Chord Mojo 2 Thread ___ [product released January 31, 2022 -- starting on page 95 of thread]

[Alenotta]

Hi y’all who have M1 Pro/Max MBPs,

Slight detour from the white noise problem discussed here (which I also had but was while using AK SR25 + A90 as my desk dac/amp), how does the Mojo 2 sound compared to the built in dac/amp of the MBP? I was given the impression that MBPs since 2018 sound as good as the Mojo 1 (not sure if credible), so not sure if it’s worth purchasing a Mojo 2 solely as a sound quality upgrade.

I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.

 

[DavidYH328]

I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.

Thanks for the write up! The reason I ask is because of how much better my IER-Z1Rs sound straight out of my M1Max MBP compared to balanced out of my SR25, with much more authority in the bass and quite a larger soundstage. And the satisfaction I get from that makes me doubt there'll be a significant upgrade from the Mojo 2. If only I'm able to demo...

 

[Alenotta]

Thanks for the write up! The reason I ask is because of how much better my IER-Z1Rs sound straight out of my M1Max MBP compared to balanced out of my SR25, with much more authority in the bass and quite a larger soundstage. And the satisfaction I get from that makes me doubt there'll be a significant upgrade from the Mojo 2. If only I'm able to demo...

I don't use any IEMS so I'm probably not the best person to solve that mystery. I'd guess it may have to do with a synergy between the headphones and the output impedance of the new headphone jack on the Mac. A higher output impedance would probably make the bass feel more authoritative potentially? The mojo is nice because you can dial in the EQ and it doesn't sound like the you've altered the music. If you are happy with the way those are working currently with the MacBook don't mess with it haha. The MacBook headphone jack sounds great.

 

[surfgeorge]

Hi, anyone using the Mojo 2 with Focal Clears (the OG version)? Would appreciate your impressions, as well as recommended EQ settings on the Mojo 2.

I use that pairing and it sounds great.
I also have the Hugo2Go, and most of the time I use that because it has a more defined stage, more definition and detail and even better bass texture and extension, but the Mojo 2 is really close for the price and arguably better value. I don't use any EQ with the Clears, their tonality is excellent and I use Dekoni Velour and Dekoni Stellia pads for adapting their tuning and an even more defined sound.

EDIT: a few more words about the synergy between Mojo 2 and Focal Clears - Mojo2 has really good PRAT for such a small device making music sound very energetic and lively, it has good definition and detail and good imaging. IMO that matches with the strengths of the Focal Clears. The smooth nature of Mojo 2 on the other hand pairs well with the Clear's treble, preventing harshness.

 

[msz38]

Anything below blue is not dynamic enough for me.

You are 100% right. I have a similar feeling. Below blue everything gets flat and spaceless.

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.

Why would you buy chord and avoid its internal upsampling? I wouldn't recommend that, just use a bitperfect software which will switch sample rates on the fly and let the mojo do the hard work.

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

You are 100% right. I have a similar feeling. Below blue everything gets flat and spaceless.

I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.

 

[Alenotta]

Why would you buy chord and avoid its internal upsampling? I wouldn't recommend that, just use a bitperfect software which will switch sample rates on the fly and let the mojo do the hard work.

Hmm you must know more than I do about it. I've not used bitperfect before. I'm usually cautious about installing stuff that messes with the system audio, but maybe I'll give it a go if it is highly recommended. I definitely noticed a big positive difference when I changed my sample rate in audio midi setup while streaming Tidal. I'm sure there are better ways to do things. Like I said the mojo just landed here so I'm figuring it out. But by all means drop some knowledge.

 

[elira]

I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.

Some headphones get better at higher volumes. And also some people like to listen at high volumes, the experience is different.

 

[stormwrx]

I use that pairing and it sounds great.
I also have the Hugo2Go, and most of the time I use that because it has a more defined stage, more definition and detail and even better bass texture and extension, but the Mojo 2 is really close for the price and arguably better value. I don't use any EQ with the Clears, their tonality is excellent and I use Dekoni Velour and Dekoni Stellia pads for adapting their tuning and an even more defined sound.

EDIT: a few more words about the synergy between Mojo 2 and Focal Clears - Mojo2 has really good PRAT for such a small device making music sound very energetic and lively, it has good definition and detail and good imaging. IMO that matches with the strengths of the Focal Clears. The smooth nature of Mojo 2 on the other hand pairs well with the Clear's treble, preventing harshness.

Thanks for your impressions. I received the Focal Clears and am testing them out with the Mojo 2. So far, I have not heard any of the harshness that some have heard in the treble on the Clears. I am running the Mojo 2 EQ with +1db at 20hz and +2db at 125hz and am enjoying the added warmth / low end. I'll have to try those Dekoni pads you listed as well.

 

[dsrk]

I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.

That depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used. I was answering the ideal volume range particularly for HD650/HD6XX.

 

[msz38]

I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.

Definitely not. Curious about your post I checked it out. It is a matter of my setup, perhaps the amplifier, perhaps the mojo2. And I admit that I don't know if you can suspect the mojo2 or another part of the setup here, but it is not a volume issue

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

That depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used. I was answering the ideal volume range particularly for HD650/HD6XX.

That’s what I’m using with mojo 2 around the house as well. Try out an amplifier and see how it goes.

 

[dsrk]

That’s what I’m using with mojo 2 around the house as well. Try out an amplifier and see how it goes.

I have tried a lot of portable AMPs and finally settled with Mojo 2. I don't think there is any other portable DAC/AMP better than Mojo 2 especially in its form factor.

 

[amarkabove]

Hmm you must know more than I do about it. I've not used bitperfect before. I'm usually cautious about installing stuff that messes with the system audio, but maybe I'll give it a go if it is highly recommended. I definitely noticed a big positive difference when I changed my sample rate in audio midi setup while streaming Tidal. I'm sure there are better ways to do things. Like I said the mojo just landed here so I'm figuring it out. But by all means drop some knowledge.

Why aren't you just using exclusive mode in Tidal? If you do that, then Tidal will be able to change the bit rate as it needs to.