Chord Mojo – Review
Ladies and gentlemen and audiophiles please allow me to introduce you the portable Chord Mojo DAC / Amplifier. Being built from aircraft aluminium,the quality is very high MADE IN UK as expected from a brand like Chord Electronics, same people behind the legendary Hugo.
TECHNICAL SPECS:
Output Power @ 1kHz
600 ohms 35mW
8 ohms 720mW
Output Impedance: 0.075 ohms
Dynamic Range: 125dB
THD @ 3v - 0.00017%
Dimensions: 82 l x 60 w x 22 h mm
Weight : 180 g
I have been using Mojo DAC for 24 hours now, so i think is a very capable portable DAC/Amplifier., especially with that sweet price, making it a very good value for money.
It will play almost any audio file, up to 768kHz 32bit, and up to quad DSD 256. As you can see from the description this unit is very small making it the ideal transport system. You can either use it paired with your music player on the go or with your laptop. Simply just plug it in your windows laptop (as in my case ) and the driver will automatically install and it can be used within seconds. The battery life is around 8-10 hours, considering its size and all the codec support I think is really amazing what John and Rob have managed to make. Mojo’s design has been inspired by his bigger brother Hugo. The construction is very simple making it very easy to operate. The inputs are: 1 optical, 1 coaxial ,1 micro USB capable of 758 kHz/32 bit, 1 micro USB that acts as a charging port; outputs : 2 x 3.5 mm headphone jacks. In the box only a micro USB charging cable is included, but I am sure you have all the cables need at home already.
I have heard about people complaining regarding the lack of 6.3 mm jack output, but, in my opinion, this DAC looks different with a jack on board, plus on the market you can find many high quality 3.5 mm- 6.3 mm adaptors.
For more detailed specification of Mojo, manual and drivers please refer to Chord own website:
http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo/
I will add photos at the end of the review , to see how small this device is. Now just let me focus on the sound quality.
Having owned the Hugo for a while, I think that Mojo really changed the game. It is very hard to find a similar size DAC out there with those high specification and power. Straight out of the box Mojo delivers 70-80% sound quality compared to Hugo and, in my opinion, the sound will only improve over time. Hugo cost in the UK £1400 and Mojo is only £399, so I would say that this is a real bargain, making it possible for anyone who loves and cares about high quality music to be able to afford one.
I would say that due to the size of Hugo the sound is more micro detailed, more spacious, but there isn’t a huge difference compared to Mojo. I find both to sound similar, so if you love Chord sound signature you will love Mojo for sure.
The last has the same amazing black background, which makes it very easy to listen and non fatigue. The headphones used in this review are the non expensive Koss Porta pro modified. You may ask yourself why I have chosen a low end headphones for the review; well, I trust my hearing and I like what I hear. Later on I might add other headphones to the review.
The only thing I could argue about, and I am just being very critical, are the illuminated buttons: I would have loved to be able to turn them off. Now, if both buttons are held down, after Mojo is powered on, you have the options for high or low brightness, so this is a great feature, especially when listening in bed, at night, as you don’t get distracted.
Just have to thank Chord for making such an amazing device at a great price.
Try to hear one for yourself , i know you want one
and then you will realise that this portable DAC is truly a game changer.
More impressions to follow as the device’s sound will expand over time .
Ladies and gentlemen and audiophiles please allow me to introduce you the portable Chord Mojo DAC / Amplifier. Being built from aircraft aluminium,the quality is very high MADE IN UK as expected from a brand like Chord Electronics, same people behind the legendary Hugo.
TECHNICAL SPECS:
Output Power @ 1kHz
600 ohms 35mW
8 ohms 720mW
Output Impedance: 0.075 ohms
Dynamic Range: 125dB
THD @ 3v - 0.00017%
Dimensions: 82 l x 60 w x 22 h mm
Weight : 180 g
I have been using Mojo DAC for 24 hours now, so i think is a very capable portable DAC/Amplifier., especially with that sweet price, making it a very good value for money.
It will play almost any audio file, up to 768kHz 32bit, and up to quad DSD 256. As you can see from the description this unit is very small making it the ideal transport system. You can either use it paired with your music player on the go or with your laptop. Simply just plug it in your windows laptop (as in my case ) and the driver will automatically install and it can be used within seconds. The battery life is around 8-10 hours, considering its size and all the codec support I think is really amazing what John and Rob have managed to make. Mojo’s design has been inspired by his bigger brother Hugo. The construction is very simple making it very easy to operate. The inputs are: 1 optical, 1 coaxial ,1 micro USB capable of 758 kHz/32 bit, 1 micro USB that acts as a charging port; outputs : 2 x 3.5 mm headphone jacks. In the box only a micro USB charging cable is included, but I am sure you have all the cables need at home already.
I have heard about people complaining regarding the lack of 6.3 mm jack output, but, in my opinion, this DAC looks different with a jack on board, plus on the market you can find many high quality 3.5 mm- 6.3 mm adaptors.
For more detailed specification of Mojo, manual and drivers please refer to Chord own website:
http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo/
I will add photos at the end of the review , to see how small this device is. Now just let me focus on the sound quality.
Having owned the Hugo for a while, I think that Mojo really changed the game. It is very hard to find a similar size DAC out there with those high specification and power. Straight out of the box Mojo delivers 70-80% sound quality compared to Hugo and, in my opinion, the sound will only improve over time. Hugo cost in the UK £1400 and Mojo is only £399, so I would say that this is a real bargain, making it possible for anyone who loves and cares about high quality music to be able to afford one.
I would say that due to the size of Hugo the sound is more micro detailed, more spacious, but there isn’t a huge difference compared to Mojo. I find both to sound similar, so if you love Chord sound signature you will love Mojo for sure.
The last has the same amazing black background, which makes it very easy to listen and non fatigue. The headphones used in this review are the non expensive Koss Porta pro modified. You may ask yourself why I have chosen a low end headphones for the review; well, I trust my hearing and I like what I hear. Later on I might add other headphones to the review.
The only thing I could argue about, and I am just being very critical, are the illuminated buttons: I would have loved to be able to turn them off. Now, if both buttons are held down, after Mojo is powered on, you have the options for high or low brightness, so this is a great feature, especially when listening in bed, at night, as you don’t get distracted.
Just have to thank Chord for making such an amazing device at a great price.
Try to hear one for yourself , i know you want one
More impressions to follow as the device’s sound will expand over time .
