Hello all,
This is what get my Mojo working...
Source - Custom built Hackintosh running Roon
Wireworld Starlight 7 USB from the Hackintosh to the Mojo
Speakers - Emotiva 4S bi-amp, self powered monitors sitting on IsoAcoustics stands, Emotiva S10 sub, self powered.
Sound
Throws a deep three dimensional soundstage with detail that rivals my Oppo PM-3 headphones. I'm listening to Macy Grey's Sweet Baby from the album Stripped. The imaging extends beyond the left and right boundaries of the speakers. I have heard plenty of systems that can throw imaging beyond the outer speaker locations. But, these also add the dimension of depth. Most of the systems I've heard in the past tend to represent depth in the center but, the depth is foreshortened in the far left and right. In the song, Lucy, there is s trumpet placed some distance behind the right speaker. The guitar in the left of the soundstage fills the space and sounds big - faithfully representing the sound coming out of BIG electric guitar speakers sitting well back in the room.
On vocals with backup singers, each voice is presented as a distinct part of the sound. it is very easy to pick out and follow individual voices. On Eric Clapton Live, Eric's voice is anchored to his guitar. The backup singers float to the left and right. The piano sounds so very much like a 'real' piano. The snare drum sounds just like a, well, snare drum with vibrating springs stretched below the lower drum skin.
One of my "Holy Grails" has been vocals without sibilance. Yes, there are still traces of sibilance on grossly equalized recordings. But, with well recorded and engineered recordings it is blessedly not present.
Overall, the sound is very relaxed and unstrained. I hear amazing detail, both macro and micro without sounding analytical or electronic. Ambience is stunning in well recorded tracks. You can easily hear the venue acoustics in a very natural way. On recordings that sound similar with headphones there is often a considerable difference when played through the speakers because of being able to experience the depth and ambience.
Without the sub the system sounded really good. With the sub adjusted lo fill in where the bookshelf speakers roll off I noticed several changes. The soundstage increased in size to my surprise. Everything seemed to be more in focus and solid. And I was able to hear that bottom octave that was MIA to a degree in some recordings. Properly matched and adjusted, the sub just disappears. Like the desktop monitors, it is ported and when the frequency goes below the designed frequency, rolloff is steep. I can clearly hear 25 Hz test tones but virtual silence at 20 Hz. So, the rolloff is far below virtually every file in my library. The 25 Hz tine is strong and defined. It isn't quite as tight as what I hear from the Oppo PM-3s.
I would say the one obvious shortcoming is in height. But, only on some recordings. For example, on Patrick O'Hearn's Indigo album, there is a drum in the background that comes in at about 2:32. On full size home rigs, the drummer sits on a platform much higher than the rest of the instruments. On this system, the drummer definitely is raised. Just not to the extent to the best I've heard. A minor complaint. The other shortcoming is the size of the image which is related to the height axis. Like most smallish monitor speakers, it lacks the illusion that you can get up and walk around the performers. Some large planar speakers can do this easily with the right recordings. This system throws an image that can convince you the performers are tens of yards outside the walls of the listening room.
For three thousand dollars (computer, cables, speakers but not files) it is a very musical and satisfying system.
