[Brando]

My ah-d9200 phones sound really good coming from the chord mojo compared to my old setup and I think I want more of the same but better. Not having to deal with a battery would also be a nice bonus. Would a chord qutest with a gilmore lite mk II or other nice amp be an improvement or should I just leave it alone? It would be pretty expensive to upgrade so I need to be confident that the sound will improve.

 

[Brando]

On second thought this might not work. After I posted my first post it dawned on me that I could run the mojo in line out mode to my jds atom amp which has more power and literally no distortion according to reviews I've read. For some reason the mojo reduces harshness in certain music on my phones when run directly from the mojos headphone out but not when run to an external amp. Apparently chord has some mystical powers in their amplification that gets lost when you add things to the chain. Either that or the reviews are wrong and the jds atom is harsh. Maybe I'll get a thx aaa 789 from drop and see how it sounds with the mojo. If that doesn't work I don't know what will except spending $5500-$17000 on a chord hugo tt 2 or chord dave (not happening unless I win the lottery lol)

 

[surfgeorge]

Rob Watts has written about the output amplifier of the Mojo being designed with as few parts as possible in the signal path.
If I remember correctly the technical explanation was that the Mojo FPGA DAC deliver such a clean signal that the output amplifier can be implemented that way without the filtering required for cleaning the signal coming from conventional DAC chips.

So adding an additional headphone amp would alter, maybe color but not objectively "improve" the signal.

To your original question:
pairing the Mojo with my integrated amp (https://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/ka-i180_e.html) was a huge improvement over the DAC I had used before.
Soundstage, dynamics, pitch black background, resolution & detail, smoothness describes it best.
I have a CD which was recorded in a church. With the Mojo, my living room walls vanished and I got the feeling of sitting in the church hall, deep and wide.
Bought a used 2Qute for €600 or 700 and never looked back.
I didn't know how good my amp was until it was paired with the Chord DACs.

 

[Brando]

Thanks for the info, very interesting. I ended up ordering a Drop THX AAA 789 and hooking it up to the mojo in line out mode. I got the thx because I read that it was supposed to be the ultimate in cleanliness and agile power. The same has been said online about the jds atom that I tried the same thing with. No audible distortion and good power. After hearing the drop THX I have to reconsider anything with bold claims like that. The THX sounds fantastic so far in comparison. According to specs and reviews I shouldn't be able to tell the difference yet there it is. I hate to use corny audiophile words but I think I can honestly describe what I hear as effortless finesse and power without the peakiness that was bothering me with the atom. Zeos was actually right. I need to listen to more music to be sure but so far my impression from this combo is that of a chord mojo with way more power.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The THX amps measure very well so if you use a good source they should expose that exactly.

 

[Brando]

I'm impressed with it for sure. I have a topping D90 coming in soon to see how it goes. It's supposed to be the best measuring dac ever or something like that. I hope I love it since I can't afford a qutest right now and I'm sick of charging the mojo. If I end up missing the chord sound I guess I'll just start saving for the Qutest since I'll never be able to afford a hugo 2 tt or dave.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I have a Mojo that I just leave plugged into a phone charger 24 hours a day. I don't like the battery requirement also, I just treat it like a power cord...

 

[Brando]

I have a Mojo that I just leave plugged into a phone charger 24 hours a day. I don't like the battery requirement also, I just treat it like a power cord...

I was tempted to use it that was and probably never would have tried anything else but it made a squealing noise that I couldn't handle while it was charging. I was also told that it would kill the battery prematurely so I didn't do it. None of that would have been as big of a deal if it wasn't running out of batteries twice as fast as advertised. 10 hours would be plenty but I got maybe 4 or 5 and while this would normally be plenty I ran out a couple times on long music binges. They need to make a true affordable desktop amp. I can't spend 5 grand on a hugo tt.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I was tempted to use it that was and probably never would have tried anything else but it made a squealing noise that I couldn't handle while it was charging. I was also told that it would kill the battery prematurely so I didn't do it. None of that would have been as big of a deal if it wasn't running out of batteries twice as fast as advertised. 10 hours would be plenty but I got maybe 4 or 5 and while this would normally be plenty I ran out a couple times on long music binges. They need to make a true affordable desktop amp. I can't spend 5 grand on a hugo tt.

I don't hear squealing from mine using a Samsung charger but I did read comments about maybe leaving it charging all the time could be bad for the battery. After a year of doing that it is still fine. The Mojo was supposed to be for mobile use and I think it really isn't a great choice for mobile or desktop. I agree with you. A pure desktop Chord with a more normal / less unusual UI would be a hit. And MQA support, too, which is never gonna happen.