[RamblerBoy]

Is there any dac/amp better than the mojo at present? by better i mean better accuracy. that doesn't add any coloration or alter the way music sounds from how it was originally intended to and better driving capacity (power) but with almost the same portability as that of mojo.
 
budget - below 1000 USD.
 
please do help me if you know chord mojo's sound sig well enough and still think that there is something better as described above but with similar portability.

 

[spdtdl]

http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-idsd/

 

[RamblerBoy]

  http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-idsd/

thank you. will look into it.
 
anyone else?

 

[Rhamnetin]

I've never been impressed by ifi's offerings.  I haven't tried Chord's stuff yet, but since you require that amount of portability there aren't many options.  There is the grace m9xx.

 

[spdtdl]

What don't you like about the ifi? Just wondering as I'm in the market for something myself at the moment.

 

[Rhamnetin]

  What don't you like about the ifi? Just wondering as I'm in the market for something myself at the moment.

 
I've listened to some of their products (I forget which ones exactly) and I found they didn't live up to the hype.  I expected better dynamics, more fullness, and better bass control.  That might be somewhat unfair though since that day I listened to the same headphones on high end desktop equipment.

 

[h1f1add1cted]

I own the Mojo and the iDSD both are great devices in his own little world, none of them add any coloration or alter the sound, absolute strict neutral output from both. Few words about this two devices: http://www.head-fi.org/t/789009/chord-mojo-vs-ifi-micro-idsd-vs-m9xx-optional-vs-audeze-deckard-lcd-3-or-sony-xba-z5#post_12123174

 

[RamblerBoy]

@Rhamnetin @h1f1add1cted  thanks. i guess i will stick with the mojo. if there is something better i hope i find it before making the purchase.
 
 

  I own the Mojo and the iDSD both are great devices in his own little world, none of them add any coloration or alter the sound, absolute strict neutral output from both. Few words about this two devices: http://www.head-fi.org/t/789009/chord-mojo-vs-ifi-micro-idsd-vs-m9xx-optional-vs-audeze-deckard-lcd-3-or-sony-xba-z5#post_12123174

really helpful.

 

[RamblerBoy]

how does mojo's sq compare to that of fiio x3ii's headphone out when volume matched?
anyone having both?

 

[Currawong]

I only have the X5II here and the Mojo is definitely a step up IMO. 

 

[RamblerBoy]

  I only have the X5II here and the Mojo is definitely a step up IMO. 

thank you.
i know this is a subjective question but i am still asking.
i am a person who can't hear any difference in sq between the fiio x3ii and iphone 5s when volume matched with shure se846 earphones. i have also listened to fiio x5ii which again i feel is no different from x3ii / iphone 5s in terms of sq. considering this do you still feel i'd find an immediate out of the box improvement (i am not looking for a long term improvement) over the fiio x5ii?
please do reply when you get time.

 

[Currawong]

 

  I only have the X5II here and the Mojo is definitely a step up IMO. 

thank you.
i know this is a subjective question but i am still asking.
i am a person who can't hear any difference in sq between the fiio x3ii and iphone 5s when volume matched with shure se846 earphones. i have also listened to fiio x5ii which again i feel is no different from x3ii / iphone 5s in terms of sq. considering this do you still feel i'd find an immediate out of the box improvement (i am not looking for a long term improvement) over the fiio x5ii?
please do reply when you get time.

I've been having trouble finding a difference in sound quality between my iPhone and the X5II as well. OT, but it might be worth noting that in China, DAPs are vastly cheaper than smart phones, even more so than in our respective countries, so the situation is considerably different in FiiO's primary market. 
 
Anyhow, I listen to a lot of fairly, to very-well recorded acoustic music, so the difference in how natural instruments sound is apparent to me. FiiO improved the ability of the X5II to drive headphones quite a bit, so especially with IEMs the difference will be considerably less, more centred around the level of detail retrieval when listening carefully and the versatility with full-sized headphones as well as IEMs. It's not a difference in the manner of having more bass or anything along those lines, which would be much more apparent.  I should also add, I had to leave my Mojo switched on for at least 8 hours, plugged into the charger, before it sounded noticeably good, as I thought it sounded a bit congested at first. I'd definitely see if you can't audition one first. 

 

[simonm]

Maybe why they recommend 10 hours of charging first?
 
The 4 hour charge also seems like a lot but this is cause they recommend 1A charger (such as iPhone 5W) probably for longevity of the battery, especially if charging while in use.
 
Be aware many portable batteries use 2A because they assume you want to charge quickly when you're out.

 

[RamblerBoy]

 
I've been having trouble finding a difference in sound quality between my iPhone and the X5II as well. OT, but it might be worth noting that in China, DAPs are vastly cheaper than smart phones, even more so than in our respective countries, so the situation is considerably different in FiiO's primary market. 
 
Anyhow, I listen to a lot of fairly, to very-well recorded acoustic music, so the difference in how natural instruments sound is apparent to me. FiiO improved the ability of the X5II to drive headphones quite a bit, so especially with IEMs the difference will be considerably less, more centred around the level of detail retrieval when listening carefully and the versatility with full-sized headphones as well as IEMs. It's not a difference in the manner of having more bass or anything along those lines, which would be much more apparent.  I should also add, I had to leave my Mojo switched on for at least 8 hours, plugged into the charger, before it sounded noticeably good, as I thought it sounded a bit congested at first. I'd definitely see if you can't audition one first. 

thank you.
so stacking mojo with a fiio x5ii will improve detail retrieval when listening carefully along with better driving power for headphones but nothing on a macro scale like bringing the bass/mids/highs forward or backward that which is more apparent.

 

[Mython]

   
The 4 hour charge also seems like a lot but this is cause they recommend 1A charger (such as iPhone 5W) probably for longevity of the battery, especially if charging while in use.

 
 
No, it's not so much that they recommend a 1A charger, specifically - it's just that they recommend a minimum of 1A charger capability. Broadly-speaking, the Mojo is unlikely to draw any more current from a 10 amp charger than it will from a 1A charger, but go below 1A charger capability and the charging circuit may not perform as required.
 
The battery itself is bespoke, high energy-density, high-temperature-rated, high current-delivery, low internal resistance, and deliberately robust.
 
 
Some relevant, related, quotes:
 

We had the battery developed for only our mojo application. Done for us especially, It took Chord 3 years and many attempts to get the sheer ear thumping power density we have achieved in mojo.

 

Mojo actually has three independant thermal cut outs a special high temperature battery and very sophisticated charging circuitry . Picking up on an earlier post Mojo actually does not dissipate a lot of heat when it's working. It's only about 1.7 watts and when it's charging it adds about another watt so its not much really. However the electronics and battery are thermally bonded to the aluminium case. The Mojo's case can only shed its heat through convection or by radiating it away. This can only work if there is a temperature differential between itself and its ambient surroundings if there is an insufficient gradient between them, the Mojos temperature will rise until there is a large enough difference to pass its heat to the air surrounding it.
If it is prevented from doing this perhaps by being insulated I some way it's temperature will rise until one of the three shut down trips operate. note the battery is safe to 150 degrees and the trips all operate up too a hundred degrees lower. Therefore it's perfectly safe. In fact if it's feeling mildly hot at first to your hand. Your hand alone will easily soon bring the unit down to a reasonable temperature.