[betula]

After the Pacific, my X00s are crossing the Atlantic ocean tonight. What an exciting life. And we haven't even met yet.

 

[Hansotek]

  I know this isn't the correct thread, but why do people love the Chord Mojo so much?  How would the amp section compare to say the Schitt Magni Uber.  I'm no audio expert by any means, but personally a good budget DAC will get the job done for me, so a high quality amp is really what I'm looking for.  I do, however, love the portability of the Chord Mojo.

 
Amp and DAC aren't separate on the the Mojo. It provides a variable line out voltage, which serves as a volume control. There is no analog input, so you can use it as your DAC or as your DAC/"Amp" combo, but not as an amp by itself. As a DAC, it is a small step up from the Bifrost Multibit, IMO. It's more dynamic, fun, impactful and engaging, and it offers moderately better soundstage qualities. It does run slightly behind the Bifrost Multibit in terms of overall transparency though, but not by much. 
 
In many cases, having the variable line voltage can serve as an advantage, as the signal path is shortened overall with no cable runs, amp circuits, etc. in the path. This is particularly true with easy-to-drive headphones like the Fostex, which can be driven quite easily by the Mojo. The Mojo can drive difficult headphones as well. It does a pretty good job driving the Beyer T1, for example. The spot where it runs into trouble is with current-hungry headphones like orthos and the HD800, where it can feel a little flat and underpowered. However, that is something you will never have to worry about with the Fostex, which the Mojo drives without ever breaking a sweat.
 
I do recommend checking out the thread. As audio devices go, it is far and away one of the very best values under $1K, as it provides a ton of sound quality for its $599 asking price. 

 

[Zbell]

Thanks for your response.  So in your opinion, would the Chord Mojo be significantly better than the Bifrost Multibit and Magni 2 Uber? Or is this combo comparable?  I ask because while I'm in on the TH-X00 PH and would love to own the Cord Mojo, I also own a pair of HD600's and would eventually like to buy a decent tube amp (read: Bottlehead Crack).  This is why I'm leaning toward going away from dac/amp combos. 

 

[Hansotek]

  Thanks for your response.  So in your opinion, would the Chord Mojo be significantly better than the Bifrost Multibit and Magni 2 Uber? Or is this combo comparable?  I ask because while I'm in on the TH-X00 PH and would love to own the Cord Mojo, I also own a pair of HD600's and would eventually like to buy a decent tube amp (read: Bottlehead Crack).  This is why I'm leaning toward going away from dac/amp combos. 

 
Yes, I think it would better than that combo (and for less $$). It will pair well with your Fostex (and I'm quite confident it will be fantastic with the HD600, too). And when you do eventually get a Crack, you can use the Mojo as your DAC for that. Heck, I'm using it as a DAC with a $3K Cavalli Liquid Crimson as we speak, and I have no complaints.

 

[reeltime]

  I know this isn't the correct thread, but why do people love the Chord Mojo so much?  How would the amp section compare to say the Schitt Magni Uber.  I'm no audio expert by any means, but personally a good budget DAC will get the job done for me, so a high quality amp is really what I'm looking for.  I do, however, love the portability of the Chord Mojo.

Because if you add any halfway decent source, even a phone (digital out), the sound quality is untouchable at this price.  In review after review after review, from Headfonia, to Head-Fi, to Stereophile, no one can find much of anything bad to say about this product.  I have its bigger brother, the Hugo.  It travels with me everywhere with my TH-X00 in a road case.  
 
In fact, I liked the sound so much, I bought the TT for my desktop rig.
 
Using a computer or an AK source-- native DSD files through the Hugo, Mojo, and Hugo TT are overwhelming.  
 
If you want to improve your Mojo from there, you can add a Cavalli or ALO portable amp on the back end and punch up the quality a notch higher.  But the sound is very good out of this tiny little box, and the internal amp has plenty of power unless you're trying to drive an HE-6 or Abyss.  
 
There are better stand-alone amps, but if you're amping a mediocre source, you get mediocre sound.  
 
For the TH-X00 the Mojo and Hugo are magic combinations.  You don't have to take my word for it, do a quick Google and read what people are saying about the Mojo.  
 
Watch eBay, too, and Massdrop.  Deals pop up from time to time.

 

[Zbell]

Good advice!  Now that we're talking about Massdrop, I suppose the Grace m9xx and Chord Mojo are really in direct competition with each other.  Anyone had a chance to test both out and determine which is better?

 

[sheldaze]

  Good advice!  Now that we're talking about Massdrop, I suppose the Grace m9xx and Chord Mojo are really in direct competition with each other.  Anyone had a chance to test both out and determine which is better?

I'm more generally a fan of the Chord Mojo.
 
I would recommend the Grace Design m9XX for the TH-X00.

 

[Hansotek]

Good advice!  Now that we're talking about Massdrop, I suppose the Grace m9xx and Chord Mojo are really in direct competition with each other.  Anyone had a chance to test both out and determine which is better?

I doubt you'll see the Mojo so on MassDrop again. As I understand it, the distributor who partnered with MD for that deal caught holy hell from Chord for violating their M.A.P. agreement on Mojo, the whole deal was blown to smithereens and Massdrop had to issue refunds to all the drop participants. So yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[madwolfa]

  I would not buy anything other than a Chord Mojo.  There is no better audio product under $1000.  

 
There's plenty of good schiit in that range. Also Chord is just too gaudy looking... (IMO).

 

[ericp10]

Well, I hear no recessed mids of any significance in my X00. I wonder if these were pre-burned in, because I'm digging the sound right out of the box. To be honest, a couple of people here - who I trust their opinions highly - told me some awful things about the sound signature of these headphones. I was expecting to put it up for sale within a couple of hours. Yet, I'm not finding the fault they found in it. It's a pretty decent sounding phone. Some excellent horn separation on the Miles' Kind of Blue album (lossless). 

 

[Faber65]

crossfire
This is what I dislike: I live in China but I have to receive the cans from USA and pay the duties.
So far only one manufacturer shipped to me directly from China.

 

[YtseJamer]

  Well, I hear no recessed mids of any significance in my X00. I wonder if these were pre-burned in, because I'm digging the sound right out of the box.  

 
.

 

[Zbell]

Well, I hear no recessed mids of any significance in my X00. I wonder if these were pre-burned in, because I'm digging the sound right out of the box. To be honest, a couple of people here - who I trust their opinions highly - told me some awful things about the sound signature of these headphones. I was expecting to put it up for sale within a couple of hours. Yet, I'm not finding the fault they found in it. It's a pretty decent sounding phone. Some excellent horn separation on the Miles' Kind of Blue album (lossless). 

By awful things, do you mean the recessed mids and perhaps mediocre imaging? As someone waiting a few more months for the purpleheart, I'm excited to read the fresh impressions and reviews folks have after the latest drop/shipment. Cheers to the X00 community growing!

 

[Gavin C4]

By awful things, do you mean the recessed mids and perhaps mediocre imaging? As someone waiting a few more months for the purpleheart, I'm excited to read the fresh impressions and reviews folks have after the latest drop/shipment. Cheers to the X00 community growing!

I think they maybe comparing it to other high end headphone like the HD800 and it turns out that the X00 does not have mids as good as them. After all the X00 have a U shape frequency response curve. Whereas some popular headphone like HD800 and HE560 /HE1000 have a very flat frequency response (flat transition from bass to mid range). But listening to the X00 alone should not have that much problem. I will update my impression on the mids after mines arrives and have a good listen to them. 
Nice to see future owners of the purpleheart joing! Since it is quite a long wait for the purpleheart, I can't drop out the the second batch for the purpleheart. The wait is too long for me.

 

[reeltime]

   
There's plenty of good schiit in that range. Also Chord is just too gaudy looking... (IMO).

 
I like Schiit's gear, no question.  Quality stuff.  
 
The Chord DAC is superior for sound, to my ears, by some margin over any of the Schiit DACs.  I prefer the Mojo over the Yggi for DAC based on sound alone.  None of the Schiit DACs (not even the Yggi) can play native DSD.  That, to me, is a deal breaker.  I hear a significant sonic upgrade with DSD source files.
 
While Schiit has amps and DACs in that range, none are all-in-one solutions for headphone listening.  You have to pair up a DAC and amp, all are desktop models requiring A/C as compared to the portable battery powered Mojo. By the time you purchase both amp and DAC, you're exceeding the cost of the Mojo anyway.
 
The Schiit amps are superior to the Mojo's amp stage, no question.  But I'd want the Mojo as a DAC paired with the Valhalla and if I have a choice of one or the other, I'll take the Mojo because it makes pretty much any source sound better, and it's portable-- and back on-topic-- the Mojo's amp stage easily handles the TH-X00.
 
To each his own, I do not believe there is a better audio product on the market below $1000 dollars than the Mojo-- and I do not own one.