Chord Mojo(1) DAC-amp ☆★►FAQ in 3rd post!◄★☆
Jun 16, 2019 at 10:29 AM Post #38,761 of 42,759
Hey guys,
one quick noob question.
Is it possible for the Chord Mojo to connect and function properly with a pure amplifier (not an integrated one, by pure I mean an amplifier without the preamp)?
Say I want to connect Chord Mojo to a Rotel RB 1582 MKII to power a pair of Klipsch Forte III loudspeakers. Is it possible to do this without a preamp?
Cheers!
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 10:46 AM Post #38,762 of 42,759
Hey guys,
one quick noob question.
Is it possible for the Chord Mojo to connect and function properly with a pure amplifier (not an integrated one, by pure I mean an amplifier without the preamp)?
Say I want to connect Chord Mojo to a Rotel RB 1582 MKII to power a pair of Klipsch Forte III loudspeakers. Is it possible to do this without a preamp?
Cheers!

Yes, I run Mojo into my Odyssey Stratos all the time. Depending on your setup, you may want a switch (this one has worked very well for me) if the amp s hard to reach for plugging and unplugging of cables. Just watch the volume on Mojo and always start from no or very low volume!
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 11:11 AM Post #38,763 of 42,759
Cheers! Great to know :) That means that I could save money and skip on the preamp.
The setup would be Macbook Pro --> Chord Mojo+Poly in Airplay --> Pure amplifier (like the Rotel RB 1582 MKII) --> Speakers (Klipsch Forte III)

The only problem would be that of missing a physical remote control for volume. It'd force me to always have my Macbook nearby and handy to adjust the volume. Is there a trick to overcome this? Mmm.. like a Mojo+Poly remote control?
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 11:35 AM Post #38,764 of 42,759
Cheers! Great to know :) That means that I could save money and skip on the preamp.
The setup would be Macbook Pro --> Chord Mojo+Poly in Airplay --> Pure amplifier (like the Rotel RB 1582 MKII) --> Speakers (Klipsch Forte III)

The only problem would be that of missing a physical remote control for volume. It'd force me to always have my Macbook nearby and handy to adjust the volume. Is there a trick to overcome this? Mmm.. like a Mojo+Poly remote control?

That’s the tricky part. I use the Roon volume control, or adjust manually. But TT2 has spoiled me for remote control!
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 12:36 PM Post #38,765 of 42,759
Cool, I actually found a way to control my Macbook with my iPhone as a remote control.
Now another question:
Say the Mojo outputs at line level @3v (with the two lights in purplish/blue) and the pure amplifier Rotel 1582 MKII receives this signal from Mojo, what will the amplifier output to the loudspeakers? The maximum level? (assuming that my macbook is at max volume level)
At max volume these Forte III would most probably make the whole building collapse since they're 99db sensitive (and the rotel outputs 200 watts..)
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 2:16 PM Post #38,766 of 42,759
Cheers! Great to know :) That means that I could save money and skip on the preamp.
The setup would be Macbook Pro --> Chord Mojo+Poly in Airplay --> Pure amplifier (like the Rotel RB 1582 MKII) --> Speakers (Klipsch Forte III)

The only problem would be that of missing a physical remote control for volume. It'd force me to always have my Macbook nearby and handy to adjust the volume. Is there a trick to overcome this? Mmm.. like a Mojo+Poly remote control?

You should be able to add any IR remote control to your Mac. I was initially planning to use an Apple remote with my rPi build.

I'm using a IR remote control to control volume on Hugo2 + navigation seamessly on a rPi. Very responsive. I had to setup up though first on a Mac. It should work for Mac (I believe it does as shown on Amazon Q&A). You should be able to map the Mac media keys to any IR remote.

I haven't updated my build yet, but you can get the gist here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/yet...alternative-to-2go-poly.905925/#post-15004881

Product needed is a Flirc:

https://flirc.tv/more/flirc-usb
 
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Jun 16, 2019 at 3:19 PM Post #38,767 of 42,759
Cool, I actually found a way to control my Macbook with my iPhone as a remote control.
Now another question:
Say the Mojo outputs at line level @3v (with the two lights in purplish/blue) and the pure amplifier Rotel 1582 MKII receives this signal from Mojo, what will the amplifier output to the loudspeakers? The maximum level? (assuming that my macbook is at max volume level)
At max volume these Forte III would most probably make the whole building collapse since they're 99db sensitive (and the rotel outputs 200 watts..)

I think 3v is too much. The specs for the Rotel say 1.9v input sensitivity (rca inputs), so that should be full volume, or 200 watts. You would likely get distortion or damage at 3 volts. So, if you want to use a remote volume (MAC or otherwise) I would set Mojo no higher than 1.9v, which is 4 clicks down from line level.
 
Jun 16, 2019 at 10:24 PM Post #38,768 of 42,759
Cool, I actually found a way to control my Macbook with my iPhone as a remote control.
Now another question:
Say the Mojo outputs at line level @3v (with the two lights in purplish/blue) and the pure amplifier Rotel 1582 MKII receives this signal from Mojo, what will the amplifier output to the loudspeakers? The maximum level? (assuming that my macbook is at max volume level)
At max volume these Forte III would most probably make the whole building collapse since they're 99db sensitive (and the rotel outputs 200 watts..)
Note that the "line level" is just a pegged level to make things easy.

If I were you, I'd sort out the Mojo volume that was generally the max you'd ever listen to and then use Roon/Mac to dip your audio to the listening level you'd normally listen to.
 
Jun 17, 2019 at 3:44 AM Post #38,769 of 42,759
Cheers! Great to know :) That means that I could save money and skip on the preamp.
The setup would be Macbook Pro --> Chord Mojo+Poly in Airplay --> Pure amplifier (like the Rotel RB 1582 MKII) --> Speakers (Klipsch Forte III)

The only problem would be that of missing a physical remote control for volume. It'd force me to always have my Macbook nearby and handy to adjust the volume. Is there a trick to overcome this? Mmm.. like a Mojo+Poly remote control?

Thank you for your help guys! I forgot to mention one key element... I own a Klipsch subwoofer R-115SW. Is there a way to connect it without the aid of a proper preamp?
 
Jun 18, 2019 at 7:05 PM Post #38,771 of 42,759
The sound of the headphone out of my laptop, is actually smoother than the Mojo :O. Ofcourse, the Mojo is way more natural and a lot better with the other technicalities, but the sound of my laptop just takes more edges off of the music, that's it's a very liquid sound.
 
Jun 18, 2019 at 7:19 PM Post #38,772 of 42,759
The sound of the headphone out of my laptop, is actually smoother than the Mojo :O. Ofcourse, the Mojo is way more natural and a lot better with the other technicalities, but the sound of my laptop just takes more edges off of the music, that's it's a very liquid sound.

Your laptop will have a much worse digital filter, some people like the sound of the transients blurred and thats why they like the sound of tube amps that do the same thing but i wouldnt agree it makes it more liquid.
 
Jun 18, 2019 at 7:35 PM Post #38,773 of 42,759
Your laptop will have a much worse digital filter, some people like the sound of the transients blurred and thats why they like the sound of tube amps that do the same thing but i wouldnt agree it makes it more liquid.
I also use 2 Jitterbugs in my laptops unused USB ports sitting closest to the 3.5mm headphone out of my laptop.

Yeah, the transients get more blurred, and so it's softer in the attack. With a headphone like the Beyerdynamic DT 150 + DT 100 velours, cable changed to Mogami 2893 (which makes it sound smoother and more defined than the stock cable, it honestly is like candy to your ears… I will continue to use the Mojo ofcourse, since the sound of the Mojo is just better.
 
Jun 18, 2019 at 7:39 PM Post #38,774 of 42,759
I also use 2 Jitterbugs in my laptops unused USB ports sitting closest to the 3.5mm headphone out of my laptop.

Yeah, the transients get more blurred, and so it's softer in the attack. With a headphone like the Beyerdynamic DT 150 + DT 100 velours, cable changed to Mogami 2893 (which makes it sound smoother and more defined than the stock cable, it honestly is like candy to your ears… I will continue to use the Mojo ofcourse, since the sound of the Mojo is just better.

I didnt say it was bad just that it is preference.
 

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