Chord Mojo(1) DAC-amp ☆★►FAQ in 3rd post!◄★☆

[GreenBow]

I just ordered the NH because I hope to get more dynamics from the Mojo than with the actually Hd650...

I also use the Mojo in the desktop setup and I blame it only for the roll off highs. Do you notice that?

I hope you find what you are looking for. All I know is that folk have said a lot, that the Nighthawks are a good match with the Mojo.

Personally I looked at the review of the Nighthawks and thought, probably not for me.


I don't know your price range, but my advice would be read all the reviews you can. Always aim for neutrality and balance between bass and treble. It makes pairing easier. If you can't find what you're looking for, wait. Wait until a manufacturer makes what you want. However, that's not always possible so you have to compromise, but compromise as little as possible. I think that, otherwise I can end up buying twice.

Like right now I am looking for some headphones. They are not at the top of my priorities. Maybe speaker cable comes first, but my Chord Clearway can do its job for some time. I need a portable option, and I am exploring the Poly Mojo. However I have heard that the Mojo will cut off the first half second of music, stored on the SD card. ............. Anyway long story short, I need some portable headphones or IEMs, and eventually some home headphones. If I were to get home-headphones, I would be looking at Beyerdynamic Amiron, T1 2nd Gen, or possibly Senneheiser HD800s. However all three of these headphones choices, makes me think carefully and twice. It's very hard work getting clear about what you want. Yet aiming for neutrality makes it all little surer, if you can find it.

I really wish you the best of luck. If in the end somehow you let the Mojo go, then you know you did the right thing for you. I would not personally be too concerned about the slightly warm tuning of the Chord Mojo. I find the top end has easily enough beauty to be over-sufficient at this price point. ...... To put a little perspective on it. I bought the Hugo 2 two days ago. Down to circumstances, I ended up using the Mojo now and again in those two days. Every time I listen to I still adore it, it still blows my mind, and it's still stunning. ... I would not part with it for love or money.

 

[j4100]

I read the FAQ on a coax cable that suits the FiiO X5ii and bought one from one of the linked stores (Audio Sanctuary / Custom Cables). The cable is fine, but due to the cable and connectors used, it's not stackable. Anyone on here (or any other external link) who makes cables to order? Not looking to pay $90 (the Moon Audio one) and don't want to use adaptors.

Thanks

 

[DjBobby]

I read the FAQ on a coax cable that suits the FiiO X5ii and bought one from one of the linked stores (Audio Sanctuary / Custom Cables). The cable is fine, but due to the cable and connectors used, it's not stackable. Anyone on here (or any other external link) who makes cables to order? Not looking to pay $90 (the Moon Audio one) and don't want to use adaptors.

Thanks

I have this one: https://penonaudio.com/3.5mm-coaxial-cable-for-chord-mojo-dap.html?search=coaxial%20mojo
Looks nice and doesn't cost a fortune. However the sound was a disappointment and it only collects dust now. I guess that FiiO's X5ii coax output is not clean and produces some RF noise. It sounds muddy, the bass lacks precision, the soundstage is out of place and overall it just doesn't sound right. I've compared several devices connected through usb to Mojo with the FiiO-coax-Mojo, and the difference was huge in favor of usb.

 

[j4100]

I have this one: https://penonaudio.com/3.5mm-coaxial-cable-for-chord-mojo-dap.html?search=coaxial%20mojo
Looks nice and doesn't cost a fortune. However the sound was a disappointment and it only collects dust now. I guess that FiiO's X5ii coax output is not clean and produces some RF noise. It sounds muddy, the bass lacks precision, the soundstage is out of place and overall it just doesn't sound right. I've compared several devices connected through usb to Mojo with the FiiO-coax-Mojo, and the difference was huge in favor of usb.

Thanks for the info, though that is very disappointing. I was hoping I didn't need to upgrade the X5ii. I don't recall reading negative opinions about using the Mojo with an X5ii. Perhaps a stupid question, but would a problem with your cable and connectors be causing this? Just checking.

 

[DjBobby]

Thanks for the info, though that is very disappointing. I was hoping I didn't need to upgrade the X5ii. I don't recall reading negative opinions about using the Mojo with an X5ii. Perhaps a stupid question, but would a problem with your cable and connectors be causing this? Just checking.

One small part might be from the cable, one small part could be Mojo's coax implementation, but I think the greatest cause is coming from the X5ii. Connected through an Audioquest Coax cable + FiiO's adopter to several desktop dacs revealed difference to usb. Smaller soundstage, flat imaging, somewhat brighter and harsher treble and less defined bass with X5ii coax out. What puzzles me, and I would be grateful if anyone could explain this, is that the difference is far less pronounced with dsd files than flacs.. Anyway, Mojo sounds with the iPhone miles away compared to X5ii.

 

[awaltz]

No the batteries are expected to last far longer than three years. The batteries in our designs are not subject to damaging deep discharge cycles or anything more than very light current demand .... Batteries used for power tools are quite a different matter, but in our units expect a life of greater than ten years. Mojo has a plug on it so it's just an easy replacement for a shop technician Hugo batteries will need soldering in place though but this is also a low skilled job which would be require rarely if ever.
John Franks.

Dear John Franks,

I bought my Chord Mojo at Max Schlundt Culture Technology in Berlin, Germany in February 2016. It´s sonic performance never failed on my: I had memorably experiences listening to Andras Schiff´s interpretation of Schubert´s Piano Sonata, Miles´ Sketches of Spain or Jlin´s Dark Energy. But after about 18 months, the Mojo stopped working. I wasn’t able to turn in on anymore. I brought it to the store where I bought it and they sent it to Chord´s representative in Germany, Mr Olaf Adam at G8 & friends GmbH. Two months (!) later, they got back to me. The want me to pay about 220 Euros (260 US$, 195 Pound Sterling) for a new battery, which is almost half the price of a new Mojo.

Chord grants a 1 year warranty for the battery. But in Germany we have a 2-year-defects liability. I believe you should fix the Mojo on account of the 2-year-defects liability. If the DAC not usable after 18 months, there must have been an issue when I bought it. But Mr. Adam argues Chord´s batteries only fail within the first months of use. If this was not the case, I must have used it wrongly (which I did not do, I am an avid hifi user of 30 years experience dating back to my parents Thorens record player in the 70s ). I think it´s just rude and insulting. I am writing to you directly as you state something very different about Mojo´s battery performance.

At this point, I am really just saddened by my Chord experience which is dragging on for 3 month now. I was looking forward to play music to my family at christmas. This is not happening.

A. Waltz

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I read the FAQ on a coax cable that suits the FiiO X5ii and bought one from one of the linked stores (Audio Sanctuary / Custom Cables). The cable is fine, but due to the cable and connectors used, it's not stackable. Anyone on here (or any other external link) who makes cables to order? Not looking to pay $90 (the Moon Audio one) and don't want to use adaptors.

Thanks

Here’s the one I’m using between my Fiio X7 and Mojo, reasonable, no RF, and sounds great.

https://www.dysonaudio.com/products...hord-mojo-75-ohm-digital-jumper-trrs-ts-3-5mm

Edit: Make sure you ask for Fiio 2nd generation.

 

[Mojo ideas]

Dear John Franks,

I bought my Chord Mojo at Max Schlundt Culture Technology in Berlin, Germany in February 2016. It´s sonic performance never failed on my: I had memorably experiences listening to Andras Schiff´s interpretation of Schubert´s Piano Sonata, Miles´ Sketches of Spain or Jlin´s Dark Energy. But after about 18 months, the Mojo stopped working. I wasn’t able to turn in on anymore. I brought it to the store where I bought it and they sent it to Chord´s representative in Germany, Mr Olaf Adam at G8 & friends GmbH. Two months (!) later, they got back to me. The want me to pay about 220 Euros (260 US$, 195 Pound Sterling) for a new battery, which is almost half the price of a new Mojo.

Chord grants a 1 year warranty for the battery. But in Germany we have a 2-year-defects liability. I believe you should fix the Mojo on account of the 2-year-defects liability. If the DAC not usable after 18 months, there must have been an issue when I bought it. But Mr. Adam argues Chord´s batteries only fail within the first months of use. If this was not the case, I must have used it wrongly (which I did not do, I am an avid hifi user of 30 years experience dating back to my parents Thorens record player in the 70s ). I think it´s just rude and insulting. I am writing to you directly as you state something very different about Mojo´s battery performance.

At this point, I am really just saddened by my Chord experience which is dragging on for 3 month now. I was looking forward to play music to my family at christmas. This is not happening.

A. Waltz

I’m sorry for your disappointment at Mr Adam’s response. please private message me your name and full address and I will see what I can do to send a replacement battery to your retailer however the repair charge is set by the retailer for the work they must do to actually fit the part.

 

[RiseFall123]

Will the Powerline+ give the same results as the stock cable of Mojo or is only good as charger and not as audio data travel?

Does somebody tried the Amazon usb micro golden connectors cables (always as audio not as charger)?
AmazonBasics - Cavo Micro USB 2.0 - 0,9 m (pacco da 2) https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01EK87KW8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_llLpAbD0S4ZK6

 

[MementoMori99]

Will the Powerline+ give the same results as the stock cable of Mojo or is only good as charger and not as audio data travel?

The Powerline or Powerline+ should perform the same or a little bit better than the stock Mojo cable. Only your ears can tell if there is any difference. The reason for getting them is for their better build quality and longer available lengths. Yes, they should work fine for both charging and data.

 

[jimm2]

Dear John Franks,

I bought my Chord Mojo at Max Schlundt Culture Technology in Berlin, Germany in February 2016. It´s sonic performance never failed on my: I had memorably experiences listening to Andras Schiff´s interpretation of Schubert´s Piano Sonata, Miles´ Sketches of Spain or Jlin´s Dark Energy. But after about 18 months, the Mojo stopped working. I wasn’t able to turn in on anymore. I brought it to the store where I bought it and they sent it to Chord´s representative in Germany, Mr Olaf Adam at G8 & friends GmbH. Two months (!) later, they got back to me. The want me to pay about 220 Euros (260 US$, 195 Pound Sterling) for a new battery, which is almost half the price of a new Mojo.

Chord grants a 1 year warranty for the battery. But in Germany we have a 2-year-defects liability. I believe you should fix the Mojo on account of the 2-year-defects liability. If the DAC not usable after 18 months, there must have been an issue when I bought it. But Mr. Adam argues Chord´s batteries only fail within the first months of use. If this was not the case, I must have used it wrongly (which I did not do, I am an avid hifi user of 30 years experience dating back to my parents Thorens record player in the 70s ). I think it´s just rude and insulting. I am writing to you directly as you state something very different about Mojo´s battery performance.

At this point, I am really just saddened by my Chord experience which is dragging on for 3 month now. I was looking forward to play music to my family at christmas. This is not happening.

A. Waltz

It literally takes a few minutes to replace the Mojo battery and doesn't require any specialized skill. In my opinion, anyone that charges this exorbitant amount to replace it would be cheating you.

 

[bikutoru]

It literally takes a few minutes to replace the Mojo battery and doesn't require any specialized skill. In my opinion, anyone that charges this exorbitant amount to replace it would be cheating you.

My mojo is 2 years old so I wouldn't mind to get a battery that I'd have no problem replacing within a few minutes as you say, when I need to. So I thought something about $40 would be reasonable, but when I asked one of the dealers(quote reputable btw), he quoted me $175 and said it has to be sent in. As much as I like Chord sound, the way they control this battery supply(imho) is beyond any common reason.

 

[GreenBow]

I have asked for help with a point about the Poly, a couple of times in the Poly thread. I need to know something before I consider buying a Poly. However it's been ignored, or people do not know, so I am asking here please.

I have heard in the Poly thread, that the Poly will sometimes cut off the first half second of music, when playing from SD-card.

This was fixed when playing music from a computer (over USB) by some media centre software settings. (This was mostly after newly manually selected tracks. Like selecting a new album to play, or switching tracks.) It was a case of insert maybe 0.7s of silence before newly selected tracks, etc.


However after asking twice in the Poly thread, no-one has come up with a work around. Please does anyone have any ideas.

It does seem odd that it only got mentioned recently, and right at the start from when the Poly went on sale.

Please can someone tell me what's going on, or about any workaround. Otherwise I simply will not buy a Poly, because there would be no point. I would not use any streaming features of the Poly, and I would only use SD-card playback. If the Poly can't do SD-card playing without a hiccup, that can't be worked around, then there's just no point for me.

I know that this method of hardware synchronisation is possibly the best, that Chord use. Meaning I am not firing up a debate about that. I just need to know.

 

[jarnopp]

I have asked for help with a point about the Poly, a couple of times in the Poly thread. I need to know something before I consider buying a Poly. However it's been ignored, or people do not know, so I am asking here please.

I have heard in the Poly thread, that the Poly will sometimes cut off the first half second of music, when playing from SD-card.

This was fixed when playing music from a computer (over USB) by some media centre software settings. (This was mostly after newly manually selected tracks. Like selecting a new album to play, or switching tracks.) It was a case of insert maybe 0.7s of silence before newly selected tracks, etc.


However after asking twice in the Poly thread, no-one has come up with a work around. Please does anyone have any ideas.

It does seem odd that it only got mentioned recently, and right at the start from when the Poly went on sale.

Please can someone tell me what's going on, or about any workaround. Otherwise I simply will not buy a Poly, because there would be no point. I would not use any streaming features of the Poly, and I would only use SD-card playback. If the Poly can't do SD-card playing without a hiccup, that can't be worked around, then there's just no point for me.

I know that this method of hardware synchronisation is possibly the best, that Chord use. Meaning I am not firing up a debate about that. I just need to know.

Yes, it seems both 8Player and Glider cut off the very beginning of each song (seems like less than 1/4 of a second). Also, no gapless playback. Roon supports gapless and does not cut off any music, so maybe this is an app issue or DLNA? Glider team has been very responsive, so maybe @joe28 can address this.

PS, I was testing this on my iPad with 8Player and switched to Glider on my iPhone, and Glider was on the same track I left off of on the iPad! Is this a DLNA feature?

 

[GreenBow]

Yes, it seems both 8Player and Glider cut off the very beginning of each song (seems like less than 1/4 of a second). Also, no gapless playback. Roon supports gapless and does not cut off any music, so maybe this is an app issue or DLNA? Glider team has been very responsive, so maybe @joe28 can address this.

PS, I was testing this on my iPad with 8Player and switched to Glider on my iPhone, and Glider was on the same track I left off of on the iPad! Is this a DLNA feature?

Thank you for replying. I was getting kind of stressed over it.

A couple of apps were mentioned to me, in the Poly thread a long time ago. I forgot them. However recently I looked again at the What Hi-Fi review and they have mentioned a few. I'll list them here, and show the link.

This is the paragraph from What Hi-Fi.
"Chord’s manual gives Plex and 8 Player as examples, but they both cost extra for full access. A perfectly usable free app for both Android & iOS devices is MyAudioStream Lite, but on this occasion we opt for the Android-friendly BubbleUPnP app on an LG G6 phone."
Read more at https://www.whathifi.com/chord/poly/review#5ikUhcbGTYMg4UBr.99

If there's a free one there it might be worth a look. Would be eagerly keen to hear any results.

I have been tussling with myself a lot recently about what to buy. Meaning maybe a DAP, and phone. Or a phone with top notch sound. Or just a DAP. I think step one would be to get a good sounding phone, as I don't even have smart-phone. It's so confusing though, because I could be better with just a phone with just a good camera, and then buy a DAP.