[Sound Eq]

@Hiking Mike

I have to give my honest opinion I went to a friend of mine who has the onkyo dap honestly I found it lacking warmth and punch compared to the punch and dynamic sound I get from ak380 and amp

Honestly it's not fair to compare ak380 and amp to the onkyo dap as the ak380 is far much better , the dynamics and low end tight controlled bass , sound stage, punch, detail is really difficult to beat by any dap out there

But again if I were you I would stick with mojo as it's affordable but if he has the money then go all the way to ak380 and amp

For me the mojo is the best that's why I am selling my ak380 and amp

But for a person looking to own the best dap then ak380 and amp is the best you can buy for now

 

[Hiking Mike]

@Hiking Mike

I have to give my honest opinion I went to a friend of mine who has the onkyo dap honestly I found it lacking warmth and punch compared to the punch and dynamic sound I get from ak380 and amp

Honestly it's not fair to compare ak380 and amp to the onkyo dap as the ak380 is far much better , the dynamics and low end tight controlled bass , sound stage, punch, detail is really difficult to beat by any dap out there

But again if I were you I would stick with mojo as it's affordable but if he has the money then go all the way to ak380 and amp

For me the mojo is the best that's why I am selling my ak380 and amp

But for a person looking to own the best dap then ak380 and amp is the best you can buy for now

 
So here's the thing.....
 
My iPhone has 64Gb memory and won't hold my music collection which is around 115 Gb. Right now, I have it on an iPad Air 2 for traveling and on my Bryston BDP-2 for home use.  I could buy a new phone with more memory, but truthfully, even a new phone with Apples max memory option will not be sufficient soon. I wish Apple had a memory card slot built in.
 
The iPad Air 2 isn't bad for traveling and the Chord Mojo sounds like it may provide a worthy alternative.
I just need to come to terms with memory capacity issues.
 
Mike

 

[Sound Eq]

 
So here's the thing.....
 
My iPhone has 64Gb memory and won't hold my music collection which is around 115 Gb. Right now, I have it on an iPad Air 2 for traveling and on my Bryston BDP-2 for home use.  I could buy a new phone with more memory, but truthfully, even a new phone with Apples max memory option will not be sufficient soon. I wish Apple had a memory card slot built in.
 
The iPad Air 2 isn't bad for traveling and the Chord Mojo sounds like it may provide a worthy alternative.
I just need to come to terms with memory capacity issues.
 
Mike

 


for top sound quality and end game you have 2 good choices

cheap choice:

just a buy a cheap android phone and chord mojo

expensive choice

ak380 and amp

but of course u have other daps, like cowon p1 and d that are good as well

 

[ken6217]

Look at the Calyx M. It is the most musical of any of the DAPS I have tried..... AK240SS, Hifiman 901S, Sony XZ2, AK320 with and without Mojo.

 

[Sound Eq]

Look at the Calyx M. It is the most musical of any of the DAPS I have tried..... AK240SS, Hifiman 901S, Sony XZ2, AK320 with and without Mojo.

 


but it has no eq and if he did not like the sound sig he can not fine tune it

 

[Hiking Mike]

 

  Look at the Calyx M. It is the most musical of any of the DAPS I have tried..... AK240SS, Hifiman 901S, Sony XZ2, AK320 with and without Mojo.

 


but it has no eq and if he did not like the sound sig he can not fine tune it

Of course you are correct.
 
In a perfect world, I would just buy an AK380. However, even though the cost isn't an issue, I still have this deep inner voice telling me that much money isn't necessary for a portable travel device. 

 

[ken6217]

 

  Look at the Calyx M. It is the most musical of any of the DAPS I have tried..... AK240SS, Hifiman 901S, Sony XZ2, AK320 with and without Mojo.

 


but it has no eq and if he did not like the sound sig he can not fine tune it

True, but I don't eq.

 

[Sound Eq]

True, but I don't eq.

 


yes but many do eq, and when u invest in a portable player you better get all u can in it from best sq, to tweaking options just in case u need it

 

[ken6217]

 

 
True, but I don't eq.

 


yes but many do eq, and when u invest in a portable player you better get all u can in it from best sq, to tweaking options just in case u need it

It's all individual. Any server or streamer and DAC in a dedicated home high end system has no equalization.

 

[bavinck]

You guys should look at the fiio x7. Sounds very similar to the mojo to me, with a bigger soundstage, but the dynamics are better on the mojo. X7 is a very nice sounding dap that is making jk shamed imo.

 

[twister6]

Oh, there are definitely more than a few choices available when you are looking for an audio source to pair up with A12/U12 (you can look at the index of my head-fi reviews HERE).
 
First you have to figure out your budget, and then decide if you want to stream (Spotify, Tidal, YT, etc) or only care about local storage.  If you need streaming, you have currently fav choices of FiiO X7 (w/AM2 upgrade it rocks!) or Onkyo DP-X1, or getting something like Mojo or another usb dac to pair up with your phone.  If you don't care about streaming, your selection really opens up from mid-fi excellent budget choice of $180 X3 2ng gen or the latest iBasso DX80 (excellent touch screen, dual micro SD and optical out) or Cayin N5 (dual micro sd, 2.5mm TRRS, solid build) in $350 price range.  Another one which I'm waiting to receive for testing next week, $300 L&P L3 with balanced output, touch screen, and complete integration to use with your smartphone as portable usb dac.  Two of my currently favorite sources are X7 and PAW Gold.  Actually, PAW Gold is mind blowing (and currently on MD for $1400) and in terms of sound quality I found it better than AK120ii and AK240.  Never tested AK380, but talked to a number of people who consider PAW Gold to match AK380, though being a little inferior to AK380 Copper version.  One thing that I really like about PAW Gold and DX80 pair up with U12 - a very impressive soundstage expansion and spacial details, both of them excel in that.
 
But here is a thing, before you start looking into a new source, the #1 suggestion is to upgrade the cable, as you have read from many others who shared their upgrade impressions in this thread.  I'm listening to U12 w/TWau straight out of my Galaxy Note 4 and these have quite an impressive synergy.  I can't speak for other cables since I only use Linum and Whiplash.  Linum BaX doesn't pair up well with U12, upper mids get pushed back and not the same level of soundstage expansion in comparison to TWag/TWau.  Either pure silver TWag or gold plated silver TWau provide a very noticeable soundstage expansion to take the 3D holographic effect to the next level.  With these two cables everything scales up in sound quality from improved layering to better retrieval of details, and overall sound is tighter and more dynamic.  The difference is that TWag sounds sharper/crispier while TWau smoother/organic - subtle difference but I can hear it (I spent last night 2hrs listening and cable switching).
 
I know that not everybody believes in cables or hears the difference, but in this case the difference is more pronounced in comparison to some other IEM cable upgrades I have tested in the past.  In my opinion, if you get a good deal on A12/U12 with a promotional discount, take that saving and invest into a cable upgrade.  And when you are looking for a new source, don't assume that you will have to stretch your budget to $3k+ in order to squeeze every ounce of A12/U12 performance.  Again, I'm speaking from a perspective of these 12-driver models where you don't need a super revealing analytical source.  These are smooth detailed TOTL monitors that actually have a great synergy with neutral/warmer sources.

 

[Hiking Mike]

Twister6
 
So in your opinion, which of the cables do you prefer? Silver, Gold?
 
Mike

 

[Ike1985]

Respectfully, I don't see how a cable could make more difference than a source, maybe I'm wrong-I haven't heard those $500 ciem cables. 

Do the whiplash cables remove all microphonics? Microphonics are atrocious with the stock cable.

Do whiplash cables go on sale for Black Friday or other times?

If cables do make a difference as you say, I would want a cable that flattens the sound of the A12-makes it more neutral. I definitely would not want a cable that increases bass at all on the A12-with regard to this, which whiplash cable would you suggest Twister6?

Since Mojo sends out an analog signal-cables may theoretically make a difference but the cable going from phone to mojo should make no difference at all since it's digital transmission.  Am I correct here?

It's hard to take whiplash cables seriously when he has spelling mistakes all over his website.

 

[ken6217]

I have the Whiplash TWag (gold over silver) cable and it is NIGHT AND DAY over stock. 

 

[ken6217]

Respectfully, I don't see how a cable could make more difference than a source, maybe I'm wrong-I haven't heard those $500 ciem cables. 

Do the whiplash cables remove all microphonics? Microphonics are atrocious with the stock cable.

Do whiplash cables go on sale for Black Friday or other times?

If cables do make a difference as you say, I would want a cable that flattens the sound of the A12-makes it more neutral. I definitely would not want a cable that increases bass at all on the A12-with regard to this, which whiplash cable would you suggest Twister6?

Since Mojo sends out an analog signal-cables may theoretically make a difference but the cable going from phone to mojo should make no difference at all since it's digital transmission.  Am I correct here?

I have no issues with microphonics with stock to the Whiplash cable. My Senn IE800 was horrible when it came to that.
 
Sure there is a difference with digital cables. Get a cheap and then a good USB cable and listen and compare. Same thing with a SPIDD and AES/EBU digital cable from a CD transport to a DAC.
 
This debate might be better for a separate thread. Debating cables as well as break in can ignite a holy war.