Hello, I have read several different comparisons between the 2 dacs, but I am puzzled at some of the information that I have read. Some users claim that the Mojo offers a sound that is comparable, or even better than that of the Hugo Chord 2. I live in a rural area where there are no hi end audio stores, therefore it is not possible for me to compare the two. Can anybody offer me some solid advice about which is the better purchase for long term use with high end headphones.
Hello, I have read several different comparisons between the 2 dacs, but I am puzzled at some of the information that I have read. Some users claim that the Mojo offers a sound that is comparable, or even better than that of the Hugo Chord 2. I live in a rural area where there are no hi end audio stores, therefore it is not possible for me to compare the two. Can anybody offer me some solid advice about which is the better purchase for long term use with high end headphones.
Hi mate, in terms of the DAC sections, yes - there's not an enormous amount of difference. The Mojo has a slightly warmer tone courtesy of its filter setting, and the Hugo 2 sounds a tad leaner. If you're using it as a DAC only, the Mojo is better value in my opinion. If you need to drive a wider array of headphones directly from your device, than the Hugo may be more suitable for your use-case.
I have the Mojo and have never heard the Hugo 2 (but I have a 2Qute, which has a Hugo 1 DAC solution)
IMO the Mojo is amazing value, but has some usability quirks and drawbacks.
It is a bit sensitive in terms of battery life and a number of users who have used it permanently connected to the charger reported premature battery failure.
Additionally I am not a fan of the micro-USB connectors. They are mechanically weak and IMO not a good solution for frequent connecting / disconnecting.
Both of these issues can be solved with correct handling, but you should be aware of it.
For long term desktop use with high-end headphones I think the Hugo 2 would be the better solution though if the costs are acceptable. For mobile joy the Mojo is great.
My first external DAC should be arriving tomorrow, the Mojo. To date I've been using my built in motherboard that has a Realtek S1220A which on paper it has okay specs 120 dB SNR. I do wonder how much of a difference the mojo will be.
My first external DAC should be arriving tomorrow, the Mojo. To date I've been using my built in motherboard that has a Realtek S1220A which on paper it has okay specs 120 dB SNR. I do wonder how much of a difference the mojo will be.
Hello, I have read several different comparisons between the 2 dacs, but I am puzzled at some of the information that I have read. Some users claim that the Mojo offers a sound that is comparable, or even better than that of the Hugo Chord 2. I live in a rural area where there are no hi end audio stores, therefore it is not possible for me to compare the two. Can anybody offer me some solid advice about which is the better purchase for long term use with high end headphones.
I have both of these DACs so can offer you some insights.
I started with the Mojo and enjoyed it greatly - it is portable, with a musical sound signature.
I then bought a Hugo2 and enjoy this greatly - it is desktop use, offers more fine detail retrieval than Mojo, plus has enough power to direct drive computer monitors and floorstanding speakers (Focal Aria 936).
Headphone wise, I have used both with several iems/headphones, but I admit that I am not in the market for $4k headphones.
However:
AK8Tie Mk 2 work well with both dacs (iems)
Aeon Flow Closed work well with both dacs (planar)
Drop Koss ESP/95X work well with both dacs (electrostats)
If you just need a mobile solution, for easy to drive headphones, then the Mojo will not disappoint.
If you need a more desktop solution, with more detail retrieval, power, and the flexibility to direct drive some speakers, then the Hugo2 is hard to beat.
Yeah, Its just that I cant believe the the company would price the hugo at nearly 4 times the Chord Mojo if its sounds comparable. Surely it cant just be because of more filter options and battery life.
I did not even take speakers into the equation, thank you for this tip.
Yeah, Its just that I cant believe the the company would price the hugo at nearly 4 times the Chord Mojo if its sounds comparable. Surely it cant just be because of more filter options and battery life.
I did not even take speakers into the equation, thank you for this tip.
The Mojo represents amazing bang per buck.
The Hugo2 offers improved fine detail retrieval, greater power (especially for difficult to drive headphones, or efficient speakers), so can answer more needs than Mojo.
Don't get tied up thinking about the filters - they are only really useful for hires music files.
The Hugo2 works wonders with standard CD files, and for those files I can just about perceive that the white filter is marginally sharper on piano notes, but the other 3 filters are indistinguishable.
Have rocked the Mojo for 3 years before finally making the jump. Mostly because it's quite the jump in price, but also, didn't feel like my long-standing SE846 and IE 800 would see enough benefit to justify the price. When I got the KSE1200 last year, being the detail monster that it is, the itch really came on and wouldn't go away. No way was I gonna pay the 5x Mojo retail price though. Found a Hugo 2 on the classified here for $1400.
For that price, I'd say it was a fantastic upgrade. But I wouldn't say so at its full $2500. It's not leaps and bounds ahead of the Mojo. It's essentially a refined Mojo, but all the right refinements and "corrected" everything I felt the mojo fell short on. Mojo doesn't pair well with warm headphones (which I mostly have) because it's undoubtedly warm. Hugo 2 evens things out, and perfectly. Every frequency range on the Hugo 2 shines equally. There's no flaw I can tell. Mind you, this doesn't mean it's not musical. Think some people confuse musicality and warmth (or in other words, not being neutral not being musical). Going back to what I said, the Hugo 2 is like a refined Mojo. It has all the pleasant musicality that it has, despite being having a neutral FR. I don't get "coldness" whatsoever. Sure, bass is more tamed on the Hugo 2 because it's not as warm. But I don't see calling it a "cold" DAC.
Pairing with the KSE1200, I've been amazed at the treble detail I've been missing. It just comes alive with the Hugo 2, compared to the Mojo. Additionally, one of the things that always bugged me about the Mojo is its "confined" space. I also have an iFi Micro iDSD BL and it sounds "bigger" than the Mojo (like comparing sound in a room vs a concert hall). The Hugo 2 provides that, and then some. I never recognized "spatial" detail before until the Hugo 2. It's an imaging playground and I love it.
All this said, doesn't mean I'm going to toss out my Mojo. Still going to use it depending what mood I'm in. When I just want to chill and not analyze, I'll reach for it. Sometimes I just want a warm and smoothed out reproduction. Something also has to be said with the tremendous value that the Mojo is. With how awesome the Hugo 2 is, I can't say that the Mojo doesn't get a lot of the way there, at 1/5 the price. I would say that you need to have a high-end, very resolving headphone to really see the benefit. I don't see that big of an improvement with my SE846 and IE 800, but with my KSE and HD 820, definitely.
Leaving behind all of the Hugo 2 features, after 18 monrhs of only listening to the Hugo 2 I dug out the Mojo, which I loved when I got it, and tried it with my new Focal Clears. The Chord has considerably less detail and separation to my ears. The Clears and Hugo 2 make me want to not stop listening to my hi res audio files. You made the right decision.
Leaving behind all of the Hugo 2 features, after 18 monrhs of only listening to the Hugo 2 I dug out the Mojo, which I loved when I got it, and tried it with my new Focal Clears. The Chord has considerably less detail and separation to my ears. The Clears and Hugo 2 make me want to not stop listening to my hi res audio files. You made the right decision.
I have the Chord Mojo 2 and I'm trying to decide if I should get the Hugo 2. If you have any insights on the improvement in sound quality, I'd appreciate it. I do enjoy using the Mojo eq at times.
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