[SRKRAM]

Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?

I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.

Not sure why you'd want to because the mojo 2 has its desktop mode which prevents overcharging.
There are no security seals on the mojo, so you can actually open it up and disconnect the battery without anybody knowing about it..

 

[Musicophilesblog]

Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?

I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.

Why would you want to do such a thing when a Mojo2 has intelligent desktop mode?

 

[Staxton]

Why would you want to do such a thing when a Mojo2 has intelligent desktop mode?

Two reasons: First, since replacement batteries for the Mojo, Mojo2 and Hugo2 are extremely difficult to find, if the batteries ever die I'd like to know that I can still operate the Mojo 2. The batteries in my Hugo 2 just died, and it wouldn't run just from the wall wart, even though I though it was supposed to ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-13358921 ).

The second reason is ever since the original Mojo came out, I have made enclosures for the Mojo out of its case for use with Raspberry Pi computers (kind of like my own version of the Poly). I tend to be very risk averse when it comes to powering rather costly electronics, so I never tried to power the Mojo without the battery. Now that I have the Mojo 2, I actually tried to power a Mojo without the battery, and it worked. In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port. I didn't want to try anything like that with the Mojo 2 unless I was sure that it wouldn't harm it.

 

[vlach]

In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port.

That's how i operate the OG Mojo.

 

[cavalar]

A bit of an offtopic, I hope it's ok, my first post actually. Wanted to share my personal experience with Mojo2 and some thoughts on Chord vs iFi DACs, since I've had some trouble finding direct comparisons by non-professional reviewers back in the beginning of the year. Since I'm not an audiophile and just picked up the hobby since like Spring 2021, the following is just my humble subjective opinion, which is now also getting a bit "dusted", so I realized it's time to share it at least somewhere.

I've listened to OG Mojo for some time and, while being definitely better than the Hip-Dac, it lost in terms of spaciousness and bass to Micro iDSD Signature (well, shouldn't be too big a surprise, considering the price gap). I was largely driven by the hype around Mojo, and it didn't disappoint me, but it also became clear there are more versatile and "stronger" portable DACs around. Fast-forwarding few months, I was looking to try out the renown Hugo2, but before finding one locally, I ended up buying a used iDSD Diablo instead, which was just a really nice deal. Despite all the controversy, which seemed to surround Diablo, I really liked it, because it boosted the spaciousness and clarity of my Tia Trio to even further extent, compared to Signature. It felt like an endgame DAC for my purposes... until I finally tested Hugo2 at a local retailer. Not that I was "blown away" or anything, but even that slight edge (scene depth, clarity) Hugo2 offered against my "endgame" amazed me enough to keep greedy thoughts swarming around. Right around this time, Mojo2 is released, and I buy it hoping to find a cheaper and improved alternative of Chord's sound (OG Mojo has been sold before buying the Diablo).

Now, finally, getting to the topic of this thread, Mojo2... I definitely enjoyed the sound and the EQ. Not that I have any proper idea about how it works or whether I can discern it from a digital EQ in a blind test, but it did allow to nudge the sound into different directions, without disrupting the balance overall. The sound itself (Tia Trio) was also good, nothing in particular I can recall, but man do I wonder when people were comparing Mojo2 to Hugo2 at the time. I am not sure if this is also headphone-dependent, but I can attest to some of the few (if not singular) posts pointing out how Mojo2 and Hugo2 were in completely different leagues. In the end I swapped Diablo for Hugo2 due to a few reasons (including the former being too strong for an IEM), but again, mostly due to a good bargain for Hugo, otherwise imho Diablo is really great in terms of price-performance ratio, compared to Hugo2 at MSRP. Where does Mojo2 come into all this? Well, I still consider it an accessible sample of Chord's DAC lineup, which won't disappoint at this price point, but has also tough competition against second hand higher tier DACs, like Diablo or maybe even Signature.

P.S. Please keep in mind all the comparisons are between iFi and Chord DACs just because I liked both of them from the very first, cheap models I got and, while considering other manufacturers as well, I didn't find any competitive alternatives in terms of portable audio going further to > 500$ range.

 

[surfgeorge]

A bit of an offtopic, I hope it's ok, my first post actually. Wanted to share my personal experience with Mojo2 and some thoughts on Chord vs iFi DACs, since I've had some trouble finding direct comparisons by non-professional reviewers back in the beginning of the year. Since I'm not an audiophile and just picked up the hobby since like Spring 2021, the following is just my humble subjective opinion, which is now also getting a bit "dusted", so I realized it's time to share it at least somewhere.

I've listened to OG Mojo for some time and, while being definitely better than the Hip-Dac, it lost in terms of spaciousness and bass to Micro iDSD Signature (well, shouldn't be too big a surprise, considering the price gap). I was largely driven by the hype around Mojo, and it didn't disappoint me, but it also became clear there are more versatile and "stronger" portable DACs around. Fast-forwarding few months, I was looking to try out the renown Hugo2, but before finding one locally, I ended up buying a used iDSD Diablo instead, which was just a really nice deal. Despite all the controversy, which seemed to surround Diablo, I really liked it, because it boosted the spaciousness and clarity of my Tia Trio to even further extent, compared to Signature. It felt like an endgame DAC for my purposes... until I finally tested Hugo2 at a local retailer. Not that I was "blown away" or anything, but even that slight edge (scene depth, clarity) Hugo2 offered against my "endgame" amazed me enough to keep greedy thoughts swarming around. Right around this time, Mojo2 is released, and I buy it hoping to find a cheaper and improved alternative of Chord's sound (OG Mojo has been sold before buying the Diablo).

Now, finally, getting to the topic of this thread, Mojo2... I definitely enjoyed the sound and the EQ. Not that I have any proper idea about how it works or whether I can discern it from a digital EQ in a blind test, but it did allow to nudge the sound into different directions, without disrupting the balance overall. The sound itself (Tia Trio) was also good, nothing in particular I can recall, but man do I wonder when people were comparing Mojo2 to Hugo2 at the time. I am not sure if this is also headphone-dependent, but I can attest to some of the few (if not singular) posts pointing out how Mojo2 and Hugo2 were in completely different leagues. In the end I swapped Diablo for Hugo2 due to a few reasons (including the former being too strong for an IEM), but again, mostly due to a good bargain for Hugo, otherwise imho Diablo is really great in terms of price-performance ratio, compared to Hugo2 at MSRP. Where does Mojo2 come into all this? Well, I still consider it an accessible sample of Chord's DAC lineup, which won't disappoint at this price point, but has also tough competition against second hand higher tier DACs, like Diablo or maybe even Signature.

P.S. Please keep in mind all the comparisons are between iFi and Chord DACs just because I liked both of them from the very first, cheap models I got and, while considering other manufacturers as well, I didn't find any competitive alternatives in terms of portable audio going further to > 500$ range.

Thanks for sharing! You have come a loooong way in a very short time and arrived at a level most people can only dream about....
And your ability to hear and appreciate small differences matches the quality of your equipment it seems!

 

[magicalmouse]

That's how i operate the OG Mojo.

And me, i use a an anker battery pack which cost slightly less than a new battery and lasts for hours and hours before needing a recharge.

d

 

[Epiteto]

When using the mojo 2 on a windows operating system, what format do you select in the device settings?
If I stream with tidal, even in exclusive mode, those settings change..

 

[jarnopp]

Two reasons: First, since replacement batteries for the Mojo, Mojo2 and Hugo2 are extremely difficult to find, if the batteries ever die I'd like to know that I can still operate the Mojo 2. The batteries in my Hugo 2 just died, and it wouldn't run just from the wall wart, even though I though it was supposed to ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-13358921 ).

The second reason is ever since the original Mojo came out, I have made enclosures for the Mojo out of its case for use with Raspberry Pi computers (kind of like my own version of the Poly). I tend to be very risk averse when it comes to powering rather costly electronics, so I never tried to power the Mojo without the battery. Now that I have the Mojo 2, I actually tried to power a Mojo without the battery, and it worked. In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port. I didn't want to try anything like that with the Mojo 2 unless I was sure that it wouldn't harm it.

As others have said, OG Mojo works this way, but with the intelligent battery software and more elaborate boot up sequence, you’d have to try it, or Rob Watts would have to chime i.

 

[Rob Watts]

Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?

I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.

No need to remove a failed battery - the intelligent charger will recognise a fault (shorted battery) and can cope with a battery at the end of it's life too. Both cases it will disconnect the battery and you can run it from the USB charger as it will go into desktop mode.

 

[Epiteto]

No need to remove a failed battery - the intelligent charger will recognise a fault (shorted battery) and can cope with a battery at the end of it's life too. Both cases it will disconnect the battery and you can run it from the USB charger as it will go into desktop mode.

when will it reach the end of its life, is it expected to be replaced?

 

[Kentajalli]

when will it reach the end of its life, is it expected to be replaced?

If original Mojo is anything to go by, years!
more like 5.
Batteries are NOT expensive.
In UK, Chord replaced one for me for £40, including p&p.
I am not worried about battery dying after a few years. Some other DACs die altogether within 5 years.
I might!

 

[syazwaned]

Can anyone share their experience on Mojo 2 crossfeed function with flat head earbuds?

 

[vlach]

And me, i use a an anker battery pack which cost slightly less than a new battery and lasts for hours and hours before needing a recharge.

d

Yes and the external battery retains its charge too. I used to hate it when i would fully charge my Mojo, then not use it for a couple weeks, grab it and realize the battery is down to less than 50%...

 

[torpid]

Hello,

I just got the Mojo2 last week and honestly I'm blown away by the sound that is coming out of this little thing. The biggest thing I noticed is the sheer amount of authority that are put into the notes, especially at lower volumes. Was not getting this type of presentation on the iDSD Signature or other Sabre based DACs.

For my next test, I would like to hook it up to a Desktop amp but have heard varying suggestions on how to get the proper configuration. I have the 3.5mm to RCA cable but if anyone could shed some light on what volume the Mojo2 should be set at? Should it be in the middle or maxed out?