[Derivative]

The best sound that I've heard via Mojo Org was with Focal Utopia. If you are a bit tight on the budged I think Clear's should be considered too. Not as detailed as Utopia and has a bit of harshness in treble, but in terms of technical performance comes close to it. Very precise and impactful sound. I've heard Arya/HD800s and Clear bested both of these HP's to me, though Arya sounds amazing with ambient music. It should boil down to your preferences and taste in music

Another thing to note is that Mojo2 will drive Clear to it's full potential

I have the Clear and I agree they are impeccable with Mojo 2.
the EQ can help trim the FR to taste, and I tend to add a notch or two of crossfeed to a give a slightly fuller sound.

 

[surfgeorge]

The best sound that I've heard via Mojo Org was with Focal Utopia. If you are a bit tight on the budged I think Clear's should be considered too. Not as detailed as Utopia and has a bit of harshness in treble, but in terms of technical performance comes close to it. Very precise and impactful sound. I've heard Arya/HD800s and Clear bested both of these HP's to me, though Arya sounds amazing with ambient music. It should boil down to your preferences and taste in music

Another thing to note is that Mojo2 will drive Clear to it's full potential

Focal Clears are excellent, very balanced, with great PRaT, detail, precise imaging and good extension top to bottom.
I need to spend more time with the Mojo 2 and the Clears but I think it will be an excellent match.
1,5 years ago I compared the Utopia, Arya, HD800s, Meze Empyrean and Clears driven by my Hugo 2 and the Utopia is really a Clear on Steroids. It would certainly sound great out of the Mojo 2 but personally I think this is a step too far and the M2 will be the bottleneck. The Hugo 2 or TT2 should be a better match with the Utopia.
HD800s should be a good pairing with Mojo 2 as well, especially with the possibilities to adapt the frequency response with DSP. I may have to get myself a pair one day...

Regarding the Hifiman Arya, personally I also found the Clears to be the overall better headphone for my tastes. I really liked the Arya when demoing them 1,5 years ago and bought a V2 last year. Soundstage is great, detail and layering as well. But I found the Clears simply more engaging, balanced and realistic with pretty much any kind of music I tested. Even the soundstage is much smaller, the imaging is great with the Clears. So after a few months I sold the Arya again. The SE is supposed to be a little more dynamic and easier to drive, but it will mostly come down to what type of music reproduction you prefer - punchy, more intimate and realistic (Clears) or kind of relaxed, very wide, super clean and detailed (Arya)

A headphone I'd love to hear with the M2 would be the ZMF Auteur. That should pair really well too...
Anyone who has experience with them and how they pair with Mojo 2 or Hugo 2?

 

[KelFab]

Differences between the Clear and the Utopia are clearly hearable through the Mojo 2.
Much more precise and reveiling, voices are way better rendered (a bit less warmth but de-veiled), less harshness in the treble (more refined), basses are impactful and very articulate.
But the Utopia is also less forgiving on bad recordings (but less on the Mojo 2 than on the Hugo 2), and less easy-listening than the Clear.

 

[dizcotec]

Differences between the Clear and the Utopia are clearly earable through the Mojo 2.
Much more precise and reveiling, voices are way better rendered (a bit less warmth but de-veiled), less harshness in the treble (more refined), basses are impactful and very articulate.
But the Utopia is also less forgiving on bad recordings (but less on the Mojo 2 than on the Hugo 2), and less easy-listening than the Clear.

I love the word “earable”. Will make that part of my vocabulary too now! Genius.

 

[jarnopp]

Curious to hear what people think would be the ultimate headphone pairing with Mojo 2?

As higher-end headphones become easier and easier to drive, there's probably a lot of choice out there now. For example, Arya SE, LCD-X, HD800s, etc.

Obviously, there are better sources for the cans I mentioned, but that's not my question. The question is, if you were unable or unwilling to upgrade from Mojo 2, what would be your end-game headphones?

Because it’s portable, I think you would lean toward a closed back that is also portable. The DCA Noire is a fantastic headphone on its own and a perfect pairing with Mojo. It benefits from crossfeed but I don’t use any DSP, but it’s there if you want it. Also, Mojo 2 (and OG Mojo) has plenty of power for them. Open backs is a much wider field.

 

[KelFab]

I love the word “earable”. Will make that part of my vocabulary too now! Genius.

Forgot the « H », my bad .. . « Audible » if you prefer, but I suppose you figured it out by yourself ...

 

[rlanger]

Because it’s portable, I think you would lean toward a closed back that is also portable. The DCA Noire is a fantastic headphone on its own and a perfect pairing with Mojo. It benefits from crossfeed but I don’t use any DSP, but it’s there if you want it. Also, Mojo 2 (and OG Mojo) has plenty of power for them. Open backs is a much wider field.

My Mojo is pretty much desktop only, so if and when I do upgrade, chances are pretty good that they'll be open-backs.

 

[someyoungguy]

Well things must be getting back to normal here in Shanghai, because deliveries have resumed and the pre-order I put in for the M2 months ago finally arrived

There seems to be two camps of people on here - those that see the M2 as a solid upgrade over the OG, and a few dissenters who prefer the M1. After a day or so of listening, comparing the two with and without Poly, I think I see both sides and find myself kind of on the fence at the moment.

The most immediate thing that strikes me with the M2 is the sense of blackness. I know people talk about a 'black background' but this seems to take things a step further. It's not just that it's quiet when there's no music playing but the sense of quiet around the instruments when music is playing is a step above other sources I've heard so far - like it's own little an-echoic chamber. Also one aspect of the soundstage and imaging that's interesting is there can be a centre image but it can still sound like it's coming from a very distant place, depending on the mix - deeper and further away than I've heard with other players. As others have mentioned, the bass is deeper and more 'linear' with better separation and more space between instruments in general. But comparatively the M1 still sounds good in this regard. The M2 has more detail, and I've had that classic hi-fi cliche of noticing little things like nuances in a note, how the pluck of a string sounds or particular reverb/echoes that hadn't caught my attention before in well-known tracks. The treble is also smoother than the OG.

The EQ and crossfeed etc. is interesting, but I'm not sure whether I'll use them much.

With the OG Mojo I felt that the combination with Poly offered a step up in SQ compared to USB use, and that same sense is there with the M2 as well; I find I can't necessarily decide whether Poly adds comparatively more or less than with the M1, but I guess it's a bit of a moot point as the combination M2+Poly does pull out a remarkable amount of detail. Makes me wonder how M2 would sound with the M-scaler feeding it.

So what are the downsides?

Well, one thing I can't shake is the feeling that with that extra sense of space that M2 has, smoother treble and blackness - all while retaining the M1's overall smooth sound - it seems at times just a bit too relaxed, kind of like a chill-out player for the end of the day and more of an easy listening experience. The M1 feels like it has a bit more of a spritely step, a little extra verve and captures the euphoria and excitement of the music more. I know Rob Watts talks about this idea that the key to designing DACs is to try and ease the sense of work that the brain has to do to decode all the music coming through. Maybe the M2 achieves that to such an extent that my brain feels too relaxed listening to it

The other aspect is that while M2+Poly does a remarkable job with detail I border on feeling like the extent of detail, or things that are standing out, are a bit distracting or a bit too much at times, depending on the track, so that it's throwing things at me that detract from the overall sense of coherency.

I think I also see where some people are coming from where they say the M2 isn't that much of a jump over the original: the change from Hugo 1 to 2, for example, involved quite a change in sound (apparently, I haven't heard the H1 to compare) as well as in functions and controls, etc. But I understand how the step up to M2 could be seen as more incremental in comparison. One thing I do prefer is the single color-scale for volume on the M1, rather than the globes scanning back through the same scale with the high/low gain indicator on another ball with the M2.

Of course, my initial impressions may change with time. But for now, I'm more kind of curious and intrigued by the M2, rather than enamored at first listen

 

[headfry]

Well things must be getting back to normal here in Shanghai, because deliveries have resumed and the pre-order I put in for the M2 months ago finally arrived

There seems to be two camps of people on here - those that see the M2 as a solid upgrade over the OG, and a few dissenters who prefer the M1. After a day or so of listening, comparing the two with and without Poly, I think I see both sides and find myself kind of on the fence at the moment.

The most immediate thing that strikes me with the M2 is the sense of blackness. I know people talk about a 'black background' but this seems to take things a step further. It's not just that it's quiet when there's no music playing but the sense of quiet around the instruments when music is playing is a step above other sources I've heard so far - like it's own little an-echoic chamber. Also one aspect of the soundstage and imaging that's interesting is there can be a centre image but it can still sound like it's coming from a very distant place, depending on the mix - deeper and further away than I've heard with other players. As others have mentioned, the bass is deeper and more 'linear' with better separation and more space between instruments in general. But comparatively the M1 still sounds good in this regard. The M2 has more detail, and I've had that classic hi-fi cliche of noticing little things like nuances in a note, how the pluck of a string sounds or particular reverb/echoes that hadn't caught my attention before in well-known tracks. The treble is also smoother than the OG.

The EQ and crossfeed etc. is interesting, but I'm not sure whether I'll use them much.

With the OG Mojo I felt that the combination with Poly offered a step up in SQ compared to USB use, and that same sense is there with the M2 as well; I find I can't necessarily decide whether Poly adds comparatively more or less than with the M1, but I guess it's a bit of a moot point as the combination M2+Poly does pull out a remarkable amount of detail. Makes me wonder how M2 would sound with the M-scaler feeding it.

So what are the downsides?

Well, one thing I can't shake is the feeling that with that extra sense of space that M2 has, smoother treble and blackness - all while retaining the M1's overall smooth sound - it seems at times just a bit too relaxed, kind of like a chill-out player for the end of the day and more of an easy listening experience. The M1 feels like it has a bit more of a spritely step, a little extra verve and captures the euphoria and excitement of the music more. I know Rob Watts talks about this idea that the key to designing DACs is to try and ease the sense of work that the brain has to do to decode all the music coming through. Maybe the M2 achieves that to such an extent that my brain feels too relaxed listening to it

The other aspect is that while M2+Poly does a remarkable job with detail I border on feeling like the extent of detail, or things that are standing out, are a bit distracting or a bit too much at times, depending on the track, so that it's throwing things at me that detract from the overall sense of coherency.

I think I also see where some people are coming from where they say the M2 isn't that much of a jump over the original: the change from Hugo 1 to 2, for example, involved quite a change in sound (apparently, I haven't heard the H1 to compare) as well as in functions and controls, etc. But I understand how the step up to M2 could be seen as more incremental in comparison. One thing I do prefer is the single color-scale for volume on the M1, rather than the globes scanning back through the same scale with the high/low gain indicator on another ball with the M2.

Of course, my initial impressions may change with time. But for now, I'm more kind of curious and intrigued by the M2, rather than enamored at first listen

Interesting take and my opinion is quite opposite, then again I've been listening to it for a long time, over 3 months. I found the M2 to be a VERY impressive upgrade over the OG, especially in bass detail/resolution where the OG has good weight and punch but by comparison seems smoothed over. For me M2 takes everything OG does, improves sound quality throughout the range (and more accurate/better imaging, better coherence and dynamics) to the point that I rarely listen to OG anymore. The Mojo 2 also has noticeably improved dynamics. Both are a very musical listen but I'm really enjoying the M2 and all that it brings. I would never describe M2 as sounding too relaxed or distracting with details, to me in my system it sounds transparent, musical and very rewarding. Price considered, in my setup and for my needs I much prefer this to the H2.

 

[Slim1970]

Hugo 3 may be around the corner

If the Hugo 3 has built-in EQ like the Mojo 2 then I’m all aboard.

 

[Alan Billington]

If the Hugo 3 has built-in EQ like the Mojo 2 then I’m all aboard.

I suspect everyone would be to be frank. Potentially game changing at the highest level

 

[someyoungguy]

Interesting take and my opinion is quite opposite, then again I've been listening to it for a long time, over 3 months. I found the M2 to be a VERY impressive upgrade over the OG, especially in bass detail/resolution where the OG has good weight and punch but by comparison seems smoothed over. For me M2 takes everything OG does, improves sound quality throughout the range (and more accurate/better imaging, better coherence and dynamics) to the point that I rarely listen to OG anymore. The Mojo 2 also has noticeably improved dynamics. Both are a very musical listen but I'm really enjoying the M2 and all that it brings. I would never describe M2 as sounding too relaxed or distracting with details, to me in my system it sounds transparent, musical and very rewarding. Price considered, in my setup and for my needs I much prefer this to the H2.

Yeah the improvement in bass resolution and texture is a noticeable step up. Goes deeper, bass notes are more separated with more nuance. I certainly intend on keeping the M2 around for a while to get used to it and see how I feel over the longer term.

 

[emilsoft]

Has anyone here tested the Mojo 2 with the M Scaler? Purely for scientific research reasons..

It's interesting to me to see different upgrade paths. If say one has the Mojo 2 as their only device and wishes over period of time to upgrade, getting an M Scaler before a better chord dac might be one way to do it.

 

[hakunamakaka]

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.

 

[emilsoft]

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.

I am talking about a specific upgrade path - If someone has a Mojo 2 and plans to eventually get M Scaler + TT3 (with DSP eq if/when it eventually comes out). TT2 might not be an option now for someone spoiled by the Mojo 2's sweet EQ.

As such it is interesting to know how the Mojo 2 scales with the M Scaler to tie one over until a TT3 comes out