[rkt31]

some people use wasapi but I prefer asio for its hassle free use. simply select chord asio in foobar and you don't need to set anything else.

 

[flargosa]

After three months of using the Mojo by itself, I tried using it with my O2 amp to power my Elear.  I notice cleaner sound coming out.  Any of you guys tried using an external amp and notice any benefits?  I would expect using the Mojo directly would sound best as there is few parts between the DAC and headphone out, but that does not seem to be the case.

 

[Dithyrambes]

Yes...mojo through alo cdm sounds much better by a mile...it just does I'm sorry. If I'm not hearing the transparency meant by the maker I'm sorry...it's just much better..ymmv @mscott58 back me up please

 

[esm87]

Mojo with cayin c5 portable amp sounds better to my ears than just mojo

 

[esm87]

My take is that the c5 just amplifies the benefits of mojo with added impact, could be wrong, sound is banging though!

 

[jlbrach]

My take is that the c5 just amplifies the benefits of mojo with added impact, could be wrong, sound is banging though!

it is not better,just different....the amp will change the sonic signature a bit and if you like the new sound then that is great,enjoy it

 

[x RELIC x]

Rob has always said that the brighter sound is worse as it's a sign of noise/distortion in the path, like msg spicing up the sound. Quite often this brightness is mistaken for more detail. In terms of transparency the laws of physics are that you simply can not add a component and then have a more transparent sound. Adding components will always add their own distortion and colouration. The component is spicing up the sound for various reasons, and each user will either prefer it or not.

I am in no way debating one's preference, and better is such a subjective term. Personally I find the ALO Rx added to the mix makes the treble a bit etched and fatiguing on top of everything (Rob has found this to be the result of noise floor modulation or noise in the path). Conversely, adding the Liquid Gold to the mix makes everything sound more warm (Rob has found this the result of harmonic distortion). In both cases the added amp alters the sound of the source adding it's own flavour. That is certainly not more transparent. I only refer to what Rob has said as I haven't done 30 years of controlled listening tests like he has.

To my ears when listening to the Mojo, or the DAVE, I hear more variety in each track, more nuance in the music, more depth. There isn't the 'ALO Rx filter' or 'Liquid Gold' filter on everything. I think we need to be careful about making transparency statements rather than preference statements, especially when posts are made just stating something is 'better' as that has absolutely no benefit to the reader to understand what's going on with adding components. If posting that something is 'better' it would be helpful to post a few adjectives to describe what one is hearing, which in turn could help others find the sound they prefer.

 

[esm87]

it is not better,just different....the amp will change the sonic signature a bit and if you like the new sound then that is great,enjoy it

hmmm it is better bro... to MY ears, no doubt die hard mojo purists may beg to differ lol

 

[flargosa]

The O2 amp has its measurements posted online for everybody to critic and it's supposed to be very transparent and does not add or subtract from the source signal.  Using the O2 sounds different than using the Mojo straight, maybe the O2 has better headphone driver control?

 

[krismusic]

The O2 amp has its measurements posted online for everybody to critic and it's supposed to be very transparent and does not add or subtract from the source signal.  Using the O2 sounds different than using the Mojo straight, maybe the O2 has better headphone driver control?

I'll have to try it but I always felt that the O2 does not convey emotion which seems to me to be the Mojo's forte.

 

[esm87]

Be really cool to see what chord will come out with next week

 

[flargosa]

I hope it's something at the $500 - $1000 price range.  I wouldn't be too excited if they announced the DAVE 2 and Hugo TT 2. 

 

[x RELIC x]

The O2 amp has its measurements posted online for everybody to critic and it's supposed to be very transparent and does not add or subtract from the source signal.  Using the O2 sounds different than using the Mojo straight, maybe the O2 has better headphone driver control?

Every single component in the audio path subtracts from transparency. There is no question about that. 1+1=/=0.

You can not add two things and have less noise/distortion. It doesn't work that way. Also, the Mojo on its own measures much better than the O2 with less internal components in the signal path with an extremely simple analogue section. The O2 has more internal components in the signal path. The O2, by the laws of physics, is adding it's own flavour (no matter what the O2 fans say). It's just what's happening. The Mojo has it's own smoothness and the O2 has it's own brightness. If one likes the synergy of the two together, or on their own, that's fantastic but it isn't more transparent.

FWIW, I passed on purchasing the O2 (JDS Labs version) when I demoed it long ago because it had a grain and harshness to the sound and I found other amps to do much better than the O2 for my tastes. Again, I am glad if one finds the older conventional design of the O2 more preferable, but it simply isn't more transparent than the Mojo no matter what the marketing says.

As far as 'driver control' the Mojo and O2 (JDS Labs version) have about the same output power with the Mojo having the lower output impedance and better distortion measurements. Also, the Mojo has more Current output than the O2 (JDS Labs version). The headphone driver also doesn't care about what unused power it isn't being fed if using more powerful amplifiers. The headphone only sees what is sent to it for the volume one is listening at.

I respect what nwavguy has done with the O2, but I disagree with some of his assumptions about audibility. Good enough isn't always good enough. Of course, one more time, this doesn't account for personal preference. If the O2 is ones' preference then that's fantastic. We all like what we like and if the Mojo doesn't float your boat that's perfectly valid. I'm simply saying the O2 is not more transparent based on component count and measurements.

 

[MartynB85]

Well after spending day looking for my first 'proper' amp/dac, I went and picked up a Mojo this morning. Came with a free Chord case too which was a nice bonus. Anyway first impressions were not fantastic, I tried my AKG K550, they sound awful. No bass at all, little mid with tons of top end, actually painful to listen to at high volume. I tried to eq them a little in foobar but i started to get distortion, not sure whats going on there, they sound better through my Asus Xonar DGX soundcard. The pads are falling apart after my cat decided to 'play' with them so maybe that has something to do with it, they sound the same on my Sony DAP.
 
Anyway that only leaves me with my RHA t20's until I get some new cans. Now the sound I am hearing is absolutely amazing, I'm now going through my music collection listening to everything, it's like having a whole new library of music. Fantastic bit of kit, and its bloody powerful for its size.

 

[flargosa]

I don’t think the Mojo is always transparent.  Rob Watts said that different impedance load to the Mojo will change the amp sound signature, specifically in the treble region. It was a compromise he had to do when designing the Mojo. 
 
I found it somewhere when somebody measured the frequency response of the Mojo based on different headphone impedance and found the treble frequency response changed.