BlackSport350
Member of the Trade: Apex Audio
Thank you very much!
Chord Mojo 2 Thread ___ [product released January 31, 2022 -- starting on page 95 of thread]
- Thread starter TheEldestBoy
- Start date
Thank you very much!
I guess this is situational depending on if you are referring to connecting to a Traditional Amplifier or listening straight out of the Chord DAC.
For myself, I will never use an traditional amplifier with a Chord DAC. I want to listen directly out of the DAC or stage output I believe it's called. -- ( Resolution and Transparency ) by adding an amp. ++ ( Coloration and Distortion ) by adding an amp. So until Rob Watts releases his own amp design, nothing is worthy to fill this gap amp-wise. Even the current Chord Amp is propaganda. Until it's an official Rob Watts design, best to do due diligence.
So the best way to listen directly out of the DAC is via the RCA OUT. It's about WBT and contact points along with potential crosstalk issues. For my 2-channel CIEM cable, I've completely separated L + R so crosstalk is theoretically eliminated as wires and contact points have complete separation. Rob Watts mentions theoretically about larger surface area contact points available on RCAs versus small plugs during the time of this discussion. Plus the quality of RCAs is decades ahead of any small plugs.
Notice L + R completely separate. Hopefully no contamination possible with solid separation.
My cable is priced around 3 dimes so I was willing to be a Guinea Pig as a few have tried this early on. I'm the most recent RCA OUT transplant. But when you seriously think about it, it makes sense. It's a risk, but I was pretty confident.
- Small plugs like 3.5mm and 6.3mm it's extremely difficult to find premium quality. You have Okay quality like Furutech, Ediolic, etc but nothing worth for a premium cable.
- Besides the basic quality of small plugs, small plugs are a pain to solder since the contact points are so close together. This brings up possible loosening over time as the contact points may slightly or completely come apart over time. And when contact points are so close together, the potential of crosstalk is there. Not only on the soldering points, but when the wires are twisted together.
- If you are running premium speakers, would you trust 3.5mm to L + R speakers or separate RCA to each individual speaker? The imaging and separation is just beautiful with complete L + R RCA separation.
- WBT, enough said. You can actually twist lock the RCA in place on the Hugo₂. You cannot get a better connector brand than WBT and it's the most compatiable and Chord-approved product.
To be fair, I'm running a source and stack similar to the dCS Lina so YMMV. Hence the Baby Lina gamertag. I recently found out via a headfonics reviews that the dCS Lina clocks are on par with mine, so I have to give dCS credit for catching up to my stack on the clock section. They are still behind the low latency realtime, playback software and off-grid power sections. The dCS Lina stack will never catch up with mine and I'll add some gap separation with the next Hugo release.
My FPGA high performance clock source that runs in the MHz range like the dCS Lina is the biggest game changer. The RCA is second. So YMMV depending on your chain.
For dCS owners, 9/10 seems they would not buy a dCS DAC without a clock. The 1/10 buy a clock within 12 months. I would not waste my Chord Arc without high performance clocks. Not chessy 44.1kHz and 48kHz base generic external clocks everyone else is using, but real external high performance clocks.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dcs-bartok.901647/page-66#post-16501888
dCS has proven high performance clocks + FPGA DAC (similar to Chord) perform well together as a whole.
If you are weighing 3.5mm versus RCA to an traditional amplifier, no idea.
I would just apply a similar thought process to that issue. If I have premium cables, would I trust with basic quality small plugs or in the long term does WBT RCA make better sense. Is a complete L + R separation into the amplifier a cleaner method? If your cables are under $1,500 you can get away with small plugs temporarily but if your cables are on the uber expensive side it might be better to invest in WBT which can lock to the Hugo₂ for optimal performance?
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Just a well intended suggestion if I may.
Perhaps ask if anyone here is interested in Hugo 2 and uber expensive designer cables before making a bunch highly detailed posts in a forum that has zero to do with the content if said posts.
No issue for me, just a thought, over to you completely.
If you run your Mojo₂ off a PC w/ PCI-E availability, I recommend looking into a Startech PCI-E USB-C card.
This will not only improve performance by introducing low latency hardware into the chain, but it will reduce noise floor as it will have it's own bus and power directly to the CPU.
Make sure you are using the same ASMedia USB 3142 chipset as the JCAT PCI-E card:
https://www.asmedia.com.tw/product/55AYQ83xg4uy6Uj0/0C8YQ4asx4yt2JR4/3142
Confirmed:
On Provantage, you can grab it for under $50. Everywhere else is around $70.
https://www.provantage.com/startech-pexusb311ac3~7STR9584.htm
https://www.startech.com/en-us/where-to-buy/PEXUSB311AC3
If you need more USB-C ports, make sure it's running the ASM3142:
https://www.startech.com/en-us/search?search_term=3142
JCAT uses the same chipset
https://jcat.eu/featured/usb-card-xe/
If your graphics card takes up two PCI-E slots and space is low, you can can a PCI-E extender:
https://www.amazon.com/ADT-Link-90Degree-Extension-R11SL-TL-Extender/dp/B07TBLB3L1/ref=sr_1_6?crid=AB57E30FS2XE&keywords=pci-e+extension+cable&qid=1666148599&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0Ljc2IiwicXNhIjoiNC4zMCIsInFzcCI6IjQuMDMifQ==&sprefix=pci-e+,aps,164&sr=8-6&th=1
For optimal performance, use a USB optical cable. It's great for stability and Zoom.
I combine it with low latency realtime operating system running Steam, so I game completely in low latency heaven and run the operating system and Steam Games completely in RAM. Since Chord DACs have a bit of lag this compensates by not adding unnecessary fluff.
Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port? Why suffocate your DAC? Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with direct a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E. Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card. You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data workings.
This will not only improve performance by introducing low latency hardware into the chain, but it will reduce noise floor as it will have it's own bus and power directly to the CPU.
Make sure you are using the same ASMedia USB 3142 chipset as the JCAT PCI-E card:
https://www.asmedia.com.tw/product/55AYQ83xg4uy6Uj0/0C8YQ4asx4yt2JR4/3142
Confirmed:
On Provantage, you can grab it for under $50. Everywhere else is around $70.
https://www.provantage.com/startech-pexusb311ac3~7STR9584.htm
https://www.startech.com/en-us/where-to-buy/PEXUSB311AC3
If you need more USB-C ports, make sure it's running the ASM3142:
https://www.startech.com/en-us/search?search_term=3142
JCAT uses the same chipset
https://jcat.eu/featured/usb-card-xe/
If your graphics card takes up two PCI-E slots and space is low, you can can a PCI-E extender:
https://www.amazon.com/ADT-Link-90Degree-Extension-R11SL-TL-Extender/dp/B07TBLB3L1/ref=sr_1_6?crid=AB57E30FS2XE&keywords=pci-e+extension+cable&qid=1666148599&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0Ljc2IiwicXNhIjoiNC4zMCIsInFzcCI6IjQuMDMifQ==&sprefix=pci-e+,aps,164&sr=8-6&th=1
For optimal performance, use a USB optical cable. It's great for stability and Zoom.
I combine it with low latency realtime operating system running Steam, so I game completely in low latency heaven and run the operating system and Steam Games completely in RAM. Since Chord DACs have a bit of lag this compensates by not adding unnecessary fluff.
Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port? Why suffocate your DAC? Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with direct a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E. Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card. You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data workings.
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I completely understand. I'm out. I'll post some photos to support my post when the system allows, but no new posts going forward.
The sample size that can respond to the new user's question is about three worldwide, so I thought I quickly weigh in but with the understanding I'm intruding.
Just hoping for a little leeway since it's a new user and his research brought him to this thread. It's not uncommon for Chord users to cross-reference Chord threads.
GL Mojo₂ users.
My comments were only meant as a suggestion because I know how some users can get if they think the thread about their favourite toy is being “derailed” !
Don’t let my comment dissuade you if you think it appropriate, absolutely no skin off my nose.
Alternatively if all you want to do is help the one poster may private message him ??
Anyway, I probably should have said nothing, over to you.
No worries, I already had my say plus NBA Basketball season starts tonight.
I'm retired from this hobby so I wasn't planning on staying anyways.
I only respond if I see dCS Lina Clock impressions that are similar to my Clock impressions with Chord DACs since the innards and architecture are very similar.
I would of never guessed this decade that someone would post about RCA OUT, so I replied out of the utmost respect for their brilliant thought process. Since the new user is running premium cables, I just wanted to give them confidence that it's likely the right thing to do. It was for me when I was it a similar situation. It's a big decision with big stakes.
We are all at different stages and have different Arcs in this hobby so I've been in these situations. I know when I'm intruding, but sometimes for new users they don't know where to go like tourists.
High Performance MHz Clocks (Optical Isolation) and RCA OUT are the only interest I have left in this hobby, so if I see a post I try to weigh in. These two subjects made the biggest difference during my Chord Arc. That's why I 100% relate to dCS Lina impressions because I already been there with Clocks. I'm trying to get into Ethernet to Optical, but may prove too challenging. An owner of a big Audiophile shop recently used clocks similar to mine in his Network Distribution rig and his impressions was "Wow". When do you see an experienced Audiophile whom experienced it all say "Wow". Almost never. He along with dCS understands the value of high performance clocks in the chain so it will be interesting if he plans to implement in his popular products. Planning to OUT anyways, need to check sport(s) scores. Only weighing in on RCA OUT subject. I've been through a Mojo₁ Arc already, not prepared for another. I'll likely have heart issues if I had to go another round Chord threading. That's why I try to stay discipline and avoid Hugo₂ thread, but since I'm buiding my portable project I was checking if there was some way to fit in a Mojo₂ then noticed RCA OUT.
So clocking Ethernet to Optical with High Performance Clocks will be a future project if a new Chord DAC is released.
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Sure.
Back to Mojo 2 …..
Back to Mojo 2 …..
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I've updated post:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199575
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199655
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199711
What I was attempting to do was make a last ditch effort to implement a Mojo₂ into my portable, but there's no way to add a microphone input without a ADC or daisy chaining a few dongles.
Pro-Tip for PCI-E post:
Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port? Why suffocate your DAC? Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E. Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card. You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data / power workings. Decent Value at under $50.
Officially Out.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199575
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199655
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199711
What I was attempting to do was make a last ditch effort to implement a Mojo₂ into my portable, but there's no way to add a microphone input without a ADC or daisy chaining a few dongles.
Pro-Tip for PCI-E post:
Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port? Why suffocate your DAC? Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E. Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card. You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data / power workings. Decent Value at under $50.
Officially Out.
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Hi,
Has anybody tried Mojo2 with HMS 16x trough dual data coax mode?
Has anybody tried Mojo2 with HMS 16x trough dual data coax mode?
I'll appreciate any replies.
BTW, I think Chord's offical documentation is really lacking. They have a FAQ page but it is very short. Their user guide is also very short and undetailed
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/faqs-category/dacs
Chord should publish a detailed guide and FAQ to explain all use cases of Mojo with Android, iOS, streaming services and Poly. That way, we can find our questions in offical documentation instead of asking in forums.
I fully agree.
I suspect you have not had replies because there is no good answer.
Unfortunately the robust solution you seek is to use a source that allows bit perfect output to the Mojo through a native streaming app that also allows downloads. That is probably most easily achieved with an Android DAP that has built in hi res audio or an iPhone.
Pretty well everything has compromises in portable audio and the Android audio situation is just one of the compromises. The options are to accept the limitations or use a different source without that limitation.
Hi, I do not have enough experience to answer your question but maybe you could have a look at this.
My local store have a 11.11 discount for Chord Mojo 2.
MYR 2105 or 444 usd new.
Should I go for it?
MYR 2105 or 444 usd new.
Should I go for it?
