[KBerube80]

So you can utilize it as a DAC paired with another amp?

Reason I ask is because I want to upgrade to a “better” amp for my TH900’s but would like to keep the Mojos DAC to pair with it as it is a terrific DAC.

Pardon me for not being savvy with the technical jargon.

 

[miketlse]

So you can utilize it as a DAC paired with another amp?

Reason I ask is because I want to upgrade to a “better” amp for my TH900’s but would like to keep the Mojos DAC to pair with it as it is a terrific DAC.

Pardon me for not being savvy with the technical jargon.

Yes, plenty of owners use the Mojo at the input to a preamp/amp or active speakers.
There is some info in the FAQ in post #3.
You can use a simple cheap cable to test the concept with your system, and upgrade the cable later if you want.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-891#post-12423100

 

[krismusic]

I've been thinking of buying a DAP recently. I would like to be able to just have something in my pocket. What really makes me reluctant is that I really think that the Mojo is very special in that it conveys the emotion of the music rather than just the sound. I'd doubt that a DAP will do this. Am I being fanciful, does anyone agree regarding Mojo or have recommendations for DAP's?

 

[tekkster]

Thanks!

Thanks again @superbart

Ended up getting the opus 3 instead of the opus 1s. Using a very short optical to the h2, sound is very good. Though i can’t a/b test properly and have slight delays when switching things around, the h2 sounds softer with the opus 3 and a very short optical cable.

Longer optical off my imac or the opus 3 sounds harsher, similar to usb cable connection. Coax doesn’t sound too different from usb or long optical to me either. This was something i was curious about as i’d read about optical on this thread and seemed like higher quality optical is probably about better light, and one way to get better light without spending bucket loads on optical cables was to just use a really short one.

Because the opus 3 and short optical sounds less harsh, i feel like i’m hearing better sound separation, and even more subtle sounds are coming through.

Again, i’m not doing proper “instant switch” a/b testing so hard to say how much of the delta i’m hearing is because i “want” to hear a difference, but it seems so to me.

Anyway, i’m pretty happy, so thanks again for the suggestion

 

[Kirill Ch]

A lot of reviewers love Mojo for a sound. I just have opposite experience. Would be glad if anyone help me with this.
When someone says that a sound of Mojo is great I am surprised that almost never told on what equipment or headphones he receives this sound. On 50$ or 1000$ headphones? I might think that on 50$ headphones there is no difference.

So to the point.
I have bought Mojo around 1 year ago. My headphones Meze 99 Neo and Master&Dynamics me05 - each around 200$ on Amazon.
I have got several albums on HDTracks on 24/44.1 and 24/96. I use HF Onkyo Player with iPhone. Mojo correctly lights the resolution.
The point is: I do not hear any difference with my iPhone only. No at all.
I think that may be the quality of headphones should be at least 500-600$. How do you think?

Now I use Mojo as an amplifier for connecting iPad to my audio system so that I can listen my iTunes collections and it is comfortable for me to use iPad as “management” center.

 

[tekkster]

A lot of reviewers love Mojo for a sound. I just have opposite experience. Would be glad if anyone help me with this.
When someone says that a sound of Mojo is great I am surprised that almost never told on what equipment or headphones he receives this sound. On 50$ or 1000$ headphones? I might think that on 50$ headphones there is no difference.

So to the point.
I have bought Mojo around 1 year ago. My headphones Meze 99 Neo and Master&Dynamics me05 - each around 200$ on Amazon.
I have got several albums on HDTracks on 24/44.1 and 24/96. I use HF Onkyo Player with iPhone. Mojo correctly lights the resolution.
The point is: I do not hear any difference with my iPhone only. No at all.
I think that may be the quality of headphones should be at least 500-600$. How do you think?

Now I use Mojo as an amplifier for connecting iPad to my audio system so that I can listen my iTunes collections and it is comfortable for me to use iPad as “management” center.

Would certainly agree there.
On the Meze 99c, Fostex TR80/250, Thermos Veclos, old Shure E5, Shure215, I hear no difference between the Mojo and the iPhone.
However, on the HD800, Utopia, KSE1200, T1, I do hear a difference between Mojo and iPhone.

Of course, my ears are pretty weak, so it's possible that the difference is there on the first set of headphones, but I just don't hear it because the difference is too subtle for me.
Which I can infer also means the difference on the second set of headphones yields a more dramatic difference, allowing my weak ears to hear it.

Incidentally, the same holds true for my DAPs. While the sound profile of each DAP can be different, resulting in a different sound, unless I use better headphones, I don't hear differences in resolution, sound separation, sound stage, timber, etc. between the different sources/transports.

So, at least for me, the headphone seems to make the most dramatic difference, then amp, then dac, then cables (assuming identical file).

 

[Mikey99]

A lot of reviewers love Mojo for a sound. I just have opposite experience. Would be glad if anyone help me with this.
When someone says that a sound of Mojo is great I am surprised that almost never told on what equipment or headphones he receives this sound. On 50$ or 1000$ headphones? I might think that on 50$ headphones there is no difference.

So to the point.
I have bought Mojo around 1 year ago. My headphones Meze 99 Neo and Master&Dynamics me05 - each around 200$ on Amazon.
I have got several albums on HDTracks on 24/44.1 and 24/96. I use HF Onkyo Player with iPhone. Mojo correctly lights the resolution.
The point is: I do not hear any difference with my iPhone only. No at all.
I think that may be the quality of headphones should be at least 500-600$. How do you think?

Now I use Mojo as an amplifier for connecting iPad to my audio system so that I can listen my iTunes collections and it is comfortable for me to use iPad as “management” center.

I find in general that better headphones will differentiate more between DACs and Amps. Specifically I find a larger difference with the Mojo with Audeze LCDi4s than Shure SE846s - both good IEMs, but the LCDi4 is the better one by quite a margin, and benefits more from the Mojo compared to iPhone. It could be that is is harder to drive so it needs a more powerful amp like the Mojo.

 

[krismusic]

A lot of reviewers love Mojo for a sound. I just have opposite experience. Would be glad if anyone help me with this.
When someone says that a sound of Mojo is great I am surprised that almost never told on what equipment or headphones he receives this sound. On 50$ or 1000$ headphones? I might think that on 50$ headphones there is no difference.

So to the point.
I have bought Mojo around 1 year ago. My headphones Meze 99 Neo and Master&Dynamics me05 - each around 200$ on Amazon.
I have got several albums on HDTracks on 24/44.1 and 24/96. I use HF Onkyo Player with iPhone. Mojo correctly lights the resolution.
The point is: I do not hear any difference with my iPhone only. No at all.
I think that may be the quality of headphones should be at least 500-600$. How do you think?

Now I use Mojo as an amplifier for connecting iPad to my audio system so that I can listen my iTunes collections and it is comfortable for me to use iPad as “management” center.

Would certainly agree there.
On the Meze 99c, Fostex TR80/250, Thermos Veclos, old Shure E5, Shure215, I hear no difference between the Mojo and the iPhone.
However, on the HD800, Utopia, KSE1200, T1, I do hear a difference between Mojo and iPhone.

Of course, my ears are pretty weak, so it's possible that the difference is there on the first set of headphones, but I just don't hear it because the difference is too subtle for me.
Which I can infer also means the difference on the second set of headphones yields a more dramatic difference, allowing my weak ears to hear it.

Incidentally, the same holds true for my DAPs. While the sound profile of each DAP can be different, resulting in a different sound, unless I use better headphones, I don't hear differences in resolution, sound separation, sound stage, timber, etc. between the different sources/transports.

So, at least for me, the headphone seems to make the most dramatic difference, then amp, then dac, then cables (assuming identical file).

I auditioned Mojo a couple of times at meets and could detect no difference from my iPhone. Because of its reputation on HeadFi and the obvious sincerity of its designer, who regularly posts in the Mojo thread, I bought one anyway thinking that I could return it if not impressed. I tried it for a month or so and forgot all about returning it. I was simply enjoying my music in a way that I hadn't for several years of listening to iPhones. I'm still not sure that I could pick it out in a blind test but I do know that when it runs out of charge, as it did today, and I revert to phone only, I stop enjoying the music in the same way. This may be placebo or perception bias but it has been consistent over the three years that I have used Mojo. All this proves to me is that I am not able to detect small differences in sound in AB testing.

 

[surfgeorge]

I've been thinking of buying a DAP recently. I would like to be able to just have something in my pocket. What really makes me reluctant is that I really think that the Mojo is very special in that it conveys the emotion of the music rather than just the sound. I'd doubt that a DAP will do this. Am I being fanciful, does anyone agree regarding Mojo or have recommendations for DAP's?

Excellent question!
I feel the same way, after hearing the Chord DACs I miss the "Music" when listening to any other source I have available. I could use many attributes, but in essence I just get tired of listening to other sources after a short time now.

I auditioned Mojo a couple of times at meets and could detect no difference from my iPhone. Because of its reputation on HeadFi and the obvious sincerity of its designer, who regularly posts in the Mojo thread, I bought one anyway thinking that I could return it if not impressed. I tried it for a month or so and forgot all about returning it. I was simply enjoying my music in a way that I hadn't for several years of listening to iPhones. I'm still not sure that I could pick it out in a blind test but I do know that when it runs out of charge, as it did today, and I revert to phone only, I stop enjoying the music in the same way. This may be placebo or perception bias but it has been consistent over the three years that I have used Mojo. All this proves to me is that I am not able to detect small differences in sound in AB testing.

I have exactly the same experience. With Mojo I am simply enjoying the music, it‘s engaging and I want more!
Switching to another source it can also sound „good“ but I quickly lose interest in listening. In some way the difference is subtle, and in another way it‘s very big. Connecting my Mojo to my high end stereo made me throw out a $4000 DAC and replace it with a used Chord 2Qute. Huge difference.
With my Pinnacle P1 IEMS the difference is smallest, with the Audioquest NightHawk and Nightowl it is clear, and with the stereo it‘s really big.
But it is always there.

 

[krismusic]

Excellent question!
I feel the same way, after hearing the Chord DACs I miss the "Music" when listening to any other source I have available. I could use many attributes, but in essence I just get tired of listening to other sources after a short time now.


I have exactly the same experience. With Mojo I am simply enjoying the music, it‘s engaging and I want more!
Switching to another source it can also sound „good“ but I quickly lose interest in listening. In some way the difference is subtle, and in another way it‘s very big. Connecting my Mojo to my high end stereo made me throw out a $4000 DAC and replace it with a used Chord 2Qute. Huge difference.
With my Pinnacle P1 IEMS the difference is smallest, with the Audioquest NightHawk and Nightowl it is clear, and with the stereo it‘s really big.
But it is always there.

Nice to read of someone else with similar experience. I was wondering if I was deluding myself. Glad you have found musical happiness.

 

[RPB65]

I hear you! I was all over my Mojo with iPhone for ages. Then I kinda stopped listening to anything for a long time as my 'interest' wained. Now I'm back listening my head has gone another way now. lol. I am into my ZX2 again for now. I change my mind so much it's unreal. All that matters is you. As Steven R. Rochlin says on all of his reviews on enjoythemusic.com, "Enjoy the music".

 

[Deftone]

I auditioned Mojo a couple of times at meets and could detect no difference from my iPhone. Because of its reputation on HeadFi and the obvious sincerity of its designer, who regularly posts in the Mojo thread, I bought one anyway thinking that I could return it if not impressed. I tried it for a month or so and forgot all about returning it. I was simply enjoying my music in a way that I hadn't for several years of listening to iPhones. I'm still not sure that I could pick it out in a blind test but I do know that when it runs out of charge, as it did today, and I revert to phone only, I stop enjoying the music in the same way. This may be placebo or perception bias but it has been consistent over the three years that I have used Mojo. All this proves to me is that I am not able to detect small differences in sound in AB testing.

I posted this in TT2 thread.

No its not you, i found out myself that the headphones make 85% or more of the sound in a typical 3 way set up (DAC/AMP/Headphone) not including source file quality. the diferences are better noticed over time, thats the only way i could hear improvements with Mojo and Hugo2. when compared quickly with AB its very hard to tell and ends up in frustration.

I found that Mojo is warm, i swear it has a mid bass bloom, slower, thicker sounding and "rolled off" upper treble but smooth and musical sounding.

Hugo2 is leaner, faster, brighter and more detailed but doesnt really have its own tonality like Mojo so i would just call it a transparent source thats detailed and precise.

These differences to me though are not night and day they are very slight differences (anything up to about 10%) picked up on when used over time and then suddenly trying something different. I did tests using Focal Clear, IE800S, HD650, K712. Headphones absolutely make massive difference in sound in comparison.

I dont want to knock Robs work its obvious from all the, events, measurements and dedication talking to people on the forum that he works hard on making world class DACs but i have to be honest with myself when i say i find the differences are quite small.

 

[krismusic]

I posted this in TT2 thread.

Interesting insights and I make you right about small differences although I would suggest that perhaps they are all important subtleties...

 

[tekkster]

I hear you! I was all over my Mojo with iPhone for ages. Then I kinda stopped listening to anything for a long time as my 'interest' wained. Now I'm back listening my head has gone another way now. lol. I am into my ZX2 again for now. I change my mind so much it's unreal. All that matters is you. As Steven R. Rochlin says on all of his reviews on enjoythemusic.com, "Enjoy the music".

So true.

 

[headfry]

Even with my Grado SR225e’s and Shure SE535 there is to me an obvious improvement going from iPhone or other IOS device to using it with Mojo - going direct without Mojo the sound is good but by comparison somewhat blurry, with Mojo much more definition and musically better; more engaging and easier to listen and enjoy.

Having said this, the phones need to be transparent/revealing enough to make a big difference, my Grado SR80e’s sound excellent and amazing to me direct from iPhone/iPad, there is great synergy there and for me at least the 80e’s don’t benefit much (or at all) from Mojo.