Chord Mojo(1) DAC-amp ☆★►FAQ in 3rd post!◄★☆

[vince741]

Thanks Currawong, I'll let lavricables know.

 

[NaiveSound]

This is my first post on head-fi, I had to do it since trying finally the mojo.

Keep in mind I pair it with the se846  with custom tips made in japan and iphone 6s+, that being my main form for listening to music.

Unfortunately it was a let down trying the mojo, specially after rearing all the hype from it. Maybe with other more demanding headphones the mojo will shine but not with the se846.

There was an improvement in audio, yes, but not at all a 600 euro improvement. 

If I were to quantify the improvement, I would say it was 10% at max (while really looking for the difference) to almost nothing on other types of songs.

In fact I would say I was more impressed with the JVC [COLOR=222222]SU-AX7 with some others [/COLOR]genres of music while being much cheaper.

Im not sure how is in other countries but I live in Japan and here the electronic stores allow you to try all kind of audio equipment, rows and rows, from amps to headphones, cheap to expensive, as much as you want and after hrs unfortunately the mojo didnt win me over.

Im not saying is bad , Im just cautioning people if they intent to buy it and use them along the se846, dont expect great results.

I agree, at 599$ it's not really worth it to me, however, after testing and testing with many iems and headphones I realized it was the se846 as the problem and mojo simply made everynother headphone shine better.

To me mojo is a keeper, however I feel the price per sound is a little too high, the dx80 with 1.1.4 FW, doesn't sound too far from mojo.

But I just think the best sound is in full sized headphones and se846 is just not an impressive iem

 

[x RELIC x]

This is my first post on head-fi, I had to do it since trying finally the mojo.

Keep in mind I pair it with the se846  with custom tips made in japan and iphone 6s+, that being my main form for listening to music.

Unfortunately it was a let down trying the mojo, specially after rearing all the hype from it. Maybe with other more demanding headphones the mojo will shine but not with the se846.

There was an improvement in audio, yes, but not at all a 600 euro improvement. 

If I were to quantify the improvement, I would say it was 10% at max (while really looking for the difference) to almost nothing on other types of songs.

In fact I would say I was more impressed with the JVC [COLOR=222222]SU-AX7 with some others [/COLOR]genres of music while being much cheaper.

Im not sure how is in other countries but I live in Japan and here the electronic stores allow you to try all kind of audio equipment, rows and rows, from amps to headphones, cheap to expensive, as much as you want and after hrs unfortunately the mojo didnt win me over.

Im not saying is bad , Im just cautioning people if they intent to buy it and use them along the se846, dont expect great results.

Objectively I would actually agree with you. In Head Fi sometimes we pay much more money for a 10% improvement though. I value that last 10% greatly so for me, subjectively, the Mojo is a bargain. At the end of the day if you prefer other gear there is nothing wrong with that. We enjoy what we enjoy.

I do agree with Currawong, one of the Mojo's greatest strengths is timbre.

 

[shuto77]

Objectively I would actually agree with you. In Head Fi sometimes we pay much more money for a 10% improvement though. I value that last 10% greatly so for me, subjectively, the Mojo is a bargain. At the end of the day if you prefer other gear there is nothing wrong with that. We enjoy what we enjoy.

I do agree with Currawong, one of the Mojo's greatest strengths is timbre.

Hey, how does the iFi Micro IDSD compare to the Mojo (other than the fact it's way less portable)? I understand the Micro should be better able to drive my Alpha Primes.

 

[Layman1]

I do agree with @Currawong, one of the Mojo's greatest strengths is timbre.

Careful research will reveal the Mojo is in fact made of metal rather than wood.
 
(humour)

 

[xtr4]

I don't know about you guys but whenever someone says Timbre, I always imagine a redneck lumberjack with overalls and red shirt yelling "Timbre" and imagine a giant tree come crashing down.
 
But yeah, the Mojo does give the music I have a sense of realism. Piano keys sound like actual keys being played with their key strokes and natural decay, cymbals crash and splash, drums reverb, guitars twang....etc.

 

[x RELIC x]

Careful research will reveal the Mojo is in fact made of metal rather than wood.

(humour):tongue_smile:

Funny..

For those unfamiliar:

tim·bre
ˈtambər/
noun
noun: timbre; plural noun: timbres
the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity.
"trumpet mutes with different timbres"
synonyms: tone, sound, sound quality, voice, voice quality, color, tone color, tonality, resonance
"the timbre of the reeds"
Origin

mid 19th century: from French, from medieval Greek timbanon, from Greek tumpanon ‘drum.’

 

[x RELIC x]

Hey, how does the iFi Micro IDSD compare to the Mojo (other than the fact it's way less portable)? I understand the Micro should be better able to drive my Alpha Primes.

No worries about the driving power from the Mojo, it'll handle the Alpha Primes just fine.

I haven't heard the iDSD but I do have the iDAC2 and according to iFi they sound very similar (within driving spec). Compared to the Mojo the iDAC2 sounds bright to me, exaggerated, forced, if that makes any sense. There's a slight bite, an edge, to the music that I find fatiguing. There really is no difference in the amount of details IMO between the two. The Mojo just sounds more real. Of course IMO, YMMV and all that.

 

[GreenBow]

  This is my first post on head-fi, I had to do it since trying finally the mojo.
 
Keep in mind I pair it with the se846  with custom tips made in japan and iphone 6s+, that being my main form for listening to music.
 
Unfortunately it was a let down trying the mojo, specially after rearing all the hype from it. Maybe with other more demanding headphones the mojo will shine but not with the se846.
 
There was an improvement in audio, yes, but not at all a 600 euro improvement. 
 
If I were to quantify the improvement, I would say it was 10% at max (while really looking for the difference) to almost nothing on other types of songs.
 
In fact I would say I was more impressed with the JVC SU-AX7 with some others genres of music while being much cheaper.
 
Im not sure how is in other countries but I live in Japan and here the electronic stores allow you to try all kind of audio equipment, rows and rows, from amps to headphones, cheap to expensive, as much as you want and after hrs unfortunately the mojo didnt win me over.
 
Im not saying is bad , Im just cautioning people if they intent to buy it and use them along the se846, dont expect great results.

I felt something like that at first. I thought my Grado SR225e were letting down the upgrade effect of the Mojo over my Meridian Explorer. I could however hear where the Mojo was wanting to go, if it had better headphones.
 
Also it seemed to take a couple of days to get the sound right. Then I moved to using bitperfect.
 
After a lot, a vastly a lot of thought, I see the value of the Mojo. That is even with lower end headphones than many on this thread own.
 
However in the UK, the Mojo is £400, and in euros, that is 512 euro. Therefor you have paid much more than I, and I wonder if I would have bought a Mojo at your price.
 
I have to add that the difference between my DACs varies by reorcding. Sometimes the Mojo sounds little ahead of the Explorer. Sometimes more ahead. The last element to include is that using the Explorer in WASAPI added improvement too. I think I mentioned in my last post an album, Sacred Spirit - Chants and Dances of the Native Americans. That album in WASAPI on the Explorer is something else. Sounds are at different angles to each, solid, and textured. The Mojo loses some of those qualities over the Explorer. If the Mojo did not have the edge of more detail, the Explorer would have won that album.

 

[shuto77]

No worries about the driving power from the Mojo, it'll handle the Alpha Primes just fine.

I haven't heard the iDSD but I do have the iDAC2 and according to iFi they sound very similar (within driving spec). Compared to the Mojo the iDAC2 sounds bright to me, exaggerated, forced, if that makes any sense. There's a slight bite, an edge, to the music that I find fatiguing. There really is no difference in the amount of details IMO between the two. The Mojo just sounds more real. Of course IMO, YMMV and all that.

Thanks for the quick response!

Thanks,
Joe

 

[AllenShrz]

   
That wont work, as the USB circuit needs to see 5V to activate. This is how the Mojo figures out which input is connected. 
 
 
Nice to meet another person living here. The thing that made all the difference for me with the Mojo and other Chord products was just the greater resolution as how much more natural music sounded compared to other DAPs and DACs I'd owned or tried. Granted this wont be much use for someone not interested in a lot of acoustic music. Aside from that, headphone or IEM synergy with one's preferred choice of music is the most important thing. That is where the really big differences are for sure.
 
Next time I'm in the city or when I go to the Tokyo headphone festival I'll have to give that JVC a go. They are a brand that doesn't get that much attention here and I tend to like AK-based DACs.

 
Hello!  
 
I bet you can find the JVC at your nearest yodobashi/ bic camera.
 
Im not sure if you are aware of this store, but is fantastic.  http://www.e-earphone.jp/
 
Check it out if you can, I ordered my custom tips there and it was all fantastic.
 

 
I felt something like that at first. I thought my Grado SR225e were letting down the upgrade effect of the Mojo over my Meridian Explorer. I could however hear where the Mojo was wanting to go, if it had better headphones.
 
Also it seemed to take a couple of days to get the sound right. Then I moved to using bitperfect.
 
After a lot, a vastly a lot of thought, I see the value of the Mojo. That is even with lower end headphones than many on this thread own.
 
However in the UK, the Mojo is £400, and in euros, that is 512 euro. Therefor you have paid much more than I, and I wonder if I would have bought a Mojo at your price.
 
I have to add that the difference between my DACs varies by reorcding. Sometimes the Mojo sounds little ahead of the Explorer. Sometimes more ahead. The last element to include is that using the Explorer in WASAPI added improvement too. I think I mentioned in my last post an album, Sacred Spirit - Chants and Dances of the Native Americans. That album in WASAPI on the Explorer is something else. Sounds are at different angles to each, solid, and textured. The Mojo loses some of those qualities over the Explorer. If the Mojo did not have the edge of more detail, the Explorer would have won that album.

 
 
Oh no! I didnt buy it, I was ready to do so, money at hand and everything but then I tried it at the store....
 
Maybe if I had some crazy IEM with 20 drives then I would see why the mojo has the reputation it has but as for now with my setup, is just not worth it.

 

[Deftone]

John/Rob - Any estimated release schedule/timings on the Chord Modules and Case?
Thanks

 
6 months +

 

[AllenShrz]

   
Naïve is that you

 
Sorry couldn't resist
 
Seriously though I think you are in the minority with that last statement as nearly everyone else thinks the Mojo/SE846 combination is superb

 
Yes!  Thats the reason I went to the store with the intention to buy it, some people here recommend it and so I went, but no, I left the store disappointed but at least I still have the money in my pocket.

 

[U2nite]

Hi
 
Got my Mojo 2 weeks ago, after my other brand dac with battery broke down. So it's the perfect reason to try another Dac.
 
I've been listening to music for the last 4 years on my Mac or Raspberry PI2 and the Mojo's my 5th Dac. They've all been less than US$600 each but each was step up in sound quality.
 
So I'm lucky to be look for a dac just went the Mojo became widely available. Didn't read all the 11,000 posts here, of course, but was intrigued enough to give it a try.
 
The AV1 shop in Singapore had stock, so I tried it with my HE560. Gosh, it's so small; it can't be powerful I thought.  Wrong:- it drove my HE560 with authority.
 
Wow! It is so musical, much more like a live concert than recording. The piano, guitars, cello, violins are so live like. Voices are engaging and soothing. 
 
I'm listening to Lang Lang's Live at the Carnegie Hall album (24 bits, 88.2kHz, from HDtracks) now. It's close to being there. 
 
This is not dac, it's a time machine.
 
Rick

 

[VGoghs earfrmsc]

Hi, PLEASE can someone provide a link to a site that has a short micro B to micro B co axial cable,or interconnect, in stock in the UK or eu. Preferably about 10 or 15cm in length.I have tried using links at the beginning of this thread but it takes you back to the first page. My eyes are giving me hell trying to focus, due to meds. I just want to connect my Ap100 to the mojo. TIA.