[flyte3333]

I use it on the go and super excited about it. Mojo sounds very bad. I can't talk about Mojo as a H2 replacement in any context.

Which headphones are you driving on the go?

 

[HONEYBOY]

It depends on the headphones. Sometimes I find the Mojo to be far more engaging than the Hugo 2. Hugo 2 is always technically better than the Mojo, but that doesn't alway quite translate to getting me into the music. It depends, which is why I hate these strong comments of the Hugo 2 destroying the Mojo. It depends.

 

[musickid]

has anyone gone mscaler to mojo?

 

[flyte3333]

Try the Mojo with HQPlayer at 768k to hear it's full potential. You will be amazed. IMHO of course.

Great until you get a burst of static/white noise.

Mojo never handled PCM768kHz as well (stable) as Hugo2 and Dave, for me.

HQPlayer developer has noted the same about burst of noise , with his Mojo

 

[musickid]

any advice on mode of operation with ipod touch? just general advice. my next experiment into hms.

i'm wondering if apple camera kit adds an extra obstacle for signal from ipod to hms/dac?

 

[rkt31]

Mojo is not compatible with 768khz via coaxial input.

 

[musickid]

it says special operation?

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

any advice on mode of operation with ipod touch? just general advice. my next experiment into hms.

i'm wondering if apple camera kit adds an extra obstacle for signal from ipod to hms/dac?

The Hugo 2 is OK with the iPod touch within the limitations of the electronics of the iOS device. I had another iPod (a 160GB classic) stolen last year during a burglary at my French house along with the attached Oppo PM3 phones and HA2-SE DAP. I think the iPod Classic may have been marginally better than the iPod Touch that has now replaced it but very little in it. I already posted that when I spoke to Chord earlier this month, they strongly recommended against using any other method of connection except the Apple Lightning Camera Adapter to an iOS device. I would assume they know best. I bought my most recent iPod touch, as that is all that will talk properly to my Porsche's PCM ICE system and display the music library with CD covers on the screen, otherwise I might have bought an Astell and Kern player. The iPod Classics are now too old IMHO to buy second hand. The iPod touch is only marginally loud enough with the Beyerdynamic Impacto DAP and my T5-P gen 2 phones and the Hugo 2 has considerably wider dynamic range than the Impacto, as you would expect from the considerable price differential, especially now that Beyerdynamic have reduced the Impacto from the €299 I paid for it in July last year, to just €99 when bought with T5-P gen 2 phones. The Hugo 2 with the iPod Touch has enough power to blow your phones and ear drums and you need to be careful of the volume control level when starting a track. You do notice when changing the input to the Hugo 2 from the 44/16 of the iPod to 192/32 or even higher from my MacBook Pro, that it is considerably better than the iPod. Again nothing surprising about this.

Wilson

 

[Ta6ypeTka]

You must have tried a broken unit or there was some kind of output issue. The Mojo is without a doubt the best sounding DAC/amp under $500.

I completely disagree. It has very bad high vrequency, low dynamic. Qls 360, for example, sounds way better. If we take 300 usd on ebay, u can look for dtr1, ibasso dx150. High frequency in mojo is a HUGE trouble.

 

[Ta6ypeTka]

Which headphones are you driving on the go?

The ones on my avatar. Modded Mrspeakers Ether C Flow.

 

[GreenBow]

I'm considering getting a hugo2 but I'm wondering, if I put it in my backpack while out and about listening to music how easily would the volume wheel turn up and blow my phones?

Mojo users solved the problem of volume being adjusted, with a credit card and two rubber bands. They used the card to cover the volume buttons.

 

[musickid]

ipod touch to mscaler to tt2 is excellent. ipod touch on battery with cck 3 adaptor. tiny form factor with screen darkened out during playback. just need a good powerbank now.

 

[JaZZ]

Thank you, @JaZZ, for this great post. A good example of diligently sharing experience, without ideological distraction and offence. Here, we are on the field of personal impressions and delight, based on the principles of "everybody's got his own ears only, and his brains behind the ears"; on that field, one has to be careful and respectful. Your post for sure deserves a thumbs-up; that's what fora like this are for.

As I wrote above, I had formed my own opinion by carefully auditioning the H2 >> V281 >> HD800S chain, with and without the V281. I had arrived at the conclusion "yes, I want the V281 in it". Maybe that is an "if it sounds good, it is good", maybe that is a case of wishful thinking, maybe it is self-deception. But anyway, I have my V281 for more than a year now and continue to be happy. It was only recently that I found an article on the web by @twister6 published half a year ago (i.e. long after my findings!), who presents much better arguments in favor of externally amping the H2 in certain use cases than I can do. twister6 is on Head-Fi, and his article is here:

https://twister6.com/2019/05/13/adding-an-amp-to-chord-hugo2-good-or-bad/.

Unfortunately, I cannot judge on the basis of his arguing, i.e. his statements on the H2 electronic design: A DAC without an actual AMP. But SQ findings are in line: I used the word "authority", and this just matches twister6's findings with "heavy-weight" champion headphones and the H2.

Cheers, and thanks again for your input and attitude!

Thank you for the unexpected compliment!

First and foremost: I absolutely believe you that the sound is better with the V281 in the chain – at least to your ears, which is what counts. However – as mentioned –, there are reasons why this can be although the signal has been degraded. Think of adding a (good) tube amp to any chain: Many or most (maybe including myself) will find that it makes the sound more enjoyable. That's the power of (euphonic) harmonic distortion.

You're saying that you have encountered one post that explains why adding an amp to the signal path can be (objectively) beneficial. One? I have read dozens of them on Head-Fi, but none of them with enough substance to be of any worth to me. They particularly don't explore the potential of the direct path – in that they use coloring headphones for their comparisons, which inevitably makes them prone to fall for synergetic and masking effects. A phat sounding amp will somehow «cure» (read: mask) the significant low-frequency drop-off of most headphones, although the amplitude response will still measure the same. It doesn't stop at that: The coloring harmonic distortions also make the sound more forgiving to any tonal unevennesses. That's indeed a great «argument» in favor of double-amping if you will.

So the crucial component for creating passably equal terms is equalizing the headphones used for the comparison. Tellingly the amplifier advocates I have discussed with have ignored this argument across the board, just repeated their convictions based on test configurations heavily prone to synergistic effects. And interestingly yourself have done the same in your last response.

In any event: no offense meant! Maybe some time you'll find the guts and the patience for a serious comparison in above sense. It still wouldn't oblige you to choose the variant you like less.

BTW, maybe you don't already know the expert's take on it... plus a follow-up.

 

[LunaVixen]

It depends on the headphones. Sometimes I find the Mojo to be far more engaging than the Hugo 2. Hugo 2 is always technically better than the Mojo, but that doesn't alway quite translate to getting me into the music. It depends, which is why I hate these strong comments of the Hugo 2 destroying the Mojo. It depends.

So for IEM you think Mojo may be better?

 

[111MilesToGo]

Thank you for the unexpected compliment!

First and foremost: I absolutely believe you that the sound is better with the V281 in the chain – at least to your ears, which is what counts. However – as mentioned –, there are reasons why this can be although the signal has been degraded. Think of adding a (good) tube amp to any chain: Many or most (maybe including myself) will find that it makes the sound more enjoyable. That's the power of (euphonic) harmonic distortion.

You're saying that you have encountered one post that explains why adding an amp to the signal path can be (objectively) beneficial. One? I have read dozens of them on Head-Fi, but none of them with enough substance to be of any worth to me. They particularly don't explore the potential of the direct path – in that they use coloring headphones for their comparisons, which inevitably makes them prone to fall for synergetic and masking effects. A phat sounding amp will somehow «cure» (read: mask) the significant low-frequency drop-off of most headphones, although the amplitude response will still measure the same. It doesn't stop at that: The coloring harmonic distortions also make the sound more forgiving to any tonal unevennesses. That's indeed a great «argument» in favor of double-amping if you will.

So the crucial component for creating passably equal terms is equalizing the headphones used for the comparison. Tellingly the amplifier advocates I have discussed with have ignored this argument across the board, just repeated their convictions based on test configurations heavily prone to synergistic effects. And interestingly yourself have done the same in your last response.

In any event: no offense meant! Maybe some time you'll find the guts and the patience for a serious comparison in above sense. It still wouldn't oblige you to choose the variant you like less.

BTW, maybe you don't already know the expert's take on it... plus a follow-up.

Thanks for coming back in your pleasant way. For now, please allow for just this: No, I hadn‘t seen the two posts by Rob Watts (from the time of Hugo 1) you quoted for me. Thanks! Actually, it is so easy to miss s.th. that has already been said - two Hugos, each at over 1,000 pages of posts.

And: I like to educate myself and gain experience, and I like to be helped by forum contributions like yours - thanks.