[Peti]

Wow, I changed USB cable and problem solved! I'd have never thought!

 

[luisdent]

If anyone is interested I'll be uploading a review video of the mojo shortly. it will be on my youtube.com/luisdent channel. i'll embed it here.
 
Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmgOeS275zw&feature=youtu.be
 

 

[JWahl]

I recently "downgraded", in the sense of the cost of my rig, to the Mojo. Received it today and did some brief listening hooked up to my Schiit Valhalla 2 and TH-X00 Purpleheart.

Late at night so I didn't want to use the HD-650, and haven't been able to find my 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter to try test the Mojo direct yet.

Previously I was using a Schiit Gungnir MB and a heavily upgraded Torpedo III DIY amp.

Initial listening as stated has been quite surprising. I've admittedly been a Schiit Multibit fanboy having owned the Yggy and Gumby. And basically having had to trade and sell down from a "summit fi" rig, to upper mid, and now to the Mojo. That being said, it doesn't disappoint.

I'm finding it to be very well tonally balanced, and surprisingly non fatiguing (as a dac). Bass reaches deep, despite the Valhalla 2 not being as authoritative as the T3. But what is reallly standing out is the leading edge transients, and very fine microdynamic gradients. Instrumental and vocal vibratos for instance are quite noticeable and fleshed out. Imaging is also precise and focused. More delineated positioning and less blobby than I expected. Especially at the price.

It's a bit laid back, in the British way, but not boringly so. Similar to the Meridian Director I had for a short time, but the Mojo is more balanced top to bottom, where the Meridian was airy and spacious but too polite and a bit light. And so far, I'm not detecting any midrange recession that I perceieved with the iFi iDSD Micro.

There is some other specific quality about the sound that I am also finding to sound very realistic and enjoyable, regardless of price. But I'm having trouble trying to articulate exactly what it is. It may be related to perception of depth. Instruments and vocals appear to emanate from a realistic distance without being exaggerated and too upfront. You can almost perceive the space behind the sound, if that makes sense. I don't mean to exaggerate the effect though. The point, is that this quality seems to reduce my perception of listen fatigue. I can also feel less need to crank the volume to enjoy the music.

A common "audiophile" recording here, Rebecca Pigeon's Spanish Harlem, usually has a tendency for the dynamic peaks of the vocal to over-resonate and take on a shouty nature. With the Mojo, the vocal presentation is very natural, with less of this odd resonance sound.

Also note, that this initial listen was also hooked up to my iFi iUSB 3.0, so not sure how much improvement if any it may be contributing. Will listen without tomorrow. And will also listen direct from the Mojo. I suspect it should drive the Fostex well.

 

[rkt31]

@JWahl, not surprising at all. time and again it is being stated that mojo currently has one of the most advanced dac tech in the market. multi bit has its own inherent weaknesses . I am surprised daily during evening walk with mojo as I am exploring my music collection. yesterday I was listening to the 'the pianist ' ost and the experience was out of this world.

 

[gikigill]

Currently listening to the Mojo, Geek Out V2+ Infinity and ifi iDSD Micro,(Not at the same time though

)
 
The Mojo and Infinity are tied.
 
Both brilliant in their own way and the Mojo has a musicality that is very liquid, very effortless like an electrostat headphone.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

 
There is no "quick" or "simple" fix if your cable does not have a genuine Apple MFI chip embedded in the adapter. Here is an article that explains why with quotes from DHC cables:
 
http://gizmodo.com/5945889/some-third-party-adapters-might-not-work-with-your-new-iphone
 
You can checkout Penon Audio. They have a custom lightning cable that uses a genuine MFI chip that they harvest from genuine CCK cables. If you still don't want MFI certified cables then your other alternative is find a version of iOS that works for your cable, then never update your device.

Thank you for responding.  It was not what I was seeking.  I am aware of alternatives and I am aware of warnings that apple iOS changes may cause us trouble.   I believe I have had a genuine MFI chip which worked without issue until the iOS upgrade.  
 
I am interested in learning if other iPhone users had the problem and how they dealt with it.  Specifically from those who use iPhones with their mojo:  
 
*did anyone simply buy a new Apple adapter and have success?
 
*what did others do with their expensive larvicable?  send it back?  
 
*did the IOS 10 update (that came out days after the upgrade) fix the bug?
 
If I plug in my Apple cable 15 different times, including re-starts, I might get it to work once. If, for example, I am listening without problem, but I unplug it, plugging it back in usually loses the connection.  Why it would work so irregularly is a mystery.  My wife's iPhone has no such issue.  I had no issue until upgrade.  Frustrating!  
 
I intend to go to a local store today and buy a new one and test it on the spot.  
 
 
 Thanks in advance  to iPhone users for responses...Like many, I have love/hate relationship with Apple. 

 

[Takeanidea]

My moto g4 works beautifully and is bought outright and costs a third of the cost of a iPhone. I bought it yesterday and it has already upgraded itself . But I know many out there love their iPhone. I'm so used to Android I wouldn't change now. I wanted to change from my Samsung Note II which worked perfectly with the Mojo but had no battery life and have gone through 2 other cheap phones before I came to the realisation i had to get a decent brand to get decent sound from the Mojo. The G4 works without any interference with data switched on

 

[Mython]

@ luisdent:
 
Thanks for the your review - I've added it to post #3.
 
 
 
 
FYI, the volume steps are 1db increments:
 

  .... Each step is always a 1 dB change.
 
Rob

 
 
 
 
You mentioned a difference in the sound of a snare drum transient
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmgOeS275zw#t=783
 
 
Although Mojo does have plenty of power to cleanly drive most transducers to full excursion, the primary reason Mojo sometimes sounds noticeably superior for leading edges of transients is because of Rob Watts' proprietary 'WTA' digital filter (Watts Transient Aligned), which reconstructs the transients and analogue timing cues encoded within digital recordings to a vastly greater accuracy than almost any DAC on the market, regardless of price. This isn't hyperbole - it is mathematically demonstrable.
 
I encourage you to read some of Rob's very informative posts, embedded in post #3
 

 
 
A peculiarity of Rob's DACs is that the accuracy of the timing detail they present seems to be associated with a 'learning' period, during which the human brain gradually becomes more adept at resolving the information it is being given. For some people, it is apparent very soon, whilst for others, it gradually creeps up on them, over a period of weeks - if you care to search this thread, you will find it mentioned again and again, by numerous different people. Once that stage has been reached, differences between Mojo and competing DACs may become more evident.
 
This peculiarity is also mentioned in the above section of Rob's posts, and by John Franks, in this interview: https://youtu.be/DTWcKLI0g7c?t=41m7s
 

 

 

[god-bluff]

What would the blind test ABX zealots on the Sound Science section think of the 'learning period' needed to appreciate the Mojo. They insist you can tell if something sounds right or better than something else in a few seconds burst of music!

 

[Mython]

Well, everyone is entitled to their own perspective

 
 
However, it's been interesting to follow this thread, from Day 1, and simply observe how repeatedly the phenomenon has been mentioned, by successive owners.

 

[bixby]

  I'm wondering if anyone had to confront the same issue: I have WIN10 and installed the driver from the Chord website and both in JRiver and Foobar the only option I see is "ASIO CHORD 1.05"
 
 And when I try to play back something it always says:
 

 
Do I miss something? How come there's no Wasapi option for this driver?

make sure you are downloading the mojo-windows zip file and use the application to install the drivers.  I think I had to try more than once, not sure.

 

[discord76]

What would the blind test ABX zealots on the Sound Science section think of the 'learning period' needed to appreciate the Mojo. They insist you can tell if something sounds right or better than something else in a few seconds burst of music!

 
They are more than likely wrong. But let's leave them to their fun...

 

[Peter Hyatt]

  Well, everyone is entitled to their own perspective

 
 
However, it's been interesting to follow this thread, from Day 1, and simply observe how repeatedly the phenomenon has been mentioned, by successive owners.

Agreed!
 
Has any other product in recent memory, provoked this much attention, praise, etc?    I'm new to head-fi, but even searching popular threads, this is overwhelming.   3rd post is like an encyclopedia of all things mojo.  

 

[headfry]

What would the blind test ABX zealots on the Sound Science section think of the 'learning period' needed to appreciate the Mojo. They insist you can tell if something sounds right or better than something else in a few seconds burst of music!

Wrong!- when I first auditioned Mojo I wasn't very impressed;
I could hear somewhat more refinement in the upper mids/highs...
but didn't feel it was enough to buy it.

9 months later or so, bought Mojo and have been amazed by
its quality since...it took me more than a song or two to adjust and fully appreciate.

I saw that Stereophile ranks Mojo as Class A - richly deserved!

 

[theveterans]

  saw that Stereophile ranks Mojo as Class A - richly deserved!

 
Mojo made my Yamaha HS7 sing like a Class A bookshelf speakers as well. It doesn't sound like a studio speakers at all, rather it sounds like an audiophile tuned speakers: incredible tonality and realistic imaging.