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- Feb 8, 2008
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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.