monsieurfromag3
1000+ Head-Fier
So I ordered a Mojo and had it in the house for a few days.
I wanted an upgrade from my current dacs/amps - a Sony PHA-1 and a DFR. I’d auditioned Ifi’s micro iDSD BL and Nano BL, an Astell&Kern Acro 1000, and the Fostex HP-A4, with the full-size Final Audio Pandora Hope VI and briefly with the IMR R1 iems. Mojo was a clear winner for me at the time, far away from the A&K and the Nano BL, and slightly more musical/pleasant than the iDSD and the Fostex. Also I enjoy reading Rob Watts, the dude definitely knows his sh!t.
I’ve more extensively, and in the quiet of my home, A/B’d the Mojo vs the PHA-1, the DFR and the V30.
The Mojo made me realize what a stressful listen the DFR is. Less coherent too. It’s still pretty miraculous for its size, but doesn’t satisfy on a desktop.
The PHA-1 is better, pretty excellent actually, slightly more aggressive than Chord’s device, less smooth in the treble but bass presence is great. It’s on the Mojo’s doorstep.
But the V30, man... It’s just as competent as the Mojo for me. Not *98% of the way there which is good enough because it’s more practical*, not great *for a phone*, not *trading blows and losing honorably*, plainly 100% as good as the Mojo. I thought I heard a new detail on the Mojo, then not only found it with the V30 but with improved texture (not an effect of “noise floor modulation” either, when a string sounds more like a string you can hear it); turns out these two excellent DACs were taking turns teaching me to listen better.
Now I am aware the Mojo holds more power, I just don’t need it. And the V30 decodes MQA, which the Mojo doesn't; I am emphatically not a believer in MQA, but I do believe the amount of evidence pointing to their encoding better masters, and Tidal has become my primary library.
UAPP is a must though, otherwise it’s just not the same. With it the V30 is at the level of high-end DAPs easily.
I had my wife demo the Mojo vs the V30, the PHA-1A and a recent iPad. Trading sheer technical proficiency for familiarity, she used her Kef M500, an unsung hero of sub-$300 hi-fi with plenty of scaling ability for high-end sources. She’s classically trained, more of a high-level listener, by which I mean she doesn’t get bogged down in audiophile technicalities and jargon but pays attention to how emotionally connected with the music she feels, and what undesirable characteristics prevent that connection. To her the iPad sounded awful, the PHA-1A fine but a tad harsh and unengaging, and the Mojo competent but dull. The V30 was her runaway winner!
I too ultimately feel like the Mojo is that boring boy in school who gets good grades, but why would you want to be his friend? The V30’s tuning makes it a more interesting and involving source for me.
I wanted an upgrade from my current dacs/amps - a Sony PHA-1 and a DFR. I’d auditioned Ifi’s micro iDSD BL and Nano BL, an Astell&Kern Acro 1000, and the Fostex HP-A4, with the full-size Final Audio Pandora Hope VI and briefly with the IMR R1 iems. Mojo was a clear winner for me at the time, far away from the A&K and the Nano BL, and slightly more musical/pleasant than the iDSD and the Fostex. Also I enjoy reading Rob Watts, the dude definitely knows his sh!t.
I’ve more extensively, and in the quiet of my home, A/B’d the Mojo vs the PHA-1, the DFR and the V30.
The Mojo made me realize what a stressful listen the DFR is. Less coherent too. It’s still pretty miraculous for its size, but doesn’t satisfy on a desktop.
The PHA-1 is better, pretty excellent actually, slightly more aggressive than Chord’s device, less smooth in the treble but bass presence is great. It’s on the Mojo’s doorstep.
But the V30, man... It’s just as competent as the Mojo for me. Not *98% of the way there which is good enough because it’s more practical*, not great *for a phone*, not *trading blows and losing honorably*, plainly 100% as good as the Mojo. I thought I heard a new detail on the Mojo, then not only found it with the V30 but with improved texture (not an effect of “noise floor modulation” either, when a string sounds more like a string you can hear it); turns out these two excellent DACs were taking turns teaching me to listen better.
Now I am aware the Mojo holds more power, I just don’t need it. And the V30 decodes MQA, which the Mojo doesn't; I am emphatically not a believer in MQA, but I do believe the amount of evidence pointing to their encoding better masters, and Tidal has become my primary library.
UAPP is a must though, otherwise it’s just not the same. With it the V30 is at the level of high-end DAPs easily.
I had my wife demo the Mojo vs the V30, the PHA-1A and a recent iPad. Trading sheer technical proficiency for familiarity, she used her Kef M500, an unsung hero of sub-$300 hi-fi with plenty of scaling ability for high-end sources. She’s classically trained, more of a high-level listener, by which I mean she doesn’t get bogged down in audiophile technicalities and jargon but pays attention to how emotionally connected with the music she feels, and what undesirable characteristics prevent that connection. To her the iPad sounded awful, the PHA-1A fine but a tad harsh and unengaging, and the Mojo competent but dull. The V30 was her runaway winner!
I too ultimately feel like the Mojo is that boring boy in school who gets good grades, but why would you want to be his friend? The V30’s tuning makes it a more interesting and involving source for me.
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