[Mython]

Thanks for the additional guidance. I landed on the adapter after failed attempts of finding an angled cable (it actually wasn't that hard to find one...) However, I was unable to find anything under post #3 checking under "Cables & HOW TO CONNECT Mojo to your chosen device (i-Device, micro-USB, Sony, Co-axial, Optical, etc.)". Please let me know if there is a suggested cable. Absent that, I selected a this cable from Amazon and am sending back the adapter.

Ah, looking at the Amazon link you posted, it seems you are seeking one with a fullsize USB plug on one end, in order to plug it into the female end of an Apple CCK. However, perhaps you may not be aware that there are a lot of cables on the market (mostly from southeast Asia) which cleverly circumvent the need for a seperate CCK, and thus make connecting an iDevice to Mojo much more compact. These cables have a microUSB plug on one end, and an Apple Lightning plug on the other end, to insert directly into an iDevice.

If you are willing to pay for a bespoke cable, then there are a few cable-makers who are willing to accomodate requests for specific plug types (such as right-angled), as I alluded to in an earlier reply. Some bespoke cables are very expensive, but others are more easily within reach. It can depend on whereabouts in the world you live, as to which vendor is your best bet. For example, a lot of people in Europe get in touch with ForzaAudioWorks (mostly for Android usage), who are based in Poland, but there are some companies in America (MoonAudio, etc.), and quite a few companies in southeast Asia (PenonAudio, etc.). It should be noted that, outside of southeast Asia, there are more options for Android cables than there are for CCK-circumvention cables, probably due to companies being wary of incurring Apple's wrath.

Therefore, to be clear: obtaining a cable with a right-angled plug, but which still needs to connect in-series with a genuine Apple CCK dongle is easy, all over the world. It is when you seek a cable that circumvents the need for a seperate Apple CCK dongle that the number of suppliers shrinks rapidly, to mostly be only those from southeast Asia. These southeast Asian companies do ship internationally and they can be contacted directly or, often, via eBay.

I'm not trying to steer you into buying expensive cables. All I'm saying is that there are a wide array of options, companies, and price-points, so it may take a bit of hunting around, and be careful to familiarise yourself with which cables employ a circumvention method, and which don't, so that you don't end up being disappointed. For example, non of the MoonAudio cables will work without a daisy-chained official Apple CCK dongle, which is quite understandable as they are based in America. If you carefully read the relevant section in post #3, you will (I hope) find that I've clearly identified cables which do, and don't, need seperate CCK to function successfully with an iDevice. I've also linked to an explanation of why it is that Mojo isn't MFI certified.

Also be aware that some CCK-circumvention cables have a genuine Apple CCK chip cannibalised from an Apple CCK dongle, resoldered into the third-party cable. It is alleged that some other CCK-circumvention cables use some other method to trick the iDevice. I haven't personally verified, with my own eyes, if this is possible, or if all such cables really have a genuine CCK chip soldered into them. All I can say is that some users have reported some cables to be a bit more flakey than others, in the sense that they do not always function 100% reliably with iDevices. You will see that I've added a note, here and there, in that section of post #3, to mention if users have reported consistently flakey behaviour with a cable. Things may have moved on a bit since I last updated that information, several months ago, but most of it should still hold true (I'm not able to edit/update the information anymore).

Lastly, I'll just mention that if you do choose to use a CCK-circumvention cable, then please never update to a beta version of iOS, as the beta versions seem to break external DAC functionality almost every time, especially for people who aren't using an official Apple CCK dongle.

 

[DavidWeinberg]

Thanks for the extensive reply. I did see the CCK-circumvention cables in post #3. I am not (too much) troubled with the CCK dongle so I will stay on the less costly side with cables in this instance. I do plan to use the Poly once it has stabilized, so the whole question about cables and the potential of another USB socket dislocation all goes away. However, I am on hold with the Poly and closely following the comments on the Poly thread.

Finally, I have learned never to be on the cutting edge of iOS updates much less the beta versions, especially after 10.3.2. I now wait for the all clear for others before proceeding.

 

[Serre Dent]

I got the nighthawk carbon (us pads) and treble extension is wider than the Oppo PM3.
Nighthawk C sounds globally less bright tho, which is good but more "ultra-highs" are there.
The PM3 has high frequency roll off; making it easy to listen to any kind of music. (no hard "sss" and "ttt", whistles...)

The drawbacks with nighthawk carbon C is now that I can hear pretty clearly the difference when wifi is on for example when I'm streaming tidal. (I'm using android (motog), mojo, usb audio player, air flight mode but with wifi: switched off "position" and lte)
My test is following: I parameter the buffer to 25s. I start the stream and listen for some time (focusing on voices) then switch off the wifi.
Song continue to play and I can hear a difference: everything sounds more focus, for voices "sss" is quieter (better)...

I really hope that android/tidal had a bit perfect mode so that I could listen to offline songs without any upsampling...

I focus a lot to "sss" because I have been using the pm3 for some while now and I got used to not hear those sounds so much.
The "sss" are not piercing however, but I can notice the difference.

 

[miketlse]

Cheers for the reply. I agree as my headphones sound good to me and the music I listen to but I can also appreciate that something like 400i etc is another playing field. Im after good deep bass with solid clear vocals and good clear highs. From what Ive researched the mojo is a step in the right direction. Im a basshead but when i listen to my rock playlist i want to really hear the full sound spectrum from bon jovi, whitesnake etc through to fleetwood mac, kings of leon etc

Your post is two years old, but if you are still thinking of the 400i, they are now £180 on amazon uk.

 

[lormac]

Hi, Can anyone comment on balance output and usb output of ak380? are these outputs okay or not?

 

[x RELIC x]

Hi, Can anyone comment on balance output and usb output of ak380? are these outputs okay or not?

1) Balanced output to the Mojo? Not going to happen because the Mojo only accepts digital inputs.

2) USB out of the AK380 to the Mojo should be fine. Works great with my AK240.

3) Or are you looking for a comparison between the AK380’s balanced output vs USB in to the Mojo?

 

[RiseFall123]

The drawbacks with nighthawk carbon C is now that I can hear pretty clearly the difference when wifi is on for example when I'm streaming tidal. (I'm using android (motog), mojo, usb audio player, air flight mode but with wifi: switched off "position" and lte)

I never had issues with iPhone>Tidal>Mojo>NHC when LTE and WIFI are on.

Your post is two years old, but if you are still thinking of the 400i

Very interesting to me too... I Always knew 400i is bright and that's not what I like.

 

[niron]

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that a Chord Mojo 2 is scheduled to come out later this year?

 

[x RELIC x]

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that a Chord Mojo 2 is scheduled to come out later this year?

Just you.

 

[niron]

OK

 

[Zojokkeli]

It's been said many times that Mojo 2 is not currently in the works. I wouldn't expect one in the near future, maybe 2019 or -20 at the earliest.

 

[miketlse]

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that a Chord Mojo 2 is scheduled to come out later this year?

Every new mojo owner is potentially a new poly customer, so there is little incentive for Chord to kill the mojo 1 off.

 

[435279]

Every new mojo owner is potentially a new poly customer, so there is little incentive for Chord to kill the mojo 1 off.

My guess (guess only) is that Mojo 2 would probably have Poly functionality built-in. Sort of makes sense if you think about it.

I can't see any other reason for a Mojo 2, FPGA and battery technology hasn't really advanced that much in the last few years to improve the functionality and WTA filters significantly.

 

[cloudkicker]

My Mojo is about two years old and the battery needs to be replaced. In my case, I almost always use it where I have access to power. If the battery needs to be replaced every two years, and given the added cost to do so, maybe a Mojo 2 could be one that doesn't have a battery and requires constant power. My situation could be unique, but a battery-less Mojo would work very well in my case.

 

[Mython]

There can be benefits to a battery, even if a DAC is 'always' plugged in...

Some cons, too, but definitely some pros.