[flyte3333]

Stage width and lateral placement is not an aspect that needs improving at all - and I can say this categorically, as I have heard the original sound and the reproduced (sometimes just a few minutes later - in that case using a Hugo 2).

This is using a Focusrite A to D converter ?

 

[rlanger]

For me, one of the main reasons that the Mojo 2 is definitely "World's Better", which I don't see discussed often, so maybe it's simply a personal thing, is that it's one of the only amp / dacs at its price point that I can listen to for hours on end without experiencing any fatigue.

The same was true for the original Mojo for me. Add to that its amazing EQ and crossfeed, and well, it would have to a damn special experience for me to consider replacing my Mojo 2.

To truly appreciate what this device is capable of, I really needed to live with it in my system for a few weeks. After that, there was no going back to my other units. I'm not sure that would be the same for everyone. However, I tend to discredit opinions from those who've only had a brief opportunity to trial the Mojo.

 

[Chibs]

Your opinion doesn’t frustrate me it is the constant dramatic overstatement from so many people in this hobby in respect of the differences between gear.

If you think a Mojo 2 blows something else away that is fine but in real world terms it just doesn’t.

Like I said, and I don’t think there is any genuine argument to the contrary, all modern gear of this type is more the same than it is different and all degrees of excellent.

And when you put yourself in a position of “reviewing” gear on YT your opinion probably carries more weight than that of other.

"Real world terms"? So you're grouping everyone in the "real world" into your opinion? Again, you're stretching things.
I haven't demoed the Gryphon so can't comment on on it's SQ but I have and still own the idsd Signature. There's a nice jump up in sound quality between the two (Signature - Mojo). Connect Mojo to a loud speaker setup as it's DAC and that jump becomes even more noticeable. The Mojo's DAC is desktop class and rivals many others I have tried and own. This may be construed as "worlds better" or "in different league" depending on individual experiences and yes, opinions. None of which are wrong.
Now If my opinion should carry more weight because of YT reviews, that's great. I like helping people choose good gear! If you don't agree with Andy's and my own opinion, that's cool. Perhaps you would like to buy a lightly used idsd Signature?

 

[Rob Watts]

This is using a Focusrite A to D converter ?

Correct the Scarlett 8i6. Hopefully the next recording session in May will use my prototype pulse array ADC.

 

[BS5711]

"Real world terms"? So you're grouping everyone in the "real world" into your opinion? Again, you're stretching things.
I haven't demoed the Gryphon so can't comment on on it's SQ but I have and still own the idsd Signature. There's a nice jump up in sound quality between the two (Signature - Mojo). Connect Mojo to a loud speaker setup as it's DAC and that jump becomes even more noticeable. The Mojo's DAC is desktop class and rivals many others I have tried and own. This may be construed as "worlds better" or "in different league" depending on individual experiences and yes, opinions. None of which are wrong.
Now If my opinion should carry more weight because of YT reviews, that's great. I like helping people choose good gear! If you don't agree with Andy's and my own opinion, that's cool. Perhaps you would like to buy a lightly used idsd Signature?

I think it is quite clear what I meant and the overall context of my comments.

You are stretching the realistic meaning of the terms used because you love the Mojo 2 and object to my comments, that is understandable.

To most people it is obvious that something like “worlds better” means pretty well anybody with functioning hearing could listen to both and immediately have a wow moment with the better item.

You know as well as I that the differences between any of this gear are more subtle than they are profound despite that the subtle improvements might mean a lot to you.

My point was only and very simply that describing the differences in a way that portrays the actual differences in a ways that makes them sound genuinely profound when they are in fact subtle is misleading. I didn’t intend to single your post out, my comments were meant in a more general way because this is something that happens all the time in this hobby. And yes it is misleading, unintentionally of course.

I have messed with a bunch of portable and desktop DACs, amps and DAC/amps over the last several years chasing a level of improvement that is simply not what reviews and comments would have one believe is possible within a price range and product type we are discussing and I was just trying to add some perspective.

No I don’t need a Signature, I have a Diablo. Most people praise the Diablo as being exceptional, yes it is good but again not as much better than some much cheaper gear as many would have folks believe.

Clearly you took objection to my opinion so I will leave it at that.

 

[AussieMick]

The problem with all of this is that, despite how big or small the differences are between products, the two of you have different listening experiences, skills, tastes and prejudices. We don’t know how skilled the two of you are at picking differences. We don’t know how experienced you are relative to each other, so one person’s revelation could be another person’s “yeah I’ve heard better”.
As an impartial reader I’m left to take every comment with a grain of salt. Every single comment.
But…if I read 100 favourable comments about a product (of varying degrees of exclamation) and only five negative comments, I’ll assume the product is worth my own time and effort to listen to.
I don’t need a prophet to tell me what to buy, and I don’t need a profit to save me from hyperbole.
If someone is excited it’s great! If they call it world’s better I’ll get the point that they’re REALLY EXCITED. Don’t the vast majority of members here understand that?

 

[BS5711]

The problem with all of this is that, despite how big or small the differences are between products, the two of you have different listening experiences, skills, tastes and prejudices. We don’t know how skilled the two of you are at picking differences. We don’t know how experienced you are relative to each other, so one person’s revelation could be another person’s “yeah I’ve heard better”.
As an impartial reader I’m left to take every comment with a grain of salt. Every single comment.
But…if I read 100 favourable comments about a product (of varying degrees of exclamation) and only five negative comments, I’ll assume the product is worth my own time and effort to listen to.
I don’t need a prophet to tell me what to buy, and I don’t need a profit to save me from hyperbole.
If someone is excited it’s great! If they call it world’s better I’ll get the point that they’re REALLY EXCITED. Don’t the vast majority of members here understand that?

I suspect an awful lot of people read here for feedback from users rather than reviewers, people that are not members and are not interested in being a member, they just want honest feedback from everyday users.

Anyway, seems like my well intended comments have only served to annoy some so that’s it from me, I have voiced my opinion enough.

 

[Kentajalli]

The problem with all of this is that, despite how big or small the differences are between products, the two of you have different listening experiences, skills, tastes and prejudices. We don’t know how skilled the two of you are at picking differences. We don’t know how experienced you are relative to each other, so one person’s revelation could be another person’s “yeah I’ve heard better”.
As an impartial reader I’m left to take every comment with a grain of salt. Every single comment.
But…if I read 100 favourable comments about a product (of varying degrees of exclamation) and only five negative comments, I’ll assume the product is worth my own time and effort to listen to.
I don’t need a prophet to tell me what to buy, and I don’t need a profit to save me from hyperbole.
If someone is excited it’s great! If they call it world’s better I’ll get the point that they’re REALLY EXCITED. Don’t the vast majority of members here understand that?

There are so many biases at work.
If one sets its heart on an equipment, and finally take the plunge and get one, chances are he will (mostly) be smitten by it, and describes it as the best thing there is . . .
OR
Gets deflated (10%) by how he fell for all the hype! and describes it as a rip-off or a fraud.
Either way, it is a kind of bias. There are other types of bias too, that was just an example.
However, the device must speak for itself, through objective testing and measurements, first and foremost.
Only when it passes those objective lab tests, one can start commenting on perceived sound quality.
Then, armed with both results (objective and subjective), a potential buyer can read and make a judgement.
Here is an example:
- Mojo2 does not have a wide sound stage . . .
Looking at crosstalk results from Mojo2, one can see that worst case figure is -85dB at 20kHz and in -100dB range for mid-treble region. With that figure in mind, I can dismiss the comment. But if someone had said, the sound stage is precise, instrument location is pinpoint, then there are no measurements to confirm or refute this aspect, in this case, I might believe it.
Fortunately, from friend to foe, whoever has tested and measured Mojo2 in a lab, has come back with confirmation, that the device operates at the top of its class.
The only issue has been its susceptibility to RF noise through ground-loop. Without going into technical talk, it is sufficed to say, that when used as a portable device, even that will not occur!
The ground loop issue, only shows its ugly head, when the player (DAP) and the amp, to which Mojo2 may be connected, are earthed individually, and then the RFI within that situation, manages to infect Mojo2.
But even then, the degradation is sound quality in most cases, is hardly audible! but measurable in a lab.
For the price, the size, the weight, quality of manufacturing and its heritage as a dependable device - I would say, it is ahead of the competition, not by light-years, but enough, for me, not to consider anything else!
Unless my budget is way below the asking price.

 

[Chibs]

I think it is quite clear what I meant and the overall context of my comments.

You are stretching the realistic meaning of the terms used because you love the Mojo 2 and object to my comments, that is understandable.

To most people it is obvious that something like “worlds better” means pretty well anybody with functioning hearing could listen to both and immediately have a wow moment with the better item.

You know as well as I that the differences between any of this gear are more subtle than they are profound despite that the subtle improvements might mean a lot to you.

My point was only and very simply that describing the differences in a way that portrays the actual differences in a ways that makes them sound genuinely profound when they are in fact subtle is misleading. I didn’t intend to single your post out, my comments were meant in a more general way because this is something that happens all the time in this hobby. And yes it is misleading, unintentionally of course.

I have messed with a bunch of portable and desktop DACs, amps and DAC/amps over the last several years chasing a level of improvement that is simply not what reviews and comments would have one believe is possible within a price range and product type we are discussing and I was just trying to add some perspective.

No I don’t need a Signature, I have a Diablo. Most people praise the Diablo as being exceptional, yes it is good but again not as much better than some much cheaper gear as many would have folks believe.

Clearly you took objection to my opinion so I will leave it at that.

I take objection to you quoting me and saying that my remarks were a disservice to people.

 

[rwelles]

I'm shocked. SHOCKED to find that there's hyperbole going on in this establishment!!!

 

[jsk ksj]

Are you though? Mildly surprised, maybe?

 

[vlach]

I wish people would use the adjectives below to describe SQ differences and refrain from using the ones on the second list:

1. Significant
2. Noticeable
3. Marginal
4. Splitting hairs
‐--------------------------
1. Night & day
2. World's apart
3. Jump out of your seat
4. The second coming of Christ

 

[Headphiguy]

Correct the Scarlett 8i6. Hopefully the next recording session in May will use my prototype pulse array ADC.

Interesting. I wonder if flyte3333 was thinking the same as me, namely that some of the differences experienced between live and recorded music (image depth, tonality, timbre) might be due to the recording process (microphones, cables, ADC etc) and not just its reproduction? In which case further improvements may need to concentrate more on factors upstream rather than downstream.

 

[BS5711]

I take objection to you quoting me and saying that my remarks were a disservice to people.

That is unfortunate.

I typed a more detailed reply but I won’t bother. No amount of explaining my intent seems to be getting my point across clearly.

 

[rocketron]

Calm down people.
Life is bad enough at the moment.
Let’s be thankful for the Mojo 2 and IFI products that we have.
If you enjoy one or the other it doesn’t matter as long as your enjoying your music.

I have a Mojo 2 and a IFI Go Blu both fantastic at what they were designed to do.

It’s amazing that these products exist in the first place.
You can get better sound but not in anything as small or as portable.

Well done IFI on your dacs and well done Chord.
It’s a pleasure using your equipment.