[Christer]

I think it's clear Rob won't get involved in any Mojo vs Hugo debate nor do I think it's necessary. We can each make up our own minds on this one. As for a Hugo v2, personally, I think the Mojo is it. To me, it's not really even close which one I like better, at least with headphones. As for those who prefer the Hugo, well, that's a pretty nice problem for Chord to have. They win both ways. At the same time, if I owned a Hugo and then found that the Mojo sounded better, shelling out another $600 for a Mojo wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. I could easily sell my Hugo and buy 2 Mojos (one for the wife).

I'm sure Chord, in their wisdom, contemplated the likelihood that the Mojo would impact future sales of the Hugo which is why I believe there may be weight to the rumor that the future of the Hugo could be in question, but more importantly, I'm sure Chord also considered the likelihood that the Mojo would probably impact the sales of many other DACs which is probably a more than acceptable trade off for them. I have a colleague who considers his new Mojo more to his liking than the MSB Analog he already owns.

In some ways, given the asking price for the Mojo, I consider it more remarkable than the DAVE.

Wise words romaz.
The only one who can decide if ,a is better than b, is of course oneself.
But it seems the evidence is building up in the suspected direction even without any input from Rob.
 
And frankly however good my Hugo still sounds via headphones it is still a far cry from  a real orchestra playing live in a good hall.I will take some placebo for the time being, Mahler's 9th live tonight.

 

[Pokemonn]

Rob has already said Mojo's real competitors are $100k DACs of other manufactures.

 
 
www.head-fi.org/t/784602/chord-mojo-the-official-thread-please-read-the-3rd-post/7155#post_12175714

 

[Beolab]

It appears that the Remedy Re-clocker is a sample rate converter. It converts everything to 96k (or factory adjusted to another sample rate). It uses a standard chip for sample rate conversion.

Conventional sample rate converters generate large amounts of THD and noise, in particular slew related noise floor modulation and they sound hard and aggressive as a consequence. Also they completely destroy the timing of transients, as the interpolation filters are very simple.

Not a good idea at all with my DAC's. 

Rob

Im sure this is a fact in theory if you measure it maybe , but in reality it sound like magic, so don't hesitate to order one and try it out, because its a great combo!

Many times a speaker or device can measure really poor but sound amazing, so good measuring is nice, bit it is the ears that got the final judgement, and i believe i have very good and trained HiFi hearing

Will test the Remedy with my Mojo tonight and the DAVE later when i receive it

 

[bmichels]

Will test the Remedy with my Mojo tonight and the DAVE later when i receive it

 
It will indeed be VERY interesting to know if the Remedy is also useful with the MOJO or if it is needed only with HUGO.  

 

[Beolab]

   
It will indeed be VERY interesting to know if the Remedy is also useful with the MOJO or if it is needed only with HUGO.  

 
 
I try it out later tonight, and post my findings

 

[bmichels]

   

thanks.  Since I have now booth HUGO and MOJO I will be very interested to hear your finding.

 

[zekioflo]

   

I am interested too about the Remedy!

 

[lovethatsound]

Im sure this is a fact in theory if you measure it maybe , but in reality it sound like magic, so don't hesitate to order one and try it out, because its a great combo!

Many times a speaker or device can measure really poor but sound amazing, so good measuring is nice, bit it is the ears that got the final judgement, and i believe i have very good and trained HiFi hearing

Will test the Remedy with my Mojo tonight and the DAVE later when i receive it

You certainly won't need a Remedy with the Dave.The truth of the matter is that the Dave is the best Dac I've ever heard,whether you're listening,with speakers,it's own headphone amp or a different headphone amp,you'll hear when you get one.This is my END game DAC.
PS ROB please don't make any more LOL

 

[Beolab]

You certainly won't need a Remedy with the Dave.The truth of the matter is that the Dave is the best Dac I've ever heard,whether you're listening,with speakers,it's own headphone amp or a different headphone amp,you'll hear when you get one.This is my END game DAC.
PS ROB please don't make any more LOL

Haha i hope so to!
The DAVE will be my end game dac for a couple of years, he can only make a update for the native MQA playback in 2 years or so when the format havs established.

But other than that i don't think he need to make any new better dacś than the DAVE in 5-6 years time i hope!

Otherwise i have to eat oatmeal for the next ten years or so...

 

[Beolab]

thanks.  Since I have now booth HUGO and MOJO I will be very interested to hear your finding.

If i just had a couple of % from each sold Remedy from W4s, then this could have bin a nice extra income! , because after a little listening, and this is only a short listening i can distinguish that the sound get richer, and smoother almost like the sound gets slower because you hear every single tone with more blackness around it. More solid / fluid / analog and Magical is the best words. You think that the product that reproduce this sound most at least weigh 20kg and not 80 grams

Two tracks you can here this clearly with is Boz Scaggs "Thanks to you" and
Brian Bromberg: "My Bass" . Everything get more fluid and all veil and small high pitched brightness noise disappear in a elegant way.


The Mojo sounds better than the Hugo, but this is something else, and will come back with an more in dept impression later on.

 

[Beolab]

I think it's clear Rob won't get involved in any Mojo vs Hugo debate nor do I think it's necessary. We can each make up our own minds on this one. As for a Hugo v2, personally, I think the Mojo is it. To me, it's not really even close which one I like better, at least with headphones. As for those who prefer the Hugo, well, that's a pretty nice problem for Chord to have. They win both ways. At the same time, if I owned a Hugo and then found that the Mojo sounded better, shelling out another $600 for a Mojo wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. I could easily sell my Hugo and buy 2 Mojos (one for the wife).

I'm sure Chord, in their wisdom, contemplated the likelihood that the Mojo would impact future sales of the Hugo which is why I believe there may be weight to the rumor that the future of the Hugo could be in question, but more importantly, I'm sure Chord also considered the likelihood that the Mojo would impact the sales of many other DACs which is probably a more than acceptable trade off for them. I have a colleague who considers his new Mojo more to his liking than the MSB Analog he already owns.

In some ways, given the asking price for the Mojo, I consider it more remarkable than the DAVE.

I also got the MSB Analog and find my Hugo+Remedy to sound equal if not even greater than the analog, and now with the Mojo this is a couple of steps up on the ladder.

So i will from now one only use the Analog as a lunch table or heat distinguisher for my laptop!

When even Simon finds out that Mahler sounds almost as good on the Mojo as on his $200.000 MSB / Woo rig, then i get philosophical almost, and think that it most be just someone hide somewhere and play with us ??

Where should the evolution stop, this is crazy, when a small cheap "stack of cards" made of metal can surpass a $ 10.000 MSB Analog DAC, or even a Select almost! (At least if we look at performance gained to every spend dollar !)

This thing got better spec and SQ:



Than this rig:

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I have a sincere question about Chord and their DAC’s.  I’m not trying to get anyone upset or be confrontational.  I am asking as someone who is genuinely interested in DAVE but I am horribly confused about something.
 
I remember when the Hugo first hit the market.  On Head-Fi it was quickly proclaimed as the greatest DAC on Earth – seemingly at the time same the Yggdrasil was making the same claim (we’ve all seen the famous DAC comparison chart).  Now the Mojo hits the market and at it apparently makes the Hugo look like stale fish.  Fine, that’s progress.
 
Mr. Watts claims that the Mojo’s competition is $100k DAC’s insinuating that anything less than $100k is inferior - seemingly at the time same the sound since thread claims DAC’s don’t really make a difference.  So, if the Mojo is better than all DAC’s less than $100k, and the DAVE is less than $100k, I guess the $700 Mojo is better.  But I guess he means that it is better than all DACS from OTHER companies less than $100k.
 
Here’s where I get a little lost…  If the $700 Mojo is in-line with $100k DAC’s from others – products about 142 times more expensive – I supposed the DAVE competes with $1.7 million DACs by the same math.  But I suppose diminishing returns kicks in and that 142 multiplier isn’t ‘realistic’ anymore.  The most expensive DAC’s I know of are just north of $100k and the $700 Mojo is playing hardball with them.  So the DAVE, which is 17 times more expensive than the Mojo surely easily bests them; and by a wide margin.  That means that the DAVE, according to this, IS the best DAC: period. 
 
I mean the DAVE is better than the Mojo (right?) and the Mojo is among the best DAC’s.
 
So if: Mojo >= All other DAC’s AND DAVE > Mojo THEN DAVE > All other DAC’s.
 
Here’s where I have issue.  I don’t know of a single product in any industry that is the undisputed absolute BEST.  Even more so when it comes to something as personally subjective as audio, after all our personal tastes play into preference just like some would say salmon is their favorite fish and others tuna.  The math above doesn’t allow for that, though.  The DAVE is claiming to be the best, and not by a small margin – after all it should be in line with $1.7 million DAC’s which don’t exist.  In fact, the ceiling is about 17 times LOWER than that.
 
You know what they say about things that are too good to be true?
 
But if DAVE really is as good as all that, I want one.  Who wouldn’t??  I want to believe but, objectively, it all sounds like hype and marketing hoop-la.  I refer back to the Hugo being claimed as the ‘giant killer’ when it hit and now people are looking down their noses at it.  And that was what?  Just a few months ago that it hit the market.
 
I guess my question is this: can the DAVE possibly live up to this hype?  If we take a realistic aside, take a deep breath, and ask if it is as good as the claims are every audiophile with the budget should unquestionably be running out, selling their current digital setup and getting one, right?  I have a feeling we won’t see this, however.
 
 
Honestly confused,
 
-Paul

 

[Beolab]

I have a sincere question about Chord and their DAC’s.  I’m not trying to get anyone upset or be confrontational.  I am asking as someone who is genuinely interested in DAVE but I am horribly confused about something.

I remember when the Hugo first hit the market.  On Head-Fi it was quickly proclaimed as the greatest DAC on Earth – seemingly at the time same the Yggdrasil was making the same claim (we’ve all seen the famous DAC comparison chart).  Now the Mojo hits the market and at it apparently makes the Hugo look like stale fish.  Fine, that’s progress.

Mr. Watts claims that the Mojo’s competition is $100k DAC’s insinuating that anything less than $100k is inferior - seemingly at the time same the sound since thread claims DAC’s don’t really make a difference.  So, if the Mojo is better than all DAC’s less than $100k, and the DAVE is less than $100k, I guess the $700 Mojo is better.  But I guess he means that it is better than all DACS from OTHER companies less than $100k.

Here’s where I get a little lost…  If the $700 Mojo is in-line with $100k DAC’s from others – products about 142 times more expensive – I supposed the DAVE competes with $1.7 million DACs by the same math.  But I suppose diminishing returns kicks in and that 142 multiplier isn’t ‘realistic’ anymore.  The most expensive DAC’s I know of are just north of $100k and the $700 Mojo is playing hardball with them.  So the DAVE, which is 17 times more expensive than the Mojo surely easily bests them; and by a wide margin.  That means that the DAVE, according to this, IS the best DAC: period. 

I mean the DAVE is better than the Mojo (right?) and the Mojo is among the best DAC’s.

So if: Mojo >= All other DAC’s AND DAVE > Mojo THEN DAVE > All other DAC’s.

Here’s where I have issue.  I don’t know of a single product in any industry that is the undisputed absolute BEST.  Even more so when it comes to something as personally subjective as audio, after all our personal tastes play into preference just like some would say salmon is their favorite fish and others tuna.  The math above doesn’t allow for that, though.  The DAVE is claiming to be the best, and not by a small margin – after all it should be in line with $1.7 million DAC’s which don’t exist.  In fact, the ceiling is about 17 times LOWER than that.

You know what they say about things that are too good to be true?

But if DAVE really is as good as all that, I want one.  Who wouldn’t??  I want to believe but, objectively, it all sounds like hype and marketing hoop-la.  I refer back to the Hugo being claimed as the ‘giant killer’ when it hit and now people are looking down their noses at it.  And that was what?  Just a few months ago that it hit the market.

I guess my question is this: can the DAVE possibly live up to this hype?  If we take a realistic aside, take a deep breath, and ask if it is as good as the claims are every audiophile with the budget should unquestionably be running out, selling their current digital setup and getting one, right?  I have a feeling we won’t see this, however.


Honestly confused,

-Paul

Hi Paul!

I think you have to take the statements with an little grain of salt, but Chord use a unique Puls Array discrete technology that is more unique, and sounds more musical than other Delta Sigma / R2R dacs like EmmLabs / DCS / MSB for example on the market.

I like to take this parallel:

If you have an old technic that suffer from many artefacts from start, then if you would like it to sound as good it can you have to take the best and most expensive parts around and put i together, and now we have a $100k DAC called MSB Select or DSC Vivaldi.
So if we then develop a technic where we from start can manage to "go around" all the artefacts the R2R design have with Puls Array instead for a fraction of the price, then this is a smarter route to take.

And Chord have sold most HiFi High End DACś in the world since Hugo hit the market.

And i should not say Mojo is miles better than Hugo, the sound just suite me and others more, but this is a matter of taste.

And spec wise the Mojo having the potential to be better because of Moors Law , the processors gets smaller and more efficient with greater performance every year, and it have a greater noise shaper that gives the sound a little warmth and smoothness if you compare it to Hugo.

And the DAVE have much more processing power than what Mojo / Hugo can offer, so Rob have the opportunity here to wright an even more advanced algorithm SW than what the Mojo / Hugo can handle.

So if you buy the DAVE it will be maybe the best DAC in the world technically and musicality wise , but we have different tastes reference and hearing so it maybe not for every one with different taste or bad hearing.

Then the Mojo is a bargain !

 

[hekeli]

Just try to ignore the hype train. All the Mojo/Hugo/2Qute/TT/Dave/didiforgetsomething is quite confusing. Each is supposed to be clearly best in their price classes or compared to anything really (yeah whatever). Compared 2Qute to Gungnir Multibit and preferred latter, makes you really wonder if I need to cough up 7000£ more to get actually better, not gonna happen.

 

[paul79]

bigfat, I hear you.... This site in particular, is very quick to tout something as the best ever. Just look at any DAC mentioned on here.
 
Not saying the Mojo ain't the mojo, but I can't fathom something so small offering up tremendous bass slam and dynamic contrasting. That takes on board capacitance to achieve, and this Mojo is not big enough to have this. Unless there is some very tricky power supply stuff going on with it, I have my doubts about its dynamic capabilities, which are very important to me.
 
So I ask you guys, using this Mojo in a 2 ch speaker setup, does this indeed have the dynamics and bass slam of the bigger DAC's? IME, it really can't....