[GreenBow]

I'm using only IEMs at the moment......yes I should try Mojo with some headphones......maybe this will justify the higher price (hopefully)......with IEMs the difference is still there but very very subtle IMO

I found the difference between the Hugo 2 and Mojo, much more apparent over Rega Brio amplifier and Emit M10 speakers. Less so on relatively cheap Grado SR225e.

The quality of the amp and speakers lent more for comparison. However the soundstage being larger and in front of me, on speakers, was also vastly contributing. The image is quite different between Mojo and Hugo 2. Much clearer too with Hugo 2.

I know that doesn't directly relate to your DACs. However the amp and speakers should still show up the difference. As would/should quality headphones.

 

[Arpiben]

I'm using only IEMs at the moment......yes I should try Mojo with some headphones......maybe this will justify the higher price (hopefully)......with IEMs the difference is still there but very very subtle IMO

Whatever is your perception, be sure to have the correct bit depth/sample rate/driver settings at digital audio player level when comparing both.

 

[GreenBow]

Unluckily I cannot have a demo.

I already use a Mojo as first dac for my Roksan K3 amplifier and I want to achieve a more full sound, where the balance is more on the warm side. Actually, I have too much trasparency. Will the Qutest (I will avoid the Hugo 2, I don't need an headphone amplifier) will give me a more "fuller" sound?

A Mojo dac could compete with a Roksan K3 Dac where the one is 20 times smaller? This is a technical question however.

It's hard to describe, how the Hugo 2 is better than the Mojo. It just is, a lot. It is transparent though, but that adds to its beauty. You can hear though one sound, and to another sound behind, with absolute accuracy.

The Hugo 2 does not have a warm sound signature like the Mojo. However it does have just a natural level of warmth. (The odd review says Hugo 2 is not warm sounding. I find Hugo 2 just right with my equipment. Honestly I can not believe my ears.) ......... I think the Hugo 2 and the Qutest are the same DAC (inside). Maybe there are advantages with the Hugo 2. However I think it will be very close: Hugo 2 vs Qutest. Or exactly the same. I think Chord charge more money for portability, and headphone socket, with the Hugo 2. Plus Hugo 2 has built in 'desktop mode'.

I would say, go and get the Qutest today. (It will change your life.) However that might seem like I am trying to push you. The truth is that I am simply very impressed with the Hugo 2. .............. If you buy a Qutest (or Hugo 2) though, give yourself a long time before you judge it. The same as when you bought your Mojo, and you were not sure. Yet now you understand the Mojo is excellent. It takes the same time to learn how good the Hugo 2 (Qutest) will be.

Mojo vs Rocksan K3 DAC. Clearly size plays no part. It's the processing power in Chord DAC that matters. (Remember that DACs can be small. There is one in your mobile phone.)


Actually you might want to wait a few more days, before you think more seriously. Chord are announcing some new products in the next few days. Maybe see what they have.

I was rethinking this.

I said that the Hugo 2 does not have a warm sound signature like the Mojo. However that's not exactly right. The Hugo 2 is warm, to me anyway. To me it convinces me that the level of warmth is natural. No over-warmth, or under-warmth. Just normal. I know it's a big hunt. However if you found my first post after buying the Hugo 2 (in Hugo 2 thread). You'd find me stating exactly what I said here, that the Hugo 2 has a natural warmth. ... (You might find that post by search function on Hugo 2 thread and search 'natural warmth'.) .. Meaning I am not being misleading to you.

What I meant was that the Mojo has a slightly 'darker' sounding signature. ... Then when posting a reply to you, I incorrectly stated warmer, when meaning darker. I think was from not having listened extensively to the Mojo for a long time. (Or since I bought the Hugo 2.) I replied a bit on auto-pilot. .......... I do listen to Mojo occasionally. However immediately I heard the Hugo 2, I knew it was a lot better and never looked back. Initially I wrote it sounded naturally warm, with more detail; in the Hugo 2 thread. It was very smooth. However the detail as almost blinding, and it took me about a month to totally get used to it. Again, initially, I could hear the extra detail, and liked the Hugo 2 for it. One aspect that really took time to adjust to was the 3D effect.

3D wise, the Hugo 2 put more directional information to the sound, coming from the higher level of detail. Music that I knew well and listened extensively to with the Mojo, now had extra components. Like sounds tacked onto the side of the sounds I was used to. Almost like sounds I knew were composed of more sounds. Once I accepted those new sounds and listened to the music as a whole. I saw and heard the enhanced 3D effect for what it was. .......... This effect is not a synthetic effect. It just means the sounds are more like sounds in life. Rather than presented in a music sound-field. It takes you closer to the original sound that was recorded. ... Sort of like that sound over there has depth, width, and height. It's not that the Mojo doesn't do that. It's just that the Hugo 2 defines the whole experience better. More realistic, in that sort of, 'Is that almost or really the singer right by me'. ....... Just like SD and HD video. See more details on the objects, and it looks more real. Like to me, HD video always looked 3D anyway.

 

[krismusic]

Very interested in this player. Have you got a neat cable for it to connect with Mojo?

 

[krismusic]

Well look what came today

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/shanling-m0-portable-lossless-digital-audio-player-dac-titanium.html

Coupled with Fiio amp and you have a good entry level system, if not a decent transport for a Mojo.

Hi Guys,
today I was doing some A/B tests between mojo & dragonfly black.
I have listened the following albums through the Tidal desktop app with my Noble X:
Chicago Transit Authority
Pink Floyd The Division Bell (HD 24/96 version)
Miles Davis Kind of Blue

Sadly I've noticed that there's no a huge difference between the two DACs.
Please tell me that I'm wrong here, Mojo costs 4 times the DFB...what if I will compare it with DFR (that should be even better)?

I'm not at all certain that I could pick out the Mojo AB'd against my IPhone. I do know that I enjoy listening to my music more with the Mojo over time. I would try listening to the Dragonfly for a while and see if you enjoy it. If so, job done.

 

[surfgeorge]

Hi Guys,
today I was doing some A/B tests between mojo & dragonfly black.
I have listened the following albums through the Tidal desktop app with my Noble X:
Chicago Transit Authority
Pink Floyd The Division Bell (HD 24/96 version)
Miles Davis Kind of Blue

Sadly I've noticed that there's no a huge difference between the two DACs.
Please tell me that I'm wrong here, Mojo costs 4 times the DFB...what if I will compare it with DFR (that should be even better)?

I find A/B testing sometimes quite hard, especially when I switch frequently and try to listen for a specific change.

What works better for me is to listen to my reactions and emotions.
If I don't want to switch and rather want to keep listening it's a good sign, if I am surprised by a tone or instrument, if I find myself diving into the music or tapping my feet more with one device than another, it's a good sign.

But the Mojo has one property that is quite outstanding, the ability to keep music clean and focused even in very busy orchestral music.
I didn't pay that much attention to loud and busy parts in Rock or Pop, but with classical music the Mojo keeps the instruments much better separated and clean than any DAC I have heard so far.
With your Miles Davis music, you should be able to also hear that kind of clear separation and soundstage, but with classical music it's even more obvious.

BTW, as Greenbow said, I also feel that speakers are even more revealing - I connected the Mojo with a dirt cheap chinch adapter to my system and the sound was clearly better than that of my big, heavy and expensive system DAC... Try connecting your DACs to a stereo system if you have a chance!

Have fun and as betula said, if the DFB sounds the same to you as the Mojo you just saved yourself some money :-D

 

[cirodts]

I find A/B testing sometimes quite hard, especially when I switch frequently and try to listen for a specific change.

What works better for me is to listen to my reactions and emotions.
If I don't want to switch and rather want to keep listening it's a good sign, if I am surprised by a tone or instrument, if I find myself diving into the music or tapping my feet more with one device than another, it's a good sign.

But the Mojo has one property that is quite outstanding, the ability to keep music clean and focused even in very busy orchestral music.
I didn't pay that much attention to loud and busy parts in Rock or Pop, but with classical music the Mojo keeps the instruments much better separated and clean than any DAC I have heard so far.
With your Miles Davis music, you should be able to also hear that kind of clear separation and soundstage, but with classical music it's even more obvious.

BTW, as Greenbow said, I also feel that speakers are even more revealing - I connected the Mojo with a dirt cheap chinch adapter to my system and the sound was clearly better than that of my big, heavy and expensive system DAC... Try connecting your DACs to a stereo system if you have a chance!

Have fun and as betula said, if the DFB sounds the same to you as the Mojo you just saved yourself some money :-D

perfectly agree with you, the mojo has an incredible cleaning and separation, better than the dap I have owned

 

[ZappaMan]

New aphex twin ep released on bleep.com

An extension to syro

Sounds amazing - great sound stage - lovely use of real drum kit for a nice groove..

 

[alphanumerix1]

gotta be due for a mojo II sometime soonish no?

 

[superdx]

had a pair of ATH_CKW1000ANV earphones which i have forgotten due to them sounding really sharp. Took it out for a spin on the mojo, wow, just wow. The mojo does not only produce great sound, it can make not so good earphones sound so good! haha

 

[surfgeorge]

gotta be due for a mojo II sometime soonish no?

Chord stated somwhere that they have no plans for a Mojo 2 at this time.
If I remember correctly, one of the reasons was that there is no higher performance low power FPGA chip available, so the core of the signal processing can't be improved with the currently available technology in the small Mojo package size.

So if you are on the fence, buy with confidence. It's a great little product.

 

[GreenBow]

Chord stated somwhere that they have no plans for a Mojo 2 at this time.
If I remember correctly, one of the reasons was that there is no higher performance low power FPGA chip available, so the core of the signal processing can't be improved with the currently available technology in the small Mojo package size.

So if you are on the fence, buy with confidence. It's a great little product.

I think they might have been looking at making a Mojo TT. I know it was talked about a long time ago in this thread. No idea if it ever went beyond chat. The name Dojo was put forward; meaning desktop Mojo.

It would sidestep the need of low power processing. It might be only desktop based though, and not portable.

The idea confuses the heck out of me though, with the number of taps involved. I think the Mojo has about 50,000 running at half speed. Whereas the Hugo 2 has close to 50,000. If you could get the Mojo taps running at full speed you might be in Hugo 2 territory.

 

[betula]

I think they might have been looking at making a Mojo TT. I know it was talked about a long time ago in this thread. No idea if it ever went beyond chat. The name Dojo was put forward; meaning desktop Mojo.

It would sidestep the need of low power processing. It mightbe onl desktop bassed though, and not portable.

The idea confuses the heck out of me though, with the number of taps involved. I think the Mojo has a bout 50,000 running at half speed. Whereas the Hugo 2 has close to 50,000. If you could get the Mojo taps running at full speed you might be in Hugo 2 territory.

I like the idea of a desktop Mojo, but I am not sure how close it is to reality. Probably not too close. Perhaps some limitations could be eliminated that come from the tiny size and battery. Priced maybe around £6-800. Sound quality between Mojo and Hugo2. Hugo TT2 is awesome but beyond reach for many.
The name would be most likely Mojo TT, 'dojo' is a training room where you practice martial arts.

 

[miketlse]

I think they might have been looking at making a Mojo TT. I know it was talked about a long time ago in this thread. No idea if it ever went beyond chat. The name Dojo was put forward; meaning desktop Mojo.

It would sidestep the need of low power processing. It might be only desktop based though, and not portable.

The idea confuses the heck out of me though, with the number of taps involved. I think the Mojo has about 50,000 running at half speed. Whereas the Hugo 2 has close to 50,000. If you could get the Mojo taps running at full speed you might be in Hugo 2 territory.

In very simple terms the Hugo 2 is a Mojo running at full speed. You need the Hugo 2 sized case to allow for the larger battery, plus allow enough space for the heat to dissipate.
Until the next generation lower power FPGA becomes available, at the right price, the Mojo represents the upper limit of the amount of dac processing that can be crammed into such a small case.

 

[surfgeorge]

I like the idea of a desktop Mojo, but I am not sure how close it is to reality. Probably not too close. Perhaps some limitations could be eliminated that come from the tiny size and battery. Priced maybe around £6-800. Sound quality between Mojo and Hugo2. Hugo TT2 is awesome but beyond reach for many.
The name would be most likely Mojo TT, 'dojo' is a training room where you practice martial arts.

I also like the idea, as I am starting to think about a Chord DAC for my stereo system.
Rob Watts wrote something about reference voltage and output stage of the Mojo being limited in design choices because of the limited space.
So there would be some potential for upgrade of a Mojo TT...

The question is if there's enough market size and differentiation potential to the 2Qute in terms of pricing and performance.