groove to it's amazing airy mids.

QOA Mojito Review - Aural breeze

QOA (Queen of Audio) is a sister brand of Kinera that started off with a blast, succeeding Pink Lady as their first product. And if you did not know already, QOA is a literal "sister brand" as the two sisters, Sophie and Youko, that founded QOA are actual siblings with the founder of Kinera. So QOA well proved their ability in creating a quality IEM for a budget price, then what if we set the bar higher, something closer to a premium level IEM? With a price tag of $399, Mojito is the second product that QOA has to present to us today. Let us now take a look and see how it performs for its price as well as comparing with Pink Lady.

Packaging

Mojito comes in a paint-syle box design. With a dark green background covering all sides of the box, it is decorated with gold highlights on front and back. On the back, it contains the specifications as well as the frequency response graph. A small sticker is attached to the side of the box to indicate the color options. Other than the earpieces, it includes a 3.5mm stock cable, a leather case, 3 pairs of normal silicone eartips, 3 pairs of AET07-style eartips, a velcro tie, and some paperwork. Now while I personally do not use foam tips, having them would have certainly made a better packaging.

The included accessories themselves are of good quality. AET07-style eartips are just as good as the ones from Acoustune and deliver better clarity compared to the traditional eartips. These tips are also made to be matched in color with the earpieces, giving a more consistent look to it. The leather case is very well made - it smells nice, feels nice, and built nice. There's a thicker layer of cushion on the top of the lid as well as some protection padding on the inner side of the case.

Earpieces

Mojito comes in three color options, which are Aqua Blue, Amber Orange, and Grape Sparkling Wine. The housing is fully made of stabilized wood and gives a rich, unique look to each and every piece, which are then coated with resin. Mojito uses 4-way 6BA drivers, comprised of 2 Sonion Drivers and 4 Knowles drivers. I'm a great fan of Sonion drivers and it sparks my interest even more if both Sonion and Knowles drivers are used altogether. That being said, it brings back memory when I reviewed Kinera Odin before, which uses a combo of 4 Sonion + 4 Knowles drivers.

The earpiece size is on a bit of a larger side but has no irritating shapes or edges and snugs into the ears without a hassle. The nozzle length is about average with each of the nozzle bores are separated into 4 tubes for a cleaner, and clearer, sound transmission. The cable connectors are terminated in 0.78mm CIEM 2pin which is one of the standard connectors as of now. The 2pin sockets are not non-recessed but slightly recessed, which makes it compatible with either cable types.

Cable

In case the color matching on the eartip was just not enough, QOA also matched their colors on the cable too. The stock cable is made of 2-braided Furukawa silver-plated OCC wires. Keep in mind that the 2pin connectors are optimized for Mojito's "slightly" recessed 2pin sockets, so you may not be able to use these cables for IEMs with fully recessed 2pin sockets. The splitter, connector, and the plug are all made with solid parts and feels sturdy to the touch. While the stock cable only comes in 3.5mm termination, options for 2.5mm and 4.4mm appear to be available by making a separate purchase which has the same type of wire as the stock one but instead with plain silver color.

Sound impression - Lows

Having the music thoroughly balanced, Mojito draws a sound signature that sits between flat and mild w-shape where lows, mids, and highs are all slightly boosted from being flat. Lows are evenly emphasized across the bass region and slightly pulled forward, keeping a flat bassline while holding onto the dynamics. This results in a bass response that is calm but also fun. It retains good density, speed, and power when striking a punch that follows up a clean and full-bodied decay that is highlighted just to the right amount. Depth and extension for the ultra lows are decent considering its reference tuning, consisting of a thick presentation in both color and thickness.

Lows, in general, keep a plain stance but are thoroughly seasoned in tonality, doing a fine job bringing out the details and richness. The colors here are relatively much darker compared to the upper range, leastways assisting the bass to stand out clearly with a bigger contrast. The upper bass gradually fades into the mids which helps the sound to maintain its linearity in distance. I like the way how Mojito finishes its bass in a subdued, lively manner that well respects the liveliness, despite it being rather light in overall bass quantity. Surely not meant for bassheads, but if you have a mild taste or often find the boomy bass rather unpleasant, the style of bass from Mojito should be right up your alley.

Sound impression - Mids

The sound may be flat but not gone flat. Mids are Hi-Fi focused with much transparency and analyticity but not thrown away with the musicality, having the vocals possess an adequate amount of moisture and emo. The thickness of the vocals is on the thinner side - or should I rather call it "unbloated" since it does not miss out on the core density. It is a tad thin from the neutral timbre, but still intact to the accuracy. We could say mids here somewhat resemble the way how Noble Audio Kaiser Encore or Katana produce their vocals. For a quick comparison before moving on, although Mojito is on the flatter/mildly brighter side, mids are still warmer and comfier compare to the Nobles.

It is common to think full-BA IEMs with a flat signature would sound rigid or metallic, Mojito's emo attitude naturally connects the dips between the BA drivers with a light amount of reverbs. This acts as adding a bit more meat to the frame (or structure) of the sound, giving the vocals that raw, blatant feeling without making it harsh or dry. Vocals flow stably and well leveled without audible dips, spikes, or sibilances. Overall I enjoy Mojito's plain but sweet vocals where it clearly displays its refined grains and textures, taking an organic approach towards a flat signature. A generous amount of air is applied to the vocals, giving a mild open-field and cool-breeze presentation without tilting the temperature too cold.

Sound impression - Highs, etc.

Highs take a small step back from the mids with a slight reduction in quantity. The tone is pure and transparent as water which lives up perfectly with its reference-style signature, just as intended. Highs pose a similar posture as mids did - unexaggerated, clean, and firm. Mojito does not highlight much on the spatial aspect of the treble instruments, keeping it linear and loyal to the original image positioning. Highs condense firmly with high density, then to be followed with a light and soft decay that gives a strong sense of airiness - resulting in a crisp, solid texture but not stiffening up in rigidity or hardness. The strikes are soft but not dull and are precise in expression.

The layerings for both mids and highs are very nice, showing clear divisions between each layer of sound. Overall, its sound is a tad dependent on different types of tracks and genres. For tracks that are intensively highlighted with sibilance or treble to their nature could cause Mojito's upper range to get hot, but for most other cases Mojito simply oozes with a delightful amount of transparency and airiness. The included AET07-style eartips are ideal for maximum air and transparency, yet it is prone to lighter bass and hotter upper ranges, so I would suggest to also test out eartips with a longer and tighter stem such as AET08 or the other set of eartips that are included as an accessory.

Comparisons

QOA Pink Lady (2BA+1DD) - While Pink Lady is not in the same price range as Mojito, it would still be a good point to start this comparison as it is the first and previous model that QOA produced. Pink Lady has a bass-driven, warm-tone sound signature whereas Mojito shows a linear, bright sound. The upper ranges on Pink Lady are stuffy and muffled relative to Mojito. The upper ranges on Mojito are significantly better in transparency and airiness.

Mids also carry a greater amount of airiness, creating an open-field sound that the sound stage is mostly created by mids and highs, while the sound stage for Pink Lady is mostly done by lows and mids. The texture details, especially for the vocals, are a lot more blatant and expressive on Mojito. The performance is superior on Mojito as we overall look at the big picture, though these two are nearly the opposite in sound signature (musical and bassy for Pink Lady, analytical and near flat for Mojito) so keep that in mind.



Moondrop Blessing 2 (4BA+1DD)- Blessing 2 is similar enough to Mojito in sound signature, even to the point where I could call them as brothers since both sounds fresh, relieving, and considerably flat - though there are still some noticeable differences in characteristics. Mojito is more active and aggressive in expressing the liveliness and texture grains while Blessing 2 is calmer and flatter.

Mojito brings out slightly more bass quantity but not to a day and night degree. It gives a bass that is deeper and darker in color too. Trebles are also brighter, stronger, and more expansive on Mojito, bringing better realism but Blessing 2 would be a bit less provocative, if for lengthy listening sessions. Snare drums and treble instruments deliver stronger and faster strikes, enhancing the taste and that "hitting" sense.



BGVP DM7 (6BA) - These two are different but also sort of similar as we look at the big picture - not because they share the same BA numbers, but also in their overall sound signature. Both do an equally good job in digging out the bass depth and that pitch-blackness, but DM7 with slightly more bass quantity and warmth. Mojito shows its superiority in layering, making clearer and finer slitters of layers within its soundstage. This also leads to better separation as well, but nothing big in difference.

Plus, Mojito still keeps the sound in good consistency, not flying all over the place. On the other hand, DM7 achieves slightly more density and delivers nicely condensed strikes. Headroom size is on the same if not similar level. Another significant difference is that the background of DM7 is based on black while Mojito is white, so DM7 focuses on the deep, cozy feeling towards the lower ends, and Mojito is for the open-field and ventilated headroom towards the top - like an open ending of a story.

Verdicts

Mojito reaffirms its position as a higher rank model by stepping up the game with improved analyticity, resolution, and linearity, making it an ideal selection for those looking for a neutral, reference tuning. It would also be a very good alternative if you are looking for a flat sound signature but also do not want to miss out on a decent amount of dynamics and musicality.

The major charm of Mojito could be summarized in one sentence that it "presents the music with impact and vividity, even while maintaining a flat sound". I would also suggest my fellow audiophiles take note of Mojito and QOA as I believe this level of sound quality definitely deserves good attention as Moodrop Blessing 2 does. Would like to give a nice pat on QOA's shoulder and much looking forward to their future activities. Well done, QOA!