[WCDchee]

Interesting. I am not able to remember, if I saw this option in the Settings, when I had the unit for review.

Tell me, if I understand this correct; even without enabling the 'Digital Coaxial Mode' option, the M1 can feed the mojo through coaxial. But enabling this option, will ensure a cleaner signal, that improves the sound quality?

Yes you're right. Without this option engaged the Esther's runs with the dac and amp on, runs Hot as usual. When it is engaged in digital mode it shuts off the dac and amp and the signal becomes cleaner, contributing to more space, air, definition, resolution and transparency. I won't say it's night and day, but it's significant enough to be noticeable quite quickly to my ears.

 

[EagleWings]

Yes you're right. Without this option engaged the Esther's runs with the dac and amp on, runs Hot as usual. When it is engaged in digital mode it shuts off the dac and amp and the signal becomes cleaner, contributing to more space, air, definition, resolution and transparency. I won't say it's night and day, but it's significant enough to be noticeable quite quickly to my ears.

Got it, thanks. I'll remember this, when I have a chance to try the device again, sometime in the future.

 

[SP Wild]

I use Chord's ASIO driver, which automatically adjusts the settings depending on the file.

If you are using DS, I'd select 16/44...but I never heard a difference between those Windows settings.


I've used the HD 800 with the Mojo for about 8 days.

I think the Mojo is worth it. I have driven the HD 800 from the much more expensive 430HAD and HDVD 800, and the differences in sound compared to driving it from the Mojo are small enough that I wouldn't even be able to tell you what they are without a direct comparison. I can't tell you how it compares to other DAC/amps, as I have only heard the HD 800 on those three.

I was actually able to hear the improvements brought about by the Mojo much more easily with my Koss KTXPRO1 (despite it being a far less resolving headphone), because I've lived with it for a long time and am intimately familiar with how its sound changes with different equipment.

If you want to tap into the HD 800's potential, EQ and physical modifications will do considerably more for that than solid state amps. (As for DACs...since I've never heard the DAVE, I can't say how much better it sounds than the Mojo, but pretty much everyone says it's on a completely different level.)

I have a good deal of experience equalizing the HD 800, from copying various EQ settings others have used to using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Headphone software to experimenting on my own every way I could think of.

I have realized that without mods, it doesn't have nearly enough impact for my standards. (Whether we're talking bass impact or higher frequencies like snare drums.) Even when I boost everything under 100 (or 200) Hz by 12 dB, it still barely has any impact...which is odd because most headphones will hit pretty hard with settings not even half as extreme as that. But I have read about it having very strong impact with certain mods, so I'm not saying it can't do things like that; just not in stock form.

I have also been unable to fix its "mechanical" sound signature no matter how I equalize it. It's probably just a property of the drivers. The detail and imaging are insanely good, but it doesn't seem to be able to reach the level of neutrality, transparency and naturalness as the STAX SR-207. (Which I never felt the urge to equalize.)

The HD800 flaw isn't the bass, it's the treble. Doesn't matter how you eq the bass, the treble will always fight it. Start with treble reduction 6 to 8 khz. Boost around 2 to 4 khz to bring out the snare. The bass eq will be more responsive, after you take care of the lower treble peak.

I have also had very positive experiences with the HD800S and Chord Mojo.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The HD800 flaw isn't the bass, it's the treble. Doesn't matter how you eq the bass, the treble will always fight it. Start with treble reduction 6 to 8 khz. Boost around 2 to 4 khz to bring out the snare. The bass eq will be more responsive, after you take care of the lower treble peak.

I have also had very positive experiences with the HD800S and Chord Mojo.

 
I equalized it very extensively. (In addition to my own experiments, I used Sonarworks and tracked down EQ settings others used, just to have more starting points...but I already said that.) What you described is some of the most basic stuff that I took care of in the first one percent of my efforts.
 
I'd say its flaw is a flaw that pretty much every headphone has: the physical limitations and behavior of its drivers. Every driver imparts certain things onto the sound, no matter how it is equalized. I would describe this aspect of the HD 800 as mechanical.
 
I can say with fair confidence that its lack of impact and texture that is drier than real life cannot be overcome with EQ alone.

 

[SP Wild]

I understand, if you're coming from STAX, it sounds like you are accustomed to the transient response of stats. You can't improve transient response with EQ.

 

[almarti]

Although my desired new cans are Ether Flow to step up over my current HD600, price of 2,000€ (Spain) is not reachable, so I hace reduced to Hifiman HE-560 (1,000€) and Hifiman Edition X V2 (1,400€). I listen classical/progressive rock and jazz (60/40) and obviously they will be paired with my loved Mojo.

Do you think they are the right options in this upgrade on planar technology?
Any other recommendations planar and non-planar in the price range of 800-1,400€? To be paired with Mojo
Any place including online site to buy them at lower price delivering to Spain? Used units as well.

Thanks in advance

 

[Ani1000]

Get the HD800, they will blow your mind

Although my desired new cans are Ether Flow to step up over my current HD600, price of 2,000€ (Spain) is not reachable, so I hace reduced to Hifiman HE-560 (1,000€) and Hifiman Edition X V2 (1,400€). I listen classical/progressive rock and jazz (60/40) and obviously they will be paired with my loved Mojo.

Do you think they are the right options in this upgrade on planar technology?
Any other recommendations planar and non-planar in the price range of 800-1,400€? To be paired with Mojo
Any place including online site to buy them at lower price delivering to Spain? Used units as well.

Thanks in advance

 

[tunes]

Has anyone tried the QP1R with the MOJO compared to the esther m1 or m1pro?

Will the HUGO 2 have Wifi to stream TIDAL?

 

[x RELIC x]

Has anyone tried the QP1R with the MOJO compared to the esther m1 or m1pro?

Will the HUGO 2 have Wifi to stream TIDAL?

Mojo and Hugo2 are DACs, not players. The ability to stream Tidal is entirely dependent on your source.

 

[guido]

Mojo and Hugo2 are DACs, not players. The ability to stream Tidal is entirely dependent on your source.

and then there is the Chord Poly
 
 

 

[qrtas]

Although my desired new cans are Ether Flow to step up over my current HD600, price of 2,000€ (Spain) is not reachable, so I hace reduced to Hifiman HE-560 (1,000€) and Hifiman Edition X V2 (1,400€). I listen classical/progressive rock and jazz (60/40) and obviously they will be paired with my loved Mojo.

Do you think they are the right options in this upgrade on planar technology?
Any other recommendations planar and non-planar in the price range of 800-1,400€? To be paired with Mojo
Any place including online site to buy them at lower price delivering to Spain? Used units as well.

Thanks in advance

The focal elevar is another one to consider.

I also have the hd600. I have purchased so many headphones to replace them. (AKG 701 and many 7 series, hifiman 400i, focal elear, hd650, audeze LCD 2 and a few more) they all bring something better to the table, but lack some other things I like about the hd600. In the end i always go back to the hd600, because it accomplish most of the things I like in sound.

The hd600 sounds fantastic with the mojo. This hobby takes time, money and some experimentation.

I have sold or returned all the headphones i mentioned above and many more. No matter what people say, I think the hd600 is still among the best headphones in the world. To me the most important factor is the naturalness of the sound. Accuracy and technicality are good only if natural and realistic sound are there.

From my limited experience these are my favorite headphones, that I own by the way. This is my own wall of fame.

Grado sr60
Senheiser HD600
Oppo PM3
Audeze LC3

I like each of them for different reasons, but they all share the one thing I appreciate the most on a headphone, NATURAL SOUND.

They all sound fantastic with cord mojo. Yes, the LCD3 too sounds good with mojo too.

Obviously I use the LCD 3 with a desktop rig most of the time, but I had to see if the mojo was able to drive them and I was very, very surprised. The little mojo can actually drive it pretty well.


My point is. go ahead and purchase the headphones you think you'll like. Better if the shop offers returns. You have to listen, compare and experience yourself. You may find the headphone that replaces your hd600 or you may end up like me, realizing how wonderful the hd600 already are.

 

[jarnopp]

Has anyone tried the QP1R with the MOJO compared to the esther m1 or m1pro?

Will the HUGO 2 have Wifi to stream TIDAL?

John Franks (Chord owner) has said the Hugo 2 will get its own Poly-like module for streaming remote content. (Maybe the ""Roly"?)

 

[maxh22]

Although my desired new cans are Ether Flow to step up over my current HD600, price of 2,000€ (Spain) is not reachable, so I hace reduced to Hifiman HE-560 (1,000€) and Hifiman Edition X V2 (1,400€). I listen classical/progressive rock and jazz (60/40) and obviously they will be paired with my loved Mojo.

Do you think they are the right options in this upgrade on planar technology?
Any other recommendations planar and non-planar in the price range of 800-1,400€? To be paired with Mojo
Any place including online site to buy them at lower price delivering to Spain? Used units as well.

Thanks in advance

The Edition X is a great headphone that will pair well with Mojo. Another good pairing is the Oppo PM-1 or PM-2.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I understand, if you're coming from STAX, it sounds like you are accustomed to the transient response of stats. You can't improve transient response with EQ.

 
Pretty much. But I do want to emphasize that, as a musician, my primary reference is the sound of instruments in real life. Naturally, no headphone or loudspeaker is going to replicate that, but when one gets a lot closer than others, it's the first thing I notice. (It should go without saying that both are closer to this ideal than most headphones are.)
 
The HD 800 has arguably sharper transient response than the 207, but in a way that makes it rougher. The former makes me feel like I'm listening to an alien robot at times (again, even with EQ) whereas the latter makes me feel like I'm listening to real instruments. I know this is an oversimplified summary, and it's not always true. Sometimes the HD 800 sounds more realistic; just not most of the time, in my experience. (Even when its micro-detail retrieval is clearly better.) Its technical prowess is a double-edged sword, you could say.
 
One thing that makes me hesitant to buy more STAX systems right now (despite them being my favorite so far) is that I want to focus for awhile on driving headphones directly from the Mojo. (Plus I'm looking for more thrilling impact...which is hard to find when you also want a high degree of accuracy.)
 

The focal elevar is another one to consider.

I also have the hd600. I have purchased so many headphones to replace them. (AKG 701 and many 7 series, hifiman 400i, focal elear, hd650, audeze LCD 2 and a few more) they all bring something better to the table, but lack some other things I like about the hd600. In the end i always go back to the hd600, because it accomplish most of the things I like in sound.

The hd600 sounds fantastic with the mojo. This hobby takes time, money and some experimentation.

I have sold or returned all the headphones i mentioned above and many more. No matter what people say, I think the hd600 is still among the best headphones in the world. To me the most important factor is the naturalness of the sound. Accuracy and technicality are good only if natural and realistic sound are there.

From my limited experience these are my favorite headphones, that I own by the way. This is my own wall of fame.

Grado sr60
Senheiser HD600
Oppo PM3
Audeze LC3

I like each of them for different reasons, but they all share the one thing I appreciate the most on a headphone, NATURAL SOUND.

They all sound fantastic with cord mojo. Yes, the LCD3 too sounds good with mojo too.

Obviously I use the LCD 3 with a desktop rig most of the time, but I had to see if the mojo was able to drive them and I was very, very surprised. The little mojo can actually drive it pretty well.

My point is. go ahead and purchase the headphones you think you'll like. Better if the shop offers returns. You have to listen, compare and experience yourself. You may find the headphone that replaces your hd600 or you may end up like me, realizing how wonderful the hd600 already are.

 
I should have an Elear in a week or two.

 
I've been meaning to try the HD 600 for awhile. Had the HD 650 at one point. It's definitely in my top five headphones that let you just plug-and-play, sounding good with everything, with no EQ or modifications. It is indeed also another headphone that tends to sound more natural to me than the HD 800, no matter how much of a technical performance gap there is.

 

[Chris1975]

I've had fun comparing different DACs in my office today. Namely, the Realtek HD audio device on my PC, the iPad Pro 12.9 and the Mojo. 
 
Obviously the Mojo outshines them all, especially the PC sound card. But what surprised me was how good the iPad Pro 12.9 audio is. 
 
You know when you plug Mojo into a device and then compare the sound with the device without Mojo? It can lead to a "wow, this sounds SO much better with Mojo", which is why many of us forked out the cash to buy it.
 
However, with the iPad, the sound was too close for a big "wow". Certainly the iPad Pro's sound is more "cramped". The Mojo separates out the different frequencies more cleanly and adds punch in the lows, details in the mids and sparkle in the highs, all where it is lacking on the iPad Pro, but the difference isn't as great as between the Mojo and most other DACs I've heard. An I tried these comparisons across a range of different genres and bitrates. 
 
In other words, the iPad Pro 12.9 seem to have upped their game from the iPad Pro smaller version.