[brent75]

My 2 cents...

The Mojo will sound better than 95% of the DAPs out there, and 100% within the same price range. In technical ability it will shatter them, but there is personal preferences at play here. The trouble is being able to demo something that 'clicks' with you. For example, many users like the FiiO X7 but I found it too 'holographic' too 'forced'. All the detail was brought out to the forefront and didn't sound as natural as the Mojo. The Mojo has a natural depth and soundstage while bringing out all the detail. Soft sounds sound soft and hard sounds sound hard, again, more natural. For my money I'd go for the Mojo.

Personally I find the V-Moda M-100 to be WAY too bass heavy with not much magic in the mid range and I find them very uncomfortable for any length of time (with the XL pads as well). Not recommended as they will pretty much colour everything. They can be a fun headphone, sure, but that's about it IMO. Others are welcome to disagree. I found the Mojo to make them slightly better, but not to any degree that I'd recommend them at this level.

I haven't heard many headphones in the $300-$500 range (I skipped to the $1K+ range) but from what I've read the PM-3 was already a good choice and the PM-2 would be a better choice. I feel that from what you describe that the HA-2 may have been the limiting factor for what you were looking for.

Great info - thanks. The challenge definitely seems to be piecing together a system (often one part at a time) without having everything already at your disposal so you can instantaneously see what your favorite combo is. You hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater (e.g. giving up on PM-3 when the problem may have been the HA-2)...but when you're at the mercy of 30-day return periods you really have no choice.
 
I loved how the PM-3 fit and felt, and it mostly sounded pretty dang good. But I found it sounded best at home on the couch and lost it's oomph when I was outdoors walking the dogs. And that's where I planned on using it the most: out and about. So my "theory" was that if I got a more colored/exaggerated can that wasn't Beats crap, that may actually be the best bet for dog walking (and then I can still get a nice open pair for at-home listening). And by returning the $300 DAC/AMP and saving $150 on the headphones I may actually end up with something that I like the sound of better. Who knows -- that theory may be sound, or it may be crap and I end up returning the V-Modas to try the Beyerdynamic T-51i next.

 

[x RELIC x]

Great info - thanks. The challenge definitely seems to be piecing together a system (often one part at a time) without having everything already at your disposal so you can instantaneously see what your favorite combo is. You hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater (e.g. giving up on PM-3 when the problem may have been the HA-2)...but when you're at the mercy of 30-day return periods you really have no choice.

I loved how the PM-3 fit and felt, and it mostly sounded pretty dang good. But I found it sounded best at home on the couch and lost it's oomph when I was outdoors walking the dogs. And that's where I planned on using it the most: out and about. So my "theory" was that if I got a more colored/exaggerated can that wasn't Beats crap, that may actually be the best bet for dog walking (and then I can still get a nice open pair for at-home listening). And by returning the $300 DAC/AMP and saving $150 on the headphones I may actually end up with something that I like the sound of better. Who knows -- that theory may be sound, or it may be crap and I end up returning the V-Modas to try the Beyerdynamic T-51i next.

Makes perfect sense. We all have different uses and it seems like you've thought it out well. For your use then the M-100 may serve its purpose. Out of curiosity, have you considered IEMs as well? Also, you may have missed my edit to trying out the Audeze Sine...

https://www.audeze.com/products/sine-series/sine-ear-headphone

 

[Mython]

Is anyone else experiencing a reluctance for this thread (only this Mojo thread) to load properly in their browser?
 
It keeps loading normally for me, except with no actual posts visible, and the posts only seem to appear after I've reloaded it a few times.
 
Other threads are working perfectly normally, for me.

 

[x RELIC x]

Is anyone else experiencing a reluctance for this thread (only this Mojo thread) to load properly in their browser?

It keeps loading normally for me, except with no actual posts visible, and the posts only seem to appear after I've reloaded it a few times.

Other threads are working perfectly normally, for me.

There are some glitches going that affect different threads for me, but not this thread. Head Fi was down for some time for me yesterday.

Bad internet mojo....

Edit: Now I see this thread going funky..

 

[maxh22]

  Great info - thanks. The challenge definitely seems to be piecing together a system (often one part at a time) without having everything already at your disposal so you can instantaneously see what your favorite combo is. You hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater (e.g. giving up on PM-3 when the problem may have been the HA-2)...but when you're at the mercy of 30-day return periods you really have no choice.
 
I loved how the PM-3 fit and felt, and it mostly sounded pretty dang good. But I found it sounded best at home on the couch and lost it's oomph when I was outdoors walking the dogs. And that's where I planned on using it the most: out and about. So my "theory" was that if I got a more colored/exaggerated can that wasn't Beats crap, that may actually be the best bet for dog walking (and then I can still get a nice open pair for at-home listening). And by returning the $300 DAC/AMP and saving $150 on the headphones I may actually end up with something that I like the sound of better. Who knows -- that theory may be sound, or it may be crap and I end up returning the V-Modas to try the Beyerdynamic T-51i next.

 
Regarding the DAP vs MOJO argument, do you want the very best sound you can get for your money or would you rather have a convienent but sonically less capable and engaging solution that does it all? I love to walk and listen to music myself and since I own an LG V10 (has a Sabre amp and dac similar to the Oppo HA-2) I can conveniently just plug in my IEMs or headphones and take a walk outside. I usually take walks with my IE 80 IEM's and with the V10 I was pretty sure I was reaching the upper limits of what the IEM's were capable of.
 
Then I did what turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. I plugged it into the MOJO. The SQ improved several tiers and I was much more engaged than using the V10. After that experience each time I plugged in the IE 80's into the V10 it made me a little bit sad inside. I constantly craved the sound that the mojo was producing. It produced a neutral warm and deep sound. The V10's was detailed but lacked warmth and had a lot less depth.
 
So in my opinion, if I were you, I would buy myself either a very good pair of closed back headphones and stack it with a phone and mojo or buy myself an open back pair of headphones to use at home and IEM's for your dog walks. 
 
When music sounds beautiful you just know it. You don't question it, you are engaged and happy to be enjoying it.

 

[maxh22]

  Is anyone else experiencing a reluctance for this thread (only this Mojo thread) to load properly in their browser?
 
It keeps loading normally for me, except with no actual posts visible, and the posts only seem to appear after I've reloaded it a few times.
 
Other threads are working perfectly normally, for me.

Yes I had that same issue but it resolved itself in a minutes time.

 

[brent75]

Makes perfect sense. We all have different uses and it seems like you've thought it out well. For your use then the M-100 may serve its purpose. Out of curiosity, have you considered IEMs as well? Also, you may have missed my edit to trying out the Audeze Sine...

https://www.audeze.com/products/sine-series/sine-ear-headphone

Funny you ask -- it was IEMs that got me to this site years ago. I currently have a pair of Westone W30s with foam tips that I love. But I've come to realize I only love them for two uses: exercise and mowing. They're good at isolating on the plane, but I don't love (1) the pressure changing feeling inside my ear canals (doesn't bother me on the ground) and (2) the hassle to take out/put back in/take out/put back in during flights. So thankfully I've designated their use...I've been happy with it for years...and I've never looked back. (definitely don't need another reason to spend money)
 
I have indeed followed the SINE thread/news/reviews pretty closely. I would love to try it for sure. But after everything I poured into the OPPO solution, I wanted to start with a less expensive alternative (e.g. V-Modas or Beyerdynamics)...and then work my way up if they didn't solve it. Also, SINE is not on Amazon (and subsequently not on Prime)...and the Cipher cable version is apparently backordered by several weeks.
 
Which headphones I ultimately end up with is taking up plenty of my headspace already --- it's hard to figure out how best to allocate my $700 in Amazon credits.
 
(need an emoticon for First World Problems)

 

[Mython]

   
When music sounds beautiful you just know it. You don't question it, you are engaged and happy to be enjoying it.

 
 
True, that...

 

[x RELIC x]

Yes I had that same issue but it resolved itself in a minutes time.

I just had to switch from desktop to mobile then back to desktop to resolve my thread display issue.

 

[brent75]

$600 source paired with $100 head/ear phone = poor Mojo.

I'd say 400s, but then the budget would be $600+$300.
Or if Mojo shape isn't fine, I'd say Fiio X7. Search previous posts & X7 thread for sound differences between them.

My personal choice: keep the Oppo PM and get Mojo. Pair them with your iPhone. Done. I'd avoid open-back for flight listening session. I'd throw you from the plane if you sat beside me with open-back.

I agree with xRelicx opinion below. VModa is very colored for my taste.

Yeah, when all is said and done I may end up going back to the PM-3 and trying it with MOJO.
 
I originally wanted to get one open pair (home) and one closed pair (walks, airplanes). Then I read more about the OPPO PM-3 and wondered if it could be a jack of all trades for me (and allow me to just get one pair). Sort of a closed pair that could sound open, if you will. So I splurged on it (adding the HA-2) and found myself agreeing with commentary that it was a little bit boring and lacked some low-end oomph thatI found myself wanting. Not a basshead by any stretch, but I wanted kick drums to actually KICK a little. Also, I found that I kept turning the overall volume up on the HA-2 to bring up the bass --- I'm just not a fan of bass boost. And with that, I was getting past a volume level I was comfortable with for my ears. I want it to sound great at lower levels (hence my wondering if I need a colored pair vs neutral for the dog walks).
 
Maybe what I want would actually happen when paired with the MOJO vs the HA-2 --- that's what I simply don't know. But I find myself wishfully nodding when I read adjectives like "musicality" and "warm" and "deep" and "fun." I WANT ME SOME OF THAT.
 
And that's why I find myself in this rabbit hole of theories. And yes, trust me -- I would never try an open pair on an airplane. 

 

[maxh22]

  Yeah, when all is said and done I may end up going back to the PM-3 and trying it with MOJO.
 
I originally wanted to get one open pair (home) and one closed pair (walks, airplanes). Then I read more about the OPPO PM-3 and wondered if it could be a jack of all trades for me (and allow me to just get one pair). Sort of a closed pair that could sound open, if you will. So I splurged on it (adding the HA-2) and found myself agreeing with commentary that it was a little bit boring and lacked some low-end oomph thatI found myself wanting. Not a basshead by any stretch, but I wanted kick drums to actually KICK a little. Also, I found that I kept turning the overall volume up on the HA-2 to bring up the bass --- I'm just not a fan of bass boost. And with that, I was getting past a volume level I was comfortable with for my ears. I want it to sound great at lower levels (hence my wondering if I need a colored pair vs neutral for the dog walks).
 
Maybe what I want would actually happen when paired with the MOJO vs the HA-2 --- that's what I simply don't know. But I find myself wishfully nodding when I read adjectives like "musicality" and "warm" and "deep" and "fun." I WANT ME SOME OF THAT.
 
And that's why I find myself in this rabbit hole of theories. And yes, trust me -- I would never try an open pair on an airplane. 

Go with the Pm-3 and mojo!

 

[Mython]

  .... when all is said and done I may end up going back to the PM-3 and trying it with MOJO.
 
Maybe what I want would actually happen when paired with the MOJO vs the HA-2 --- that's what I simply don't know. But I find myself wishfully nodding when I read adjectives like "musicality" and "warm" and "deep" and "fun." I WANT ME SOME OF THAT.
 
And that's why I find myself in this rabbit hole of theories. And yes, trust me -- I would never try an open pair on an airplane. 

 
 

 

What headphone is best pairing with Chord Mojo?

 
That's probably quite a difficult one to answer as for me it makes all my earphones/headphones sound even lusher than they already did before hand.
 
I've not used my Mojo with any open headphones, only closed - B+O H6 and Oppo PM-3.  With the PM-3 it does a better job than the Oppo HA-2 Dac I was using before.
With all 3 of my iem's it just takes them to a new level.  

 

 

Anyone here using the mojo with HD650s? I got to briefly hear the combo the other day and it sounded really laid back and smooth - the kind of sound I'm looking for. Just want to make sure the mojo can sufficiently drive them before I buy them so would like to hear some experiences.

 
 

   
Yes that combo sounds exactly as you describe an excellent pairing for me anyway.
 
My other high-end headphones, the OPPO PM-3 don't sound great with the Mojo to me. I prefer the sound of the PM-3's driven straight from my X5ii.

Interesting. My mileage definitely varies. I have the HD600's and do not find the Mojo to be a good match. The power is definitely there, but for some reason, the headphones sound thin and underwhelming. The PM-3's, on the other hand, sound fantastic to me. Very full and detailed. My main setup for the PM-3's for this is all FLAC files, iPhone>Onkyo>Mojo. For the 600's it's coming from my Macbook Pro>Audirvana>Mojo.
 
To each their own, of course. But on a transatlantic flight, seemingly full of wailing children, the Mojo and PM-3 pairing has earned some serious savior points.

 

 

Jamming to the Mojo/X5 and Oppo PM3, what a great combo!!

+1. I'm rocking the same combo.

 

[harpo1]

  Go with the Pm-3 and mojo!

I agree great combo!  Lovin mine.

 

[EagleWings]

  Is anyone else experiencing a reluctance for this thread (only this Mojo thread) to load properly in their browser?
 
It keeps loading normally for me, except with no actual posts visible, and the posts only seem to appear after I've reloaded it a few times.
 
Other threads are working perfectly normally, for me.

 
Same here. Only this thread. The posts are being displayed on the right side of the screen as a narrow strip, like on a smartphone's screen.
 
I tried Relic's method. The fix was only temporary. When I navigate to a different page in the thread and try to get back to the page that was fixed, it goes back to displaying it as a narrow strip.

 

[Skyyyeman]

Strange, for me this thread works fine, but the SE846 Impressions thread for me produces the text in the narrow column on the right.