[rlanger]

I think used Clear is the best bet to get the most out of Mojo2 as well. Easy to drive and you could tame treble harshness if it annoys you with quality DSP.
Mscaler and mojo is a waste of money. You loose the portability that mojo offers and if you still feel itchy for chord upgrade I would rather buy chord hugo tt2. In correct setup it would solely outperform mojo/mscaler by a large margin.

Unfortunately, for me, the Clear are not an option because the headband is made of animal leather, and I avoid products made from animals. I'm pretty sure you can get synthetic fibre pads, but not the headband.

Would be happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[Kentajalli]

Unfortunately, for me, the Clear are not an option because the headband is made of animal leather, and I avoid products made from animals. I'm pretty sure you can get synthetic fibre pads, but not the headband.

Would be happy to be proven wrong though.

Focal Clear, didn't work for me either, but it wasn't the leather, it was the sound!
Are you sure it is not protein leather? real leather cracks after a while and is not as soft - I wonder why Focal may want to use real leather.

 

[hakunamakaka]

Focal Clear, didn't work for me either, but it wasn't the leather, it was the sound!
Are you sure it is not protein leather? real leather cracks after a while and is not as soft - I wonder why Focal may want to use real leather.

I agree that the sound is not for everyone. Focal headphones in general are very dynamic and demands attention, but to me Clear's treble was getting hard on my ears for longer listening sessions. The problem is that after Clear's I couldn't go back to HD650 as it seemed that I miss a lot of nuances in music. I think folks that looks for very lifelike timbre should avoid Focals as well

 

[captblaze]

DT1900 Pro with analytical pads (volume double green high gain) has a nice smooth presentation without any DSP. A few tweaks here and there and my leathery old ears get mega happy. not a bad portable combo in my arsenal.

Reference - Count Basic, Tribal Tech, Alain Caron, George Duke

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Hi all, new Mojo 2 owner here, just purchased as a travel setup, driving my also quite recently purchased Utopias.

Very happy with the cute little box.

My previous travel setup was a Beyer T90 with a Dragonfly Red, but this is obviously much more enjoyable.

 

[surfgeorge]

After a month's wait the Mojo 2 was finally delivered.
For reference, I have the original Mojo and a Hugo2Go and the Mojo 2 slots right in between them.
To me, the original Mojo is really musical and enjoyable especially in the midrange, with warm bass and sweet high. But compared to the Hugo 2 the sound is much more in your head, imaging is fuzzy and the stage feels more like a sound cloud. The music sounds right (which is a BIG achievement), but not as open or accurate as the Hugo 2.
The Hugo 2 is very precise, with much more definition, nuance and focus of all notes and elements. This shows in the whole frequency range, but especially in the bass which is so much more textured, defined and extended compared to the Mojo. Hugo 2's detail is excellent IMO, with cross-feed deactivated you get the most of it, even feeling the sound reflections of the venue where the music was recorded.

The Mojo 2 to me is a great blend of the Mojo and Hugo 2. It retains the more relaxed and sweet musical character of the original Mojo with a much more even presentation over the whole frequency range, good stage width, depth and imaging focus, and it even has some of the "room sound" effect of the Hugo 2. In this sense, where the Mojo 1 was distinctly different, the Mojo 2 is the little brother to the Hugo 2, overall softer and more relaxed, but with very similar core values of an even, precise and detailed music reproduction.
The cross feed and DSP functions are incredibly useful and IMO make the Mojo 2 an even more outstanding product.

I was really wondering how close the Mojo 2 would get to the Hugo 2 whether I might end up selling the Hugo 2.
I will keep the Hugo 2, since the level of clarity, openness, detail and precision it provides is still a significant step up from the Mojo 2. But I have to say the Mojo 2 is giving the H2 a run for it's money and it's sheer incredible how that little brick can sound so good, just like a sweeter and more relaxed version of the Hugo 2. And I can imagine that for sheer musical enjoyment, some people might even prefer it over the Hugo 2.

Well done @Rob Watts and Chord!

EDIT: Adding to the Mojo 2 vs Hugo 2 observations, several days of listening to both units with my different IEMs and heaphones have confirmed my decision that I will definitely keep the Hugo 2. Going from Mojo 2 to Hugo 2 a lot more detail comes through, the space opens up and everything comes into focus. It feels like the leading edges of sounds are sharper and trailing edges are alive and full of nuance and detail. As I already mentioned, you can really hear the sound reflections in the room, making the music sound very real. Of course the transducers make a big difference, I can hear these effects most clearly with the Focal Clears and the Sony IER-M9, the best I have available.
And I don't just hear it in direct A/B testing. Even just listening to Mojo 2 I do miss that clarity and transparency of Hugo 2 a little. I am still super happy with the Mojo 2 as upgrade to the original Mojo, but it will not replace the Hugo2Go for me. Considering that there are now a lot of good deals on used Hugo 2s I think it is (still) a great choice.

 

[bridger2086]

Another happy owner of the Mojo2, I feel indeed a landmark product, bridging the chasm between objectivists and subjectivists as well as the affordable and hi-end markets. Few can claim this. Now on to the question (maybe @Rob Watts , and all):

For main stereo use (mostly Qobuz (PCM 44-192kHz) streaming), what is the optimal feed/connection as well as power delivery for the Mojo 2?

That is in terms of connection type (coax vs usb vs optical), streamer design and software, as well as power supply for the mojo itself. I have seen Rob's talk where he touches on this in the Q&A, but would like a more definitive answer. Feeling was that Rob leans towards Optical, but the question is if either USB or coax can be better if handled correctly? The plan is to use a RPI3+/4 as a base and add a hat that will work best with the Mojo 2. Some options:

-RPI4 + Linear PS -> USB (RPI onboard USB)
-RPI 3/4 + isolated USB board with LPS -> USB
-RPI 3/4 + isolated SPDIF board with LPS -> COAX, alt. OPTICAL


For powering the Mojo, I assume the built in battery is optimal. But for always plugged in, how large is the difference between, a battery , LPS and a low noise switching PS? Also, set to line level output, can the mojo get by with a stable 5V/1A, or does it need 2A minimum?


Happy to learn from you!

 

[Nick24JJ]

deleted

 

[Nick24JJ]

My plan is to use my Mojo 2 as a desktop device. I will connect it to my desktop computer - when I will buy it, around December, 2022 - using an optical cable like this one.
When I will be listening from my desktop computer, the Mojo 2 will be battery operated. When I will shut it down, I will plug it in to charge until the next day.

1) Can you, please, suggest a good charger with an on/off button, so that I will not plug/unplug it?
2) How far from my desktop computer, which will be an open-air rig, would you suggest me to place the Mojo 2?

Thank you

Is this suitable?
Or, better this one or this one?

Regarding these queries, here's the reply I got from Chord support:
On the understanding that we have not tried either of them, both should work. It's worth noting that Mojo2 is always battery powered regardless of whether power is connected or not. The board never draws power from the mains directly.

I was not fully aware of that.

So, I went on and ordered this one
It will arrive today, I'll test and report later, I believe it will not have any issue.

 

[emilsoft]

Regarding these queries, here's the reply I got from Chord support:
On the understanding that we have not tried either of them, both should work. It's worth noting that Mojo2 is always battery powered regardless of whether power is connected or not. The board never draws power from the mains directly.

I was not fully aware of that.

So, I went on and ordered this one
It will arrive today, I'll test and report later, I believe it will not have any issue.

I thought Mojo 2 had desktop mode upgrade to Mojo 1 - after battery reaches full charge, power is drawn from the plugged in power supply in order to improve battery wear and tear when Mojo 2 i used in always on desktop mode

 

[rlanger]

I thought Mojo 2 had desktop mode upgrade to Mojo 1 - after battery reaches full charge, power is drawn from the plugged in power supply in order to improve battery wear and tear when Mojo 2 i used in always on desktop mode

From the manual:

7.2.1 Intelligent Desktop Mode Mojo 2 can be left connected to a power source at all times if desired. In this mode, when fully charged, Mojo 2’s menu button and battery status light displays magenta, indicating the end of the charge cycle and the initiation of Intelligent Desktop Mode which regulates charging to preserve the battery.

 

[emilsoft]

From the manual:

7.2.1 Intelligent Desktop Mode Mojo 2 can be left connected to a power source at all times if desired. In this mode, when fully charged, Mojo 2’s menu button and battery status light displays magenta, indicating the end of the charge cycle and the initiation of Intelligent Desktop Mode which regulates charging to preserve the battery.

interesting.. "regulates charging to preserve the battery" - I wonder what that means, does it let the battery discharge a good amount before recharging it again.. anyhow it looks like I was wrong, I guess it always uses the battery

 

[Rob Watts]

When it's in desktop mode the battery is disconnected, and power only comes from the charger, via Mojo 2's PSU regulator.

Every 11 days the battery will get a trickle charge top-up when in continuous desktop mode.

 

[KelFab]

When it's in desktop mode the battery is disconnected, and power only comes from the charger, via Mojo 2's PSU regulator.

Every 11 days the battery will get a trickle charge top-up when in continuous desktop mode.

Good to know, thanks. @Rob Watts, what about the Poly if the Mojo2 is attached to it and the Poly continuously plugged to a charger ? Is its battery also kind of protected similarly ?

 

[msz38]

Happy to learn from you!

In my opinion, it's best to bypass USB, so it's better to connect an optical or SPDIF input.
As for power, I tried in my system (pi2aes-> mojo 2 -> Pathos Aurium) running the mojo on battery or on a generic 5v power supply. There was virtually no difference. The filters are very good.