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

[turbofeet]

I love the Mojo 2 however don’t use as a portable DAC. It stays at home.

Looking for a smaller slimmer form DAC like maybe iFi Go Bar Kensei. Any comparison here between these 2 Dacs.

I have the Mojo 2 and also the iBasso DC Elite.

They are both really superb and I prefer either depending on my mood.

Definitely recommend that device if you want something smaller. It's really detailed but also leans warm.

The battery has died in my Mojo 2 and I'm just awaiting the replacement battery otherwise I would provide a bit more objective comparison.

I was also interested in the Kensei when I bought the iBasso.

 

[Soundizer]

On the go i will be using Sennheiser IE900 with my iPhone hence like the idea of a smaller dac than Mojo 2.

I do like warm sound and not sibilance

 

[Hypops]

I love the Mojo 2 however don’t use as a portable DAC. It stays at home.

Looking for a smaller slimmer form DAC like maybe iFi Go Bar Kensei. Any comparison here between these 2 Dacs.

The same happened to me. I got the Mojo 2 to use as a portable, but ended up liking it too much as part of my desktop setup. Now it just stays put.

IMO if you're chasing small, slim, and convenient, just go for a cheap little bluetooth device (like the Qudelix 5K) or a cheap in-line DAC (like the Apple dongle). Half measures aren't really worth it. If you're going to compromise sound quality, you may as well optimize convenience and cost.

 

[taipan254]

Half measures aren't really worth it. If you're going to compromise sound quality, you may as well optimize convenience and cost.

Agree (almost) wholeheartedly. Only caveat to the above in my mind: some IEMs require more power than the iPhone dongle can provide. I think the iPhone dongle is pretty hard to beat from a price-to-value perspective, so long as it can power the IEMs sufficiently.

I own Mojo 2, DC-Elite, Questyle M15i, Cayin RU-7, Cayin RU-6... and I use the iPhone dongle the most (pairs very nicely with Dita Project M, not so well with Mega 5 EST). The only mobile DAC I'd keep out of this list is the Mojo 2.

 

[lewenborg23]

I use the iPhone dongle the most (pairs very nicely with Dita Project M, not so well with Mega 5 EST).

So can You tell or explain to me, Why it doesn’t pair well with the Mega5est?
I have an Iphone 14 Pro Max, with Apple dongle and the Mega5est. I want to know where to look (listen) for, what do I miss.
So I can connect it to something else and look (listen) for the differences.

Thank You!

 

[taipan254]

So can You tell or explain to me, Why it doesn’t pair well with the Mega5est?
I have an Iphone 14 Pro Max, with Apple dongle and the Mega5est. I want to know where to look (listen) for, what do I miss.
So I can connect it to something else and look (listen) for the differences.

Thank You!

First - if you're satisfied with your listening experience, I will be the last person to tell you that you're not hearing something right. We all have different preferences, and if you're satisfied, that is THE most important factor.

That being said, I think your question is a good one. I decided to re-do an old comparison to better describe my thinking since audio memory isn't so accurate.

Using a few tracks from Qobuz, I compared:
iPhone > iPhone Dongle > Mega5EST
vs.
iPhone > iPhone Dongle > Sound Tiger Potenza > Mega5EST

The Potenza is a (powerful) IEM amp only with no DAC section... I didn't think comparing the iPhone dongle to another DAC / AMP with a more powerful amp stage (e.g., Mojo 2 or DC Elite) was particularly useful.

Conclusions:
When Mega5EST is driven by an amp, there is better dynamic contrast (loud vs. quiet passages), atmospherics (better rendering of high frequency details), more textured bass (grunt and rumble is more present and discernable). Using a good amplifier with the iPhone dongle and the Mega5EST improves my listening experience. This is not to say the Mega5EST sounded bad on the iPhone dongle - it still sounds great. I just believe it sounds better when powered with an amplifier.

Caveats:

• A/B comparisons are tough to do, especially volume matched. So take what I say with a grain of salt.
• The Potenza is most certainly adding its own flavor, and I do not believe it is 100% transparent relative to the source that feeds it. That said, I think the differences I'm hearing have more to do with the added power and less to do with the sonic flavor imparted by the amp.
• This conclusion also held true with the Dita Project M, but less so - the Project M still sounds wonderful directly powered by the Apple dongle. So much so that, for the sake of convenience, I use this combo the most when I'm on foot in the real world.
• All of this is useless though given my ultimate sonic preference when convenience does not matter - powering both IEMs with the Mojo 2 (without the Sound Tiger Potenza).

 

[lewenborg23]

First - if you're satisfied with your listening experience, I will be the last person to tell you that you're not hearing something right. We all have different preferences, and if you're satisfied, that is THE most important factor.

That being said, I think your question is a good one. I decided to re-do an old comparison to better describe my thinking since audio memory isn't so accurate.

Using a few tracks from Qobuz, I compared:
iPhone > iPhone Dongle > Mega5EST
vs.
iPhone > iPhone Dongle > Sound Tiger Potenza > Mega5EST

The Potenza is a (powerful) IEM amp only with no DAC section... I didn't think comparing the iPhone dongle to another DAC / AMP with a more powerful amp stage (e.g., Mojo 2 or DC Elite) was particularly useful.

Conclusions:
When Mega5EST is driven by an amp, there is better dynamic contrast (loud vs. quiet passages), atmospherics (better rendering of high frequency details), more textured bass (grunt and rumble is more present and discernable). Using a good amplifier with the iPhone dongle and the Mega5EST improves my listening experience. This is not to say the Mega5EST sounded bad on the iPhone dongle - it still sounds great. I just believe it sounds better when powered with an amplifier.

Caveats:

• A/B comparisons are tough to do, especially volume matched. So take what I say with a grain of salt.
• The Potenza is most certainly adding its own flavor, and I do not believe it is 100% transparent relative to the source that feeds it. That said, I think the differences I'm hearing have more to do with the added power and less to do with the sonic flavor imparted by the amp.
• This conclusion also held true with the Dita Project M, but less so - the Project M still sounds wonderful directly powered by the Apple dongle. So much so that, for the sake of convenience, I use this combo the most when I'm on foot in the real world.
• All of this is useless though given my ultimate sonic preference when convenience does not matter - powering both IEMs with the Mojo 2 (without the Sound Tiger Potenza).

Thank You for the reply and ALL the information, thanks!

 

[Soundizer]

Agree (almost) wholeheartedly. Only caveat to the above in my mind: some IEMs require more power than the iPhone dongle can provide. I think the iPhone dongle is pretty hard to beat from a price-to-value perspective, so long as it can power the IEMs sufficiently.

I own Mojo 2, DC-Elite, Questyle M15i, Cayin RU-7, Cayin RU-6... and I use the iPhone dongle the most (pairs very nicely with Dita Project M, not so well with Mega 5 EST). The only mobile DAC I'd keep out of this list is the Mojo 2.

Interesting.

Even with these DAC’s you have you still use iPhone dongle for iem:
DC-Elite, Questyle M15i, Cayin RU-7, Cayin RU-6

 

[CH23]

Interesting.

Even with these DAC’s you have you still use iPhone dongle for iem:
DC-Elite, Questyle M15i, Cayin RU-7, Cayin RU-6

I sometimes use one as well, and not only that. Despite having some amazing headphones, I still use a Koss Portapro all the time lol

 

[Kunal1991]

Has anybody tested the FR of the Mojo 2 with crossfeed on vs off? Crossfeed sounds like it attenuates bass while not having an impact on much else.

 

[williamgib]

Was there a significant price difference between the original Hugo and the Hugo 2?

 

[CH23]

Has anybody tested the FR of the Mojo 2 with crossfeed on vs off? Crossfeed sounds like it attenuates bass while not having an impact on much else.

put one some mono music and see what happens I guess?

 

[miketlse]

Has anybody tested the FR of the Mojo 2 with crossfeed on vs off? Crossfeed sounds like it attenuates bass while not having an impact on much else.

The impact could also feel different for 50s/60s stereo recordings, with all the bass contained in one channel.

 

[joshnor713]

I have the Mojo 2 and also the iBasso DC Elite.

They are both really superb and I prefer either depending on my mood.

Definitely recommend that device if you want something smaller. It's really detailed but also leans warm.

I have both the Mojo 2 and DC Elite too. I agree that they're both superb and worth having. They have quite different sound qualities and a good example that DACs can provide a different experience.

Overall, the Mojo 2 is a technically superior sound (no surprise there), but it's not that simple. I find the DC Elite more holographic and more "airy". It's more pleasant sounding and plentiful detailed.

The Mojo 2 is better suited for analytical listening. It captures the minute details, if that matters to you, or if your headphones resolve to that level. A big difference between the Mojo 2 and DC Elite is with contrast. Using imaging as an analogy, the Mojo 2 sound is like maintaining much of the details in the dark and bright areas of a photo, whereas the DC Elite's sound is a bit like an overexposed image (much like the overprocessing of smartphone cameras these days), you see a lot in the image and it's a very nice and revealing image, but at the cost of realistic contrast.