Chord Mojo(1) DAC-amp ☆★►FAQ in 3rd post!◄★☆
Apr 20, 2016 at 12:22 PM Post #16,383 of 42,856
Hi Mr.Watts,

Suppose you have two HD 800s plugged into a mojo


That is overkill
smily_headphones1.gif

 
Apr 20, 2016 at 12:50 PM Post #16,384 of 42,856
I am wondering about the CCK for iPhone connection. I use it happily, although it is a little clunky. My question is whether or not this part of the chain makes it even worth looking into a nice USB cable. Is the entire system only as strong as the weakest link? Is a Moon Audio cable, for example, going to be held back by the CCK? I doubt Apple has made this item with audiophiles in mind.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:22 PM Post #16,385 of 42,856
I am testing the 800s soon and wonder if the mojo will drive them to their max


The Mojo does a pretty nice job of driving the HD800S and it'll certainly drive them WAY louder than I care to listen.
 
I do find that to get the dynamics and bass that the HD800S are really capable of I have to drive them a bit harder (louder) than when feeding them from one of my (much) more powerful amplifiers (e.g. Ragnarok, WA5LE), but not obnoxiously so.  And while they never quite have the same degree of effortlessness in their presentation compared to the big amps, unless you compared them back to back you'd never know.
 

 
I tend to find I have the Mojo set to about 30 clicks shy of it's maximum volume (it's hard to tell in the picture, but the volume balls are both dark blue), so there's plenty of volume adjustment left
 
So ... drive them to their absolute maximum capability?  I'd say "not quite" ... but its indecently close!  And it's a combination that I enjoy and would have no problem with listening to all day.  Also, I can't think of anything else that's portable, or in the same price range, that's even close (the Mojo easily trumps the RSA Intruder, ALO Audio International+ OE and AK120 here).
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:29 PM Post #16,386 of 42,856
 
The Mojo does a pretty nice job of driving the HD800S and it'll certainly drive them WAY louder than I care to listen.
 
I do find that to get the dynamics and bass that the HD800S are really capable of I have to drive them a bit harder (louder) than when feeding them from one of my (much) more powerful amplifiers (e.g. Ragnarok, WA5LE), but not obnoxiously so.  And while they never quite have the same degree of effortlessness in their presentation compared to the big amps, unless you compared them back to back you'd never know.
 

 
I tend to find I have the Mojo set to about 30 clicks shy of it's maximum volume (it's hard to tell in the picture, but the volume balls are both dark blue), so there's plenty of volume adjustment left
 
So ... drive them to their absolute maximum capability?  I'd say "not quite" ... but its indecently close!  And it's a combination that I enjoy and would have no problem with listening to all day.  Also, I can't think of anything else that's portable, or in the same price range, that's even close (the Mojo easily trumps the RSA Intruder, ALO Audio International+ OE and AK120 here).

 
Thanks for your input! 
 
By the way, what dac are you using when the Ragnarok and WA5LE are hooked up?
 
Besides dynamics, how transparent do you think the Mojo's amp is compared to your other amps?
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:29 PM Post #16,387 of 42,856
Alright, finally did a full cycle with the mojo.
 
 
Got about 7 hrs out of it.  This is with volume levels around red-yellow using only flac.  I think its safe to say that you won't get 8-10hrs of use out of it.   Reading this thread the average everyone is getting is 6-7hrs.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:33 PM Post #16,388 of 42,856
  I am wondering about the CCK for iPhone connection. I use it happily, although it is a little clunky. My question is whether or not this part of the chain makes it even worth looking into a nice USB cable. Is the entire system only as strong as the weakest link? Is a Moon Audio cable, for example, going to be held back by the CCK? I doubt Apple has made this item with audiophiles in mind.


While a nice USB cable can't fix any issues introduced by the CCK, it will, at least, not make things worse!
 
Just make sure whatever you buy is very flexible!  I have a set of the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cables and they're all way too stiff for use anywhere but on a desktop, and that's regardless of whether they have the woven or plastic jacketing.
 
Personally I prefer to use one of the cables that includes a "ripped from a CCK cable" chip.  It winds up being about the same cost as a CCK + good USB cable, is much neater and, if you order it a bit longer than the standard ones, you'll have no issues with stress on the Mojo's USB connector or the iPhone's lightning connector.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:37 PM Post #16,389 of 42,856
  Alright, finally did a full cycle with the mojo.
 
 
Got about 7 hrs out of it.  This is with volume levels around red-yellow using only flac.  I think its safe to say that you won't get 8-10hrs of use out of it.   Reading this thread the average everyone is getting is 6-7hrs.

Before I did a full cycle at the beginning of my ownership I got around 5 hrs. Since I did a full cycle, I measured 8 hrs twice.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:40 PM Post #16,390 of 42,856
 
While a nice USB cable can't fix any issues introduced by the CCK, it will, at least, not make things worse!
 
Just make sure whatever you buy is very flexible!  I have a set of the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cables and they're all way too stiff for use anywhere but on a desktop, and that's regardless of whether they have the woven or plastic jacketing.
 
Personally I prefer to use one of the cables that includes a "ripped from a CCK cable" chip.  It winds up being about the same cost as a CCK + good USB cable, is much neater and, if you order it a bit longer than the standard ones, you'll have no issues with stress on the Mojo's USB connector or the iPhone's lightning connector.

 
I had the Cinnamon for a day, but the micro USB was faulty and had to return it. You're right, it is too stiff to be transportable. What are these modded cables? I know Lavricables makes one, but I don't know if it has the CCK chip in it.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:40 PM Post #16,391 of 42,856
   
Thanks for your input! 
 
By the way, what dac are you using when the Ragnarok and WA5LE are hooked up?
 
Besides dynamics, how transparent do you think the Mojo's amp is compared to your other amps?


Both the Ragnarok and WA5LE are being driven by my Yggdrasil.
 
I'm working on choose another "big" DAC (which might well be a second Yggdrasil) for when I move the Ragnarok to another listening station/rig.
 
The Mojo is highly transparent ... the "amp" section is pretty minimal (I think Rob said it's basically half a dozen transistors) and I would say it's about as unobtrusive as a standard line-out- but it's hard to say for sure since there is no way to isolate it from the "raw" DAC itself.  
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:44 PM Post #16,392 of 42,856
BTW having bitperfect is  such a quality upgrade. I have bitperfect since week 2, I just find it worthwhile to draw attention to this, since it really improves sound, and I am not sure if new Mojo owners are aware of this.
 Using bitperfect in Foobar (with ASIO or WASAPI) gives you more dynamics, more punch, more transparency and clarity over YouTube HD for example.
It is essential to go bitperfect. Read about it, if you do not know what I am talking about.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:49 PM Post #16,393 of 42,856
   
I had the Cinnamon for a day, but the micro USB was faulty and had to return it. You're right, it is too stiff to be transportable. What are these modded cables? I know Lavricables makes one, but I don't know if it has the CCK chip in it.


I use a Lavricable ... which as far as I know uses an authentication chip pulled from an actual Apple CCK cable (as opposed to some third-party emulation of the authentication chip).
 
It's survived several iOS upgrades without issue (I'm on the latest non-beta release ... 9.3.1), including one that made major changes to CCK support.
 
There's the FiiO L19 as well ... which I think is officially certified, but I've never seen one to know.
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:52 PM Post #16,394 of 42,856
  BTW having bitperfect is  such a quality upgrade. I have bitperfect since week 2, I just find it worthwhile to draw attention to this, since it really improves sound, and I am not sure if new Mojo owners are aware of this.
 Using bitperfect in Foobar (with ASIO or WASAPI) gives you more dynamics, more punch, more transparency and clarity over YouTube HD for example.
It is essential to go bitperfect. Read about it, if you do not know what I am talking about.


If you like BitPerfect, you should try Amarra or Audirvana. 
 
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:54 PM Post #16,395 of 42,856
 
While a nice USB cable can't fix any issues introduced by the CCK, it will, at least, not make things worse!
 
Just make sure whatever you buy is very flexible!  I have a set of the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cables and they're all way too stiff for use anywhere but on a desktop, and that's regardless of whether they have the woven or plastic jacketing.
 
Personally I prefer to use one of the cables that includes a "ripped from a CCK cable" chip.  It winds up being about the same cost as a CCK + good USB cable, is much neater and, if you order it a bit longer than the standard ones, you'll have no issues with stress on the Mojo's USB connector or the iPhone's lightning connector.


Torq
 
Well said. 
 
  I am wondering how the Chord Module will be, cost wise, compared to getting a good cable, but also...
 
The module appears to offer a bit of external protection as it covers the other input devices.  I wonder if this will prove valuable, overall.  
 

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