[sandalaudio]

My question : using Mojo has a DAC, what portable/desk amp under 1000$ would you recommend to pair up with HD 800. (My 99% of listening is on classical symphonies)

 
HDVD800 drives the HD800 pretty well, so it's hard to find a good comparison on a cheap budget (otherwise why would everyone buy the HDVD800?).

If you don't mind not having the balanced output, I've been using the Lehmann Linear as my main headphone amp for HD800 for many years with good success with my classical collection. It was the original demo headphone amp I've seen used by Sennheiser for HD650/800 before HDVD800 came out. Also the cheaper Violectric/Lake People are popular too.
Beyerdynamics has the budget A20 but it's not as good as the A2, and I think Mojo is much more capable.
If you want more richer colour, Luxman P-200 might also be interesting, though not as high powered.
Exactly on the $1000 mark, I recently found the Musical Fidelity MX-HPA sound quite good with excellent driving ability, free of gimmicks.
 
In the end, driving ability is not the only thing that decides upon the sound quality, so testing and trying as much as you can is the only way to go.
Many people will find Mojo far superior to HDVD800 for HD800, so i'ts pretty subjective.

 

[Chefano]

I could not disagree more. Emperical measurements are vital and far more reliable than most people's subjective opinions. Further, Shigzeo is clear both on his comment you are referencing and his review on his website that he believes the Mojo is a wonderful device. I, for one, appreciate the effort Shigzeo puts into his measurements and analysis for which we all benefit. Thank you Shigzeo.

Thats your opinion  

.
Here is mine:
Empirical measurements without a proven methodology are  so misleading as biased subjective opinions, he uses both. 

 

[joshk4]

In the end, driving ability is not the only thing that decides upon the sound quality, so testing and trying as much as you can is the only way to go.
Many people will find Mojo far superior to HDVD800 for HD800, so i'ts pretty subjective.

I would like to know how you determined the many in that statement. Also, you are absolutely right about the subjectiveness, as I found the hdvd 800 superior than the mojo.

 

[Currawong]

[...] sensitive headphone supported by sufficient power [...]

 
Sensitive means that a lot of power isn't required to drive them. I have been listening with my (modded and re-cabled) HD800s quite happily out of the Mojo. 
 
Do you feel unsatisfied when listening for some reason?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

I would like to know how you determined the many in that statement. Also, you are absolutely right about the subjectiveness, as I found the hdvd 800 superior than the mojo.

 I have a video of an e18 which is very easy to find the specs on when driving into 16 or 32 ohm.
It will push harder into 16 ohm than the Mojo. I did a vid comparing their energy on an identical track and pushed to the max before driver distortion. I will likely be giving my Mojo a 5 star review...or 4.5 but there are many folks using the Mojo with an amp for a reason.
 
Why folks insist on inferring this is a very powerful device and the CHORD site claims the power is massive ...I really don't get it? It is compared to a..I dunno? It is not as powerful as a $99 fiio e12 or a Cayin C5 or a iFi micro, infact it is almost identical to an iFi nano into 16ohm. They also share...like FiiO...the specs of output power into 32ohm which is fairly common.
 
I am please as can be with my Mojo but it's limitation is it's power. Which Nobody even speculated after I asked so i do a bass test which pretty much lines up with specs on sheets and this had none so it seems to be 130mW-180mW into 16ohm

 

[mscott58]

Hi all

I just feel I've made a wrong decision. I should have gone to HDVD 800 had I liked so much of now "my" HD800. Now with having Majo I feel so lost. lol I think it makes sense that it would nake a difference on driving this sensitive headphone supported by sufficient power, not that I'm saying Mojo is 'inferior' to any another high performing amps. If I use Mojo as a DAC only (if possible) what amps would drive the full potential of HD 800? I've researched around and W5 by woo audio or HP V1 / Cypher labs picollo / ray samuels pop admist some reviews.

My question : using Mojo has a DAC, what portable/desk amp under 1000$ would you recommend to pair up with HD 800. (My 99% of listening is on classical symphonies)

I just feel this all started because of my tight budget while no compromise on HD800. I'm posting this thread with confidence though since I feel there r people out there who are budget-constrained but need to find the ways to find " the sound"

Cheers and Merry Christmas! ☃

If you can find one (now that the first run is sold out) the Cavalli Liquid Carbon pairs very well with the Mojo. Cheers

 

[joshk4]

 
 I have a video of an e18 which is very easy to find the specs on when driving into 16 or 32 ohm.
It will push harder into 16 ohm than the Mojo. I did a vid comparing their energy on an identical track and pushed to the max before driver distortion. I will likely be giving my Mojo a 5 star review...or 4.5 but there are many folks using the Mojo with an amp for a reason.
 
Why folks insist on inferring this is a very powerful device and the CHORD site claims the power is massive ...I really don't get it? It is compared to a..I dunno? It is not as powerful as a $99 fiio e12 or a Cayin C5 or a iFi micro, infact it is almost identical to an iFi nano into 16ohm. They also share...like FiiO...the specs of output power into 32ohm which is fairly common.
 
I am please as can be with my Mojo but it's limitation is it's power. Which Nobody even speculated after I asked so i do a bass test which pretty much lines up with specs on sheets and this had none so it seems to be 130mW-180mW into 16ohm

 
I'm wondering why they do not want to release specs for this. Although, I'm sure there is a reason.. there is a reason for everything I guess
 
Yeah, I'm super pleased with my Mojo as well as I was intending to use it as a portable (with ie800) and the ease to which it can sit on my office desk. This is definitely a top product of the year. I have not tried many portable solutions, but I'm sure I'd be hard pressed to find something better than this (taking into account the price).
 
But I was curious and wanted to compare this with my desktop amp (which really I should not), and that is where I found the HDVD 800 more detailed (chord mojo was muddy), spacious, and the music flowed more easily (smoother). Again, the Mojo is a portable solution, so really it should not compete with such a desktop dac/amp. In saying that, I'm sure it can compete with other desktop dac/amp but not the HDVD 800.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

   
I'm wondering why they do not want to release specs for this. Although, I'm sure there is a reason.. there is a reason for everything I guess
 
Yeah, I'm super pleased with my Mojo as well as I was intending to use it as a portable (with ie800) and the ease to which it can sit on my office desk. This is definitely a top product of the year. I have not tried many portable solutions, but I'm sure I'd be hard pressed to find something better than this (taking into account the price).
 
But I was curious and wanted to compare this with my desktop amp (which really I should not), and that is where I found the HDVD 800 more detailed (chord mojo was muddy), spacious, and the music flowed more easily (smoother). Again, the Mojo is a portable solution, so really it should not compete with such a desktop dac/amp. In saying that, I'm sure it can compete with other desktop dac/amp but not the HDVD 800.

 My Mojo is not muddy

 
Not even close. The iFi is wider and analytical but the Mojo is pure musical joy. On Dark Side of the Moon "On the Run" they are using many layers of sounds and the Mojo is the best I have heard at making those available and enjoyable on my IEM

 

[NZtechfreak]

 I have a video of an e18 which is very easy to find the specs on when driving into 16 or 32 ohm.
It will push harder into 16 ohm than the Mojo. I did a vid comparing their energy on an identical track and pushed to the max before driver distortion. I will likely be giving my Mojo a 5 star review...or 4.5 but there are many folks using the Mojo with an amp for a reason.

Why folks insist on inferring this is a very powerful device and the CHORD site claims the power is massive ...I really don't get it? It is compared to a..I dunno? It is not as powerful as a $99 fiio e12 or a Cayin C5 or a iFi micro, infact it is almost identical to an iFi nano into 16ohm. They also share...like FiiO...the specs of output power into 32ohm which is fairly common.

I am please as can be with my Mojo but it's limitation is it's power. Which Nobody even speculated after I asked so i do a bass test which pretty much lines up with specs on sheets and this had none so it seems to be 130mW-180mW into 16ohm

Mojo is 720mW into 8ohms, seems unlikely that it only puts 130-180mW into 16ohm. I asked specifically here about its power into 50ohm and Chord indicated it would do 400mW into that load.

 

[WCDchee]

 I have a video of an e18 which is very easy to find the specs on when driving into 16 or 32 ohm.
It will push harder into 16 ohm than the Mojo. I did a vid comparing their energy on an identical track and pushed to the max before driver distortion. I will likely be giving my Mojo a 5 star review...or 4.5 but there are many folks using the Mojo with an amp for a reason.

Why folks insist on inferring this is a very powerful device and the CHORD site claims the power is massive ...I really don't get it? It is compared to a..I dunno? It is not as powerful as a $99 fiio e12 or a Cayin C5 or a iFi micro, infact it is almost identical to an iFi nano into 16ohm. They also share...like FiiO...the specs of output power into 32ohm which is fairly common.

I am please as can be with my Mojo but it's limitation is it's power. Which Nobody even speculated after I asked so i do a bass test which pretty much lines up with specs on sheets and this had none so it seems to be 130mW-180mW into 16ohm

I think it is important to remember that most of the time, you are but using just a few mw of power in your listening, regardless of whether it's on headphones or IEMs. one thing a lot of people get mixed up about is the meaning of the term power. A lot of people think that more power means a better drive, more bass authority, better soundstage etc, but the fact is that, for a specific volume level through a certain transducer, regardless of the amp you use, the same amount of power passes through. In the case of the hifiman he1000, for example (not the easiest headphone to drive), it had a sensitivity of 90db/mw. This means that you only need 1mw of power to drive it at 90db, which for all intents and purposes, is pretty much enough for most listening circumstances. Then you leave a 6bd headroom for swings and dynamic peaks, meaning you need a total of 4mw of power. Say we make it 9db of headroom, bringing us to 8mw of power to satisfactorily drive the he1000 with adequate headroom. Given the he1000's impedance of approximately 35 +/- 3 ohms, lets use 32 ohms for ease of calculation. The mojo outputs 600 mw into 32 ohms. That gives headroom for the HE1000 to go up to 117db. That's ridiculously loud. I wouldn't even go anywhere close.

We shouldn't look at power specs in isolation. They merely tell us whether or not you will get distortion and clipping when you push the volume up. They don't really tell you driving 'power'.

Of course there are many instances where higher power ratings can give better subjective driving power. However, I am of the belief that the amp is simply better designed to output higher currents and voltages more stably. Thus, it is never about maximum power output but rather the level of distortion at each power level. Look at the Hugo TT for example, drives headphones brilliantly, but it really isn't all that 'powerful' 8' terms of specs. The ALO studio 6 is considered among the best headphone amps, but again its specs wouldn't lead you to thinking that it was all that powerful. The ALO rx mkIIIb+ was also widely considered the most powerful headphone amplifier, but again, it's actual specs make it sound 'less powerful' than the FiiO E12. Just remember, it's never about the raw output power numbers

 

[joshk4]

 My Mojo is not muddy:mad:

Not even close. The iFi is wider and analytical but the Mojo is pure musical joy. On Dark Side of the Moon "On the Run" they are using many layers of sounds and the Mojo is the best I have heard at making those available and enjoyable on my IEM

By far it is not, I'm only talking relatively.

It is funny you mention dark side of the moon, because I'm currently listening to the album, as well as wishing you were here, animal and the wall constantly on the mojo with my ie800. It can't get any better than this "on the run"...

 

[Rob Watts]

 
 I have a video of an e18 which is very easy to find the specs on when driving into 16 or 32 ohm.
It will push harder into 16 ohm than the Mojo. I did a vid comparing their energy on an identical track and pushed to the max before driver distortion. I will likely be giving my Mojo a 5 star review...or 4.5 but there are many folks using the Mojo with an amp for a reason.
 
Why folks insist on inferring this is a very powerful device and the CHORD site claims the power is massive ...I really don't get it? It is compared to a..I dunno? It is not as powerful as a $99 fiio e12 or a Cayin C5 or a iFi micro, infact it is almost identical to an iFi nano into 16ohm. They also share...like FiiO...the specs of output power into 32ohm which is fairly common.
 
I am please as can be with my Mojo but it's limitation is it's power. Which Nobody even speculated after I asked so i do a bass test which pretty much lines up with specs on sheets and this had none so it seems to be 130mW-180mW into 16ohm

I have just measured a Mojo into a 16 ohm load using an APX555 test equipment. With 1% THD 1 kHz single channel,  Mojo delivered 3.30 v RMS - that's 680 mW. Using 50 Hz, it was 668 mW RMS.
 
Rob

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

  I have just measured a Mojo into a 16 ohm load using an APX555 test equipment. With 1% THD 1 kHz single channel,  Mojo delivered 3.30 v RMS - that's 680 mW. Using 50 Hz, it was 668 mW RMS.
 
Rob

Thanks.
50Hz.
My sweet spot. I will be checking that out

 

[sandalaudio]

I would like to know how you determined the many in that statement. Also, you are absolutely right about the subjectiveness, as I found the hdvd 800 superior than the mojo.

 
As I said the sound preference is quite subjective and it's hard for me to "determine" how many people "will" prefer Mojo over HDVD800. An exceptionally long thread here may be a good indication.
 
If you absolutely swear by HDVD800 and cannot find a satisfying compromise in any of the suggestions below $1,000, then the best thing to do is simply bite the bullet and buy the HDVD800. I'm sure you can sell it off for fairly high price in the future since it's a good popular amp. It's only after long thorough use that we begin to realize the benefits and shortcomings of each products. If you don't own it, you could be forever be wondering.
 
Also regarding the power discussion, it's typical on speakers that extremely powerful and high current dumping amplifiers (e.g. Pass, Krell, Levinson, etc) tend to sound clear, lean and well controlled, whereas the less capable amps sound more cheerful and exciting, with dynamic bass, due to the lack of voltage clamping. The important thing is to try every amp at every possible opportunity and try to figure out "why" certain products are appreciated by other people, instead of ranking them.

 

[joshk4]

As I said the sound preference is quite subjective and it's hard for me to "determine" how many people "will" prefer Mojo over HDVD800. An exceptionally long thread here may be a good indication.

If you absolutely swear by HDVD800 and cannot find a satisfying compromise in any of the suggestions below $1,000, then the best thing to do is simply bite the bullet and buy the HDVD800. I'm sure you can sell it off for fairly high price in the future since it's a good popular amp. It's only after long thorough use that we begin to realize the benefits and shortcomings of each products. If you don't own it, you could be forever be wondering.

When you said many, I was just curious.

I'm definitely not wondering, I've got the hdvd 800 paired to the hd 800. The mojo is paired with the ie 800.

I just want to say, for people who is wondering if the mojo is better than the ha 2, it is definitely by a wide margin.