MicroZOTL2 Upgrade Discovery Thread.....

[Jozurr]

What is the pricing like on these upgrades? I also can't seem to understand how many "types" of upgrades there are except the "extreme" upgrade.

 

[zachawry]

I just got my Illuminati, which means I can finally run it with my "moderately-modded" (I think; I'm not even sure) MZ2. 
 
I spent a good amount of time with the modded MZ2 and a Joule 5, thanks to Ben at Mojo being generous enough to effectively loan me one for more than a month. 
 
The Joule 5 was fantastic, and I thought that the Illuminati would be a fairly moderate upgrade. 
 
I can say, however, that it's just amazing. I've only spent a couple hours with the Illuminati, but it's definitely a whole big jump up from the J5, and the J5 was a big jump up from the LPS. 
 
It's like the J5 had taken a polishing rag to a dirty window and made it sparklingly clear. The Illuminati just removes the window entirely. There is no sense of separation from the sound. It's really quite amazing. 
 
Now I can't wait until I get my hands on the Mystique in a day or two. 

 

[yukihasi]

  I just got my Illuminati, which means I can finally run it with my "moderately-modded" (I think; I'm not even sure) MZ2. 
 
I spent a good amount of time with the modded MZ2 and a Joule 5, thanks to Ben at Mojo being generous enough to effectively loan me one for more than a month. 
 
The Joule 5 was fantastic, and I thought that the Illuminati would be a fairly moderate upgrade. 
 
I can say, however, that it's just amazing. I've only spent a couple hours with the Illuminati, but it's definitely a whole big jump up from the J5, and the J5 was a big jump up from the LPS. 
 
It's like the J5 had taken a polishing rag to a dirty window and made it sparklingly clear. The Illuminati just removes the window entirely. There is no sense of separation from the sound. It's really quite amazing. 
 
Now I can't wait until I get my hands on the Mystique in a day or two. 

Glad to hear, that's basically what I said in my impression, it's all about transparency. 

 

 

[zachawry]

I *thought* I remembered you saying something similar, but couldn't find the quote, so I wasn't sure. Sorry for inadvertently plagiarizing you.

 

[saidentary]

  Now I can't wait until I get my hands on the Mystique in a day or two. 

What's the Mystique?

 

[zachawry]

  What's the Mystique?

Mojo Audio's DAC. 
 
I had a Hugo, which I love(d). Tried the Mystique and quickly found myself unable to go back. 

 

[saidentary]

 
Mojo Audio's DAC. 
 
I had a Hugo, which I love(d). Tried the Mystique and quickly found myself unable to go back. 

Wow.  Very cool.

 

[zachawry]

 
Wow.  Very cool.

Yeah. I intend to give it a real review once I have more time, but it's just a very clear, detailed DAC (without being etched).
 
Going back to the Hugo, things feel more fuzzy and wishy-washy. 

 

[drbluenewmexico]

Recently I was given the opportunity to hear Mojo Audio’s Extreme
microZOTL2 upgrade as part of a complete Mojo Audio system.  

This system consisted of:

1. Extreme microZOTL2 upgrade.
2. Illuminati power supply with dual outputs.
3. Mystique v2+3 prototype DAC. 
4. PS Audio LANRover network audio device.
5. Two WyWires Platinum USB cables.
6. CAT7 Ethernet cable.

I listened to the system through Fostex X00 Mahogany headphones using my Macbook air for files and streaming through Tidal and Soundcloud.

Ben Zwickel, head Mojo, dropped the system off and connected for me before he went off to a conference. I had a chance to listen to it for about a week before it was taken back and shipped off to other audio reviewers.

Just a note for those of you that may be unfamiliar with the components. The Illuminati power supply has an optional second output that can be a second voltage. In this case it was set to 5V to power the PS Audio LANRover, which when put between a computer and DAC, is reputed to significantly improve the performance. The WyWires USB cables and CAT7 Ethernet cables listed above were used with the LANRover between my computer and DAC.

The Illuminati has an optional three voltage selectable output so you could choose between 5V - 7V - 12V or 5V - 7V - 9V or 5V - 9V - 12V. This would allow you to power just about any USB regen/reclock, USB to S/PDIF, or Ethernet to USB devices on the market, as well as several DACs, phono stages, and music servers. The Illuminati I borrowed had one output with 5V - 7V - 12V and one 5V - 9V - 12V which would allow me to use my microZOTL2 along with just about any device that runs on 5V to 12V on the market. The LANRover just happened to be one device that Ben was auditioning at the time, so he lent it to me knowing the limitations of my Mac Air Book I use as my music server. 

At first listen (one hour after plugging it in on my headphone desk) the system sounded off, the tones of the instruments unnatural and the dynamics poor.  I figured it was too cooled down from the transport from Mojo Audio labs to my house, so waited till the next morning to listen.

Sure enough the system was 300% better.  It continued to improve for about another 24 hours and always sounded better if I left it on for over an hour after overnight shut off to save tubes life.

Ben had asked me to A/B/C/D/ test the components in various combinations to try to tease out what contributed to the sound quality. By the end of the third day, I could not bring myself to change out any of the components.  The sound was so magnificent and involving, that I lost hours listening to a variety of music through my various sources.

When Ben returned from his journey to repossess the system, I reluctantly gave it up so other reviewers could hear it.  So this report is for all of the above components being connected rather than part of the upgrade ingredients combined with my other components. Sorry about that but the sound was so enticing it literally kept me hypnotized by its extreme beauty.

This entire system was the first digital system that matched or surpassed the sound quality of my old Sota Sapphire vinyl system through Krell electronics and Apogee Diva Speakers and Audioquest silver cabling.  The tones were right on, the textures meaty and palpable, the PRAT outstanding, the musicality outrageous.  At times I forgot what I was listening to and just surrendered to the music, which caused me to have musical dreams emotional experiences and that old high end test: goosebumps.

This upgraded system made my headphones sound at least 2 or 3 x better than I've ever heard them before. The bass: under control even at loud volumes playing EDM (Master Margheria, Johnnie Blue, FLAC files). Voices: Dylan, country rock, classical, really any genre of music, sounded human rather than digital, and the emotional communication between performer and listener was better than I've ever heard on a headphone system before.

I’ve since returned to my own system of mildly upgraded microZOTL2, Mystique DAC v.1, V link digital transmission system, and Joule v5 power supply. This system is no slacker, and not cheap, and it sounds good to be sure.  But I do feel like left sonic paradise behind and returned to sonic ”as good as I can afford” territory.  The total cost of the completely upgraded system was prohibitive to my budget, but some lucky customer who can will have their mind blown by this system in its entirely. Each part of the upgrade I'm sure made a serious contribution to the overall gestalt of the excellence of the upgrade system.  

I wouldn't know where to begin to recommend what to upgrade first.It’s lovely to know however that TOTL sound is available NOW from Mojo Audio and that mad scientist Ben Z who designs and hand builds these upgrades and devices.

My desk feels a bit lonely now, thats true, but i shall have to plan for future upgrades….

 

[MojoAudio]

  I wouldn't know where to begin to recommend what to upgrade first.It’s lovely to know however that TOTL sound is available NOW from Mojo Audio and that mad scientist Ben Z who designs and hand builds these upgrades and devices.

 
I always tell people: "If it doesn't come from your source, it can't come from your speakers (or headphones)."
 
And I also say: "If it doesn't come from your power supply, it can't come from your source."
 
So the next time Dr. Blue has an itch to upgrade, I'll be recommending that he add a second regulated output to his Joule v5 and improve the quality of the power feeding his existing USB to S/PDIF converter. My next recommendation would be to upgrade his DAC before upgrading his amp or headphones.
 
Next time I have a spare week with a demo DAC I'll loan it to Dr. Blue to audition and report on how the DAC alone improves his existing system. 
 
From my experience, just upgrading his DAC will bridge more than half the gap between his existing system and the full-blown system I loaned him.
 
Also, it would seem like a good idea for someone to start a Mojo Audio DAC thread or Mojo Audio products thread. This thread is for upgraded mZ2s. Obviously I appreciate all the positive reports our customers are making on our DACs that they use with our upgraded mZ2s, but I think it is diluting the purpose of this thread, which is to give people info on how to upgrade their mZ2 and feedback on the results people have had doing these upgrades.
 
I'm also hoping more of you that have upgraded your mZ2 will post on this thread. I've had several off thread communications with some of you, and some of you have totally different ideas than I've had. It would be great if you fellow upgraders would take the time to share what you've done to your mZ2 with the H-F community at large.
 
BTW, Dr. Blue borrowed my personal Extreme upgraded mZ2 and Illuminati, which is now going out on tour with about a half a dozen professional reviewers, some of which are your fellow H-Fers.
 
Here's a photo of my Extreme upgraded mZ2.
Note the 4-pin "balanced" connector that fits in the existing hole in a stock mZ2 chassis: a highly recommended upgrade

 
 
In a future post I'll give you all the low down on why a 4-pin XLR is a good upgrade to the output of your mZ2.
 

 

[crazychile]

I have a stock MicroZotl2 with the optional LTA power supply. One problem I see with the "Extreme" version is the warm up period to get the best sound. But if you're gong to sink all that extra money into it maybe the cost of replacing tubes at higher intervals isn't a big issue for some.
 
Any guess as to how the sound might be if you compared a stock unit and Extreme after they  each had only 20 min. warm up time? The Extreme would still be much better or is it somewhat comparable until you get many hours warm up on it?

 

[MojoAudio]

  The Extreme would still be much better or is it somewhat comparable until you get many hours warm up on it?

 
Warm up is relatively the same on all of these power supplies and components, stock or upgraded.
 
Most of our customers agree that an unplugged and discharged PSU takes about 24-hours to come back to life and most audiophiles agree that it takes about an hour for their system to sound right.
 
The difference is that when the noise floor is lowered to that extent you can actually hear the subtle improvements after warm up more significantly. 

 

[concreteroze]

Hey guys, I'm intending to change the output socket of my MZ2 to a 4 pin XLR, but i have absolutely no idea how to do that. I've narrowed down the socket already (linked below) but I do need some advice on how to actually remove the old 1/4 socket and install the new one :S
 
http://uk.farnell.com/neutrik/nc4fd-lx-b/socket-xlr-black-4pole/dp/1390122?aa=true&vw=&selectedCategoryId=&categoryId=700000004944&eq=N%3D217772%2B110058026%2B112973921%2B113176167%2B2031%26amp%3BNs%3DP_STORE_MARKETING_RANK_FARNELL_UK%257c0%257c%257cP_MAN_PART_NUM%257c0%26amp%3BNtpc%3D1%26amp%3BNtpr%3D1&searchView=table&iscrfnonsku=false

 

[zachawry]

  Most of our customers agree that an unplugged and discharged PSU takes about 24-hours to come back to life and most audiophiles agree that it takes about an hour for their system to sound right.
 

 
Does this mean that there is a difference between being unplugged and simply being turned off? 
 
 
 
Also, anybody who is interested, please check out my Mojo server/DAC thread: 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/825205/mojo-audio-dacs-and-servers

 

[MojoAudio]

   
Does this mean that there is a difference between being unplugged and simply being turned off?

 
There are a quite a few factors.
 
One has to do with how a component is internally designed.
 
For most components, including all Mojo Audio PSUs, there is no difference between being turned off and unplugged, simply because the entrance to the IEC has a switch which completely disconnects the component from the AC power. Some components have "standby" or "partly powered"  modes that when you turn the power switch off still allow AC power entering at least some of the circuitry to keep it warmed up.
 
Optimal performance after an hour of play is due to all the electrical components getting up to their operating temperature and the capacitors getting fully charging. This is true of any power supply in any type of electronics. Tubes warm up to optimal operational temperature during this first hour and that too makes a significant difference in performance.
 
Then there is the factor of charging up capacitors in the circuit. This charge usually dissipates shortly after the PSU is turned off due to "bleeder resistors" purposely used discharging the capacitors. This is also why I recommend that low-current components, such as DACs and solid-state pre amps, are left on 24/7 to maintain component temperature and the charge on the capacitors.
 
Then there is the factor of shifting the powder inside of capacitors or getting the component parts significantly colder than room temperature during moving and transport. That is what takes days to reform once the component is sitting stable in an audio rack. Once the capacitors stabilize after they are moved it will then only take about an hour of play to get back to optimal performance. This is what drbluenewmexico noticed when I brought him my demo system and why it took over a full day before the sound would consistently reach peak performance after about an hour of warmup.
 
One important thing to know about both tube and solid state gear: you do the most amount of wear on the solid state parts and tubes by turning them on and off. Granted, you wouldn't want to leave your tubes or your power amps on 24/7, but you also don't want to turn them off every hour or so and force them to cool down and reheat.
 
I couldn't tell you the exact point of diminishing returns, and I'm sure it differs from component to component, but for certain if you are taking a break from listening for about an hour to have a meal, you would save both tube and solid state component life to leave your gear turned on. Leaving for an afternoon or a full day would certainly wear more on tubes to have them left on, but that is likely not true of most solid state components.