[Naugrim]

   
Mojo includes the USB-to-microUSB cable you'll need in between the CCK and Mojo.
 
 
Please also read post #3 for other connection options not requiring the Apple Camera Connection Kit.

Oh, I get it now. Thanks! 

 

[god-bluff]

Not sure if Chord staff are still following this thread, but here's my list of desired improvements for Mojo 2:

• Recessed volume scroll-wheel: when interfacing to regulate volume, I prefer something you can roll, rather than something you press. I hope that Mojo 2 will have a scroll-wheel or something similar.
  

Normally prefer a dial myself but you would struggle to have such fine (and safe!) control over the Mojo volume as the pair of glowing balls offer.

 

[Mython]

   

1. Improve energy efficiency: 8 hours usage is too short for me; I'd have to charge it too frequently. Don't forget that most of us probably also have got a smartphone to charge daily, and possibly a smartphone/tablet/laptop in addition to that.

 

 
 
You say that like it's just a casual, flippant decision. I'm quite confident that Chord have not forgotten that many people probably have a smartphone to charge daily, since Mojo was designed to function in partnership with just such a device...
 
 

I agree that longer battery duration would be nice, but, unfortunately, when you push the performance envelope, you don't get something for nothing. The level of performance offered by Mojo, in such a small package, is unprecedented. According to Chord, Mojo has approximately 500 times the processing power of competing DACs, to say nothing of having decent power output to drive a majority of dynamic headphones, of a wide range of impedances.
 
 
 
As for integrating a microSD slot, that isn't impossible, but seems unlikely, since that functionality is on the very near horizon with the forthcoming release of Chord's second, greatly-more-complex, add-on module for Mojo. I can't tell you more details at this stage, but if you care to view John Franks' interview with MunkongGadgets, which is listed in post #3, JF does discuss a few interesting aspects of the proposed module. Specific functionality of the final release module might differ a little from JF's interview remarks, but not drastically.

 

[RPB65]

  I'm in the same boat.  I don't have a high res collection and I'm currently just listening to the highest quality Spotify. I may switch to Tidal when I get my Nobles.  Will I notice a difference do you think? Unfortunately, I've gotta wait til Dec 24th or so. The imprints/impressions arrived Oct 24th in China, so I'm hoping they get back here in Seattle before Christmas!  It sounds like I can stick with the basics and get fancy if I need it later.  Thanks for your response, I'm super excited.  

Hi Before I start I don't own Nobles, I use Shure SE425's at present. I feel that the Mojo presents CD quality music so well it may as well be hi-res. It's that simple. I have a lot of hi-res music too however a lot of my favourites are streamed via Qobuz at CD quality, apart from my purchased music which I can stream at full hi-res (24 bit 192 kHz) with my Qobuz Sublime plan at the moment.
Yes it sounds great but so does CD. LOL. I cannot help myself but quote Steven R. Rochlin, "As always, in the end what really matters is that you...Enjoy the Music" I cannot agree with that more!
It does not matter as long as you enjoy it.

 

[krismusic]

I'm in the same boat.  I don't have a high res collection and I'm currently just listening to the highest quality Spotify. I may switch to Tidal when I get my Nobles.  Will I notice a difference do you think? Unfortunately, I've gotta wait til Dec 24th or so. The imprints/impressions arrived Oct 24th in China, so I'm hoping they get back here in Seattle before Christmas!  It sounds like I can stick with the basics and get fancy if I need it later.  Thanks for your response, I'm super excited.  

I think you will find a night and day difference between Spotify and Tidal. Then you will realise that a lot of it is because Tidal plays a little louder than Spotify!
If you volume match I think you would be hard pressed to hear a significant difference.
I use Tidal because I prefer its ethos to Spotify, it is reassuring to know that I am listening to lossless and I can afford it. If you can, do. If not I don't think you will be missing out. If you are running Nobles and Mojo you are golden.

 

[Hotwire]

Normally prefer a dial myself but you would struggle to have such fine (and safe!) control over the Mojo volume as the pair of glowing balls offer.

I forgot which portable DAC/Amp it was, but there was one that had this software based feature where the volume change had a more gradual curve. Maybe it was one of those Oppos, but not sure. The main reason why I really prefer a scroll wheel, is that I can change the volume, without having to actually grab the device, if that makes sense. If the wheel is properly recessed and has got just the right amount of resistance to it, you shouldn't have to worry about accidental actuation.

 

[Hotwire]

   
 
You say that like it's just a casual, flippant decision. I'm quite confident that Chord have not forgotten that many people probably have a smartphone to charge daily, since Mojo was designed to function in partnership with just such a device...
 
 
I agree that longer battery duration would be nice, but, unfortunately, when you push the performance envelope, you don't get something for nothing. The level of performance offered by Mojo, in such a small package, is unprecedented. According to Chord, Mojo has approximately 500 times the processing power of competing DACs, to say nothing of having decent power output to drive a majority of dynamic headphones, of a wide range of impedances.
 

 
You're right, I did sound like I was saying that Chord was negligent. Wasn't my intention. What I meant was that I'd like Chord for the potential Mojo 2 to improve PCB design and upgrade to more efficient next generation ICs, increasing potential time on a charge, while of course keeping the same performance. 
 
Though energy efficiency wouldn't be as big of a deal if we had the option to bypass the battery and let the attached device power the Mojo directly. As I alluded to earlier: the battery really isn't necessary when attached to a desktop or laptop.
 

As for integrating a microSD slot, that isn't impossible, but seems unlikely, since that functionality is on the very near horizon with the forthcoming release of Chord's second, greatly-more-complex, add-on module for Mojo. I can't tell you more details at this stage, but if you care to view John Franks' interview with MunkongGadgets, which is listed in post #3, JF does discuss a few interesting aspects of the proposed module. Specific functionality of the final release module might differ a little from JF's interview remarks, but not drastically.

 
I'm aware of that module. It's nice for owners of the current version, but I'd rather see one or some SD slots integrated in the second iteration. Is much cheaper to manufacture, thus much cheaper for the customer, as well as avoiding the bulk of a module (or keeping space open for one of the other modules instead).

 

[Mython]

Aye, well, we'll just have to wait & see what the future brings.
 
I'm waiting for a pocket recorder with Davina ADC in it, but Rob & John aren't Santa

 

[Hotwire]

Just watched part of the interview Mython referred to, and at [https://youtu.be/DTWcKLI0g7c?t=23m54s], it was said that you "can leave Mojo plugged in; won't harm battery; Mojo draws power when it needs it". The Chord guy is being kinda vague on whether Mojo is bypassing the battery in that situation or not. I'm under the impression that it doesn't bypass, but just sips power from the battery, even when plugged in and fully charged.
 
Question: is anyone with technical knowhow in regards to Mojo able to clarify the aforementioned confusion? Thanks.

 

[x RELIC x]

Just watched part of the interview Mython referred to, and at [https://youtu.be/DTWcKLI0g7c?t=23m54s], it was said that you "can leave Mojo plugged in; won't harm battery; Mojo draws power when it needs it". The Chord guy is being kinda vague on whether Mojo is bypassing the battery in that situation or not. I'm under the impression that it doesn't bypass, but just sips power from the battery, even when plugged in and fully charged.

Question: is anyone with technical knowhow in regards to Mojo able to clarify the aforementioned confusion? Thanks.

The Mojo runs from the battery 100% of the time.

Also, you may find useful information such as this in the Battery and Charging section in the third post of this thread:

Originally Posted by Rob Watts View Post

Originally Posted by Mojo ideas View Post

Originally Posted by georgelai57 View Post

Hi Rob, and John,

1. If I leave the Mojo plugged in to the wall wart all the time, that should be fine, correct?
2. I presume that any time I want to resume listening in its present setup (meaning listening via the computer and with the charging cable still connected to the wall wart), the Mojo should be "ready to go" and that there is no need for me to ascertain the battery level?
3. If I then use the Mojo as a portable, and later on connect it back to the computer for listening (with the charging cable then connected to the wall wart again), what would be the minimum color of the battery light? Green?

1) yes it should be fine
2) overall there is a slight net drain on the battery so starting at blue or green on the battery indicator is a good idea but not mandatory
3) difficult to answer as it depends how long you've been listening whilst mobile but see answer above. Happy listening George!

John answered 1 and 2 fine, but I thought I would clarify exactly what happens when you charge and listen at the same time.

I use a dedicated charging chip for the Li battery, and this has a number of safety features, and works with a number of settings to ensure safety.

Now one of the safety circuits is a safety timer, and this is when the charger is in full charge mode. This timer is set to about 8 hours, and normally full charge mode takes 4 hours, when the unit is off. But when the unit is on and playing, there is a risk that the safety timer will be set, as it can take 12 hours to fully charge (from flashing red) and when playing music (for those 12 hours) at the same time. If the safety timer is set, then the battery LED will slowly flash white, and no further charging will take place. To reset the timer, just disconnect the charge USB, wait 10 seconds, and reconnect, and it will recommence charging. So if you are charging and playing, then when you have finished listening, turn Mojo off, and it will be OK. When Mojo is blue, and you connect the charger, then it is trickle charge mode, and the safety charger is not operating. So if Mojo is green, the safety timer won't trip out, as it will play and leave full charge mode within 8 hours, so you will be OK. It should be OK at yellow too. I guess the easiest way of dealing with it is to turn Mojo off after listening, then you will be fine, unless you listen for longer than 8 hours starting from fully flat.

Note that you can get the flashing battery LED if the USB charger voltage is low, from a charger that can't supply the current, or a USB cable that has high resistance. But you will see this pretty early on.

I hope this clarifies.

Rob

 

[mlavin]

So with all this talk of new modules and a product approximately 2 years old, am I better off to hold off on purchasing with the recent price drop? I have stalked the Hugo/Mojo forums and am interested more towards Mojo as I am someone who is currently listening to streaming music and just want to enjoy musicality. So if anyone has a strong feeling I should choose the Hugo please tell me. And back to the first part of post - price drops at certain times of the year are used to begin to clear inventory for new models. I am attending CES in January and wondering if people much more in the know would recommend waiting to purchase or go ahead and enjoy the 50 dollar price drop?

Thank you to all the individuals that take time to help so many of us newbies become much more informed!

Marshall

 

[tamsaiming2003]

Artificial bass is what tou are after, real bass is what you get in a live show. Even a live show in the back yard with no anplifiers the bass drum will go boom boom which is not bright bass.

I c

 

[tamsaiming2003]

Have you tried the original Ether C (non flow)? It pairs well with the Mojo.

I was about to say the same based on the description. Plus one can use the tuning pads to change the tonality if they like. It's also cheaper.

As far as being able to drive on-ear headphones the Mojo is actually quite powerful for a tiny device. As powerful as the Hugo. I've enjoyed the LCD-2, ETHER C, ETHER Flow and Utopia just fine with the Mojo.

Thx. I will try Ether C

 

[tamsaiming2003]

Thanks for doing a far more thorough job of describing your needs/requirements, than most posters - it does help readers to make relevant suggestions.
You will get many conflicting views as to what are the best headphones/earphones for Mojo. I think that many of the people who complain that Mojo cannot drive over ear headphones adequately, are slightly confused. By that I mean that they are so familiar with dacs/amps/headphones that boost the bass response, that when they hear the more neutral output from the Mojo, they instinctively think that the Mojo is underpowered.
I use several different headphones with my Mojo, depending on my mood and needs:
In-ear - I use an old pair of shure hd100, but they are my weakest link, and on my upgrade plan. The two in-ears that I am thinking about most are the shure hd846 (which you have tried), and the Beyer akt8ie mk2 (the mojo and the Beyer are described as a match made in heaven on that thread, especially if you like a detailed treble response).
On-ear I use sennheiser 598se when I want an airy sound, Beyer dt770pro when I want an accurate sound, and Beyer dt51i when I want an accurate sound,good treble response, plus more portability when I am commuting. My favourite is the dt51, so I suspect that I would like the Beyer T1 as well. I am tempted by a couple of other headphones as well, the Nightowls which are Rob Watts favourites when testing his dacs, especially the DAVE - he says that they provide a sound that is more like a 'speaker' than a headphone. Rob is similarly impressed by the focal Utopias, but they are outside your budget, but I am considering their 'junior brother' the Elear, which is much cheaper.

View my comments as containing a few suggestions as to headphones that were not on your list - it is impossible to provide a definitive answer as to which is the best for you, because ultimately you need to demo if you can.

Thank you very mich. I will try them.

 

[kauljp]

That is a great way of thinking. Plus chicks will dig that train of thought.

Have my upvote you cheeky bas***d