Wrote an article about
sources and external DAC/amp devices on the
Onkyo DP-X1 thread that I believe is also useful here as well.
I will be posting the entire content here.
Enjoy! ^^
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Prelude:
I've not chimed in regarding the amazeballs
Chord Mojo because I myself haven't used it, but I have read a tonne of others who have, know what their tastes are, and got some advice for anyone reading.
This post will discuss the benefits and issues of using external DAC/amps with sources.
It will not discuss sonic qualities, as that discussion is better had with those who use stack systems with Digital Audio Players (DAP’s)/sources.
Before I go further, a huge heads-up regarding Chord Mojo:
Chord Mojo can
never,
ever, be converted to balanced. Yes, mods exist but the resulting device is for convenience for balanced jacks; the internal circuitry was not designed by Chord/Rob Watts to be balanced, so a ‘mod’ is just that, not a true solution of end-to-end balanced device. I refer you to
this FAQ article with the Mojo designer Rob Watts.
You can buy
Double Helix Cables ultrashort adapters, for example, to convert almost any balanced jack into unbalanced jacks using such adapters if you must use such headphones with the Mojo.
For sake of clarity, let's assume that the external DAC/Amp discussed here, the Chord Mojo, can be anything of your choice. So, switch italicised
Chord Mojo/
Mojo to your
DAC/Amp of choice (such as
Oppo HA-2,
TEAC HA-P5,
iFi Audio Micro iDSD,
ALO Audio Continental Dual Mono, etc).
DAP’s under discussion:
Keeping in mind that this is an
Onkyo DP-X1 thread, the
Pioneer XDP-100R is the younger brother and has almost every feature to DP-X1, and are the DAP’s that I will discuss. You can swap the DP-X1 or XDP-100R DAP’s with a DAP of your choosing, but then this post could be forwarded to that relevant DAP thread (if you do, mention source).
Both the DP-X1 and XDP-100R remain the most advanced DAP’s on the planet. They both have more features than any other DAP on the market currently.
The DAP’s can also be used further than what they are simply due to the
Android 5.1.1 operating system; for example,
Roon users can tether either device to Roon and external storage devices, and stream content to the DAP’s, including
MQA and
DSD! No other DAP that I know of can do this, not even
Echobox Explorer or
FiiO X7 due to older Android OS.
iBasso DX200 is not out yet so is not under comparison spec-wise.
That is but one example of the ‘Swiss-army knife’ that both of these DAP’s can do. Amazing!
Stacking and sources ideology (pros and cons):
Let’s discuss two elephants in the room:
1.First one is easy. We must never, ever, consider sound as first and only first. If this was the case, this forum, the audiophile industry, would either not exist or cease.
We buy gear for more than just the music, but to help and gives us joy, educate ourselves on or own hobby, and for the love of music and gear
together, symbiotically, amongst many other variables.
So, talk of whether the Mojo is better with DAP x or y is not the point. First, identify what it is you require, for your lifestyle and either current or projected gear, then tailor the associated gear around this thought within your budgets.
2.Second elephant: if you have a Chord Mojo, why buy a DAP? Does that not defeat the purpose of the DAP in the first place? Why not use a smartphone?
Smartphones are great, can do virtually anything, and are the lifeblood of many of our lives, enriching it, or, sadly, holding us prisoner (sometimes holding us back). Some smartphones are dedicated to audio, such as recent LG models like
LG G5, but many are not audio-centric.
The three humongous reasons
NOT to use a smartphone as a source in a portable stack audio system are:
1.Stack: you will need to find a way of stacking the
Mojo to your phone, either using ugly rubber bands, or 3M sticky pads (or similar), or other methods.
2.Features: smartphones may not have the huge amount of features that specialised DAP's can have, including the playback of various formats at many resolutions, and storage. DAP's can trounce smartphones in this area easily.
3.Battery life: sorry, but I use my smartphone for so much that battery life is critical. I carry multiple redundancy battery chargers (
LinearFlux and
Anker battery devices), so the idea of also strapping a
Mojo would give me a heart attack.
Now, some devices exist to work in partnership with smartphones, such as
CEntrance HiFi-Skyn, however these are not universal to all smartphones and their shelf life is determined and locked to the phone they are paired with. More so, see point 2 regarding ‘Feature’, especially storage.
So, the idea of using a
Mojo with a smartphone is still fine, and many have found ways to combine the two to work in their lifestyles, but others have bigger ideas.
The latter users want greater battery life, as well as more features including storage. Stacking may still be an issue, but there is a silver lining.
Pairing the
Mojo with a DAP gives you points 2 and 3 (generally and dependant on DAP), but should you not wish to use a stack, you can use the DAP as is. Thus, a near perfect solution!!!
Bear in mind, the moment you use
Mojo with a DAP, you are effectively
bypassing the DAP’s internal audio circuitry. Keep this in mind, always.
DAP(s) + Mojo:
Ok, now that we got that out-of-the-way, how does one determine what DAP for the
Mojo?
For this we should breakdown DAP’s that are unbalanced/single-ended (SE) and balanced.
The idea here is what gear do you have or prospects for.
For example, I do have two great headphones that can be turned into balanced use (
Audeze EL-8 Titanium and
Heir Audio 4.Ai in-ear monitors), but the rest cannot (
AKG K 712,
KEF Audio M500). My
Meze Headphones 99 Classics Walnut Silver ( <3 ) is currently not suitable for aftermarket cables due to the extremely small bores in the ear cups, but I am working in conjunction with Meze Headphones and Double Helix cables on a possible solution, so currently the 99 Classics are only usable as unbalanced headphones (which is not a negative at all; they sound
EARGASMIC single-ended, possibly the best SE headphones I have ever head in my life!).
So, if you only have unbalanced headphones, especially ones that cannot be turned into balanced (whether that is because they require a hard mod, or really cannot be modded at all), then your choice of DAP should be centred on unbalanced predominantly. There is no reason or benefit of buying a balanced DAP (and
Mojo) if you will never use the balanced circuitry
UNLESS you wish, in the future, to use or acquire balanced gear.
If, however, you have balanced, or a mix of unbalanced and balanced gear, then the DAP of choice could be either unbalanced only, or ones that can do both.
- Pioneer XDP-100R (UK link, US link) is an unbalanced DAP.
1x ESS SABRE ES9018KTM DAC, 1x ESS SABRE 9601k Amp
- Onkyo DP-X1 (UK link, US link) is a balanced DAP with unbalanced and balanced outputs:
2x ESS SABRE ES9018KTM DAC, 2x ESS SABRE 9601k Amp
Barring any information on whether, on the unbalanced outputs of each device, one might be better or not, these devices have almost the same features internally except what is highlighted above in reference to number of DAC and amps employed.
If there are sonic differences between the devices sonically in unbalanced mode, I will let other Head-Fi’ers post their thoughts and experiences, as I have no reference on this matter.
Of course, each DAP listed above has physical differences, but they are more similar than they are apart.
The features, especially software, is what makes these DAP’s so special.
Unbalanced:
If you are never, ever, going to use balanced audio equipment, yet wish to have a superior audio stack system with a source that can go beyond what smartphones can, get the Pioneer XDP-100R and
Chord Mojo.
This way, you get almost every benefit of the feature packed XDP-100R, and the sonic benefits of the Mojo! You can even stream music from Spotify or Tidal, use Roon, use the DAP as a remote control to a great audiophile setup, etc.
Balanced:
If you love to use both unbalanced and balanced gear, the Onkyo DP-X1 is a great choice.
If you have headphones that are balanced, I would first test the two balanced modes of the DP-X1 (BTL and ACG) to see if either sound better or worse to you than DP-X1 +
Mojo.
If you want to max your unbalanced headphones on the go, but also wish to use balanced headphones, then the DP-X1 will fulfil your needs for both types of gear. A DP-X1 with
Mojo will be for maximum unbalanced performance.
You will need to get a hold off a great
On-The-Go (OTG) USB cable between either DP-X1 or XDP-100R, and
Mojo.
(For some other DAP’s, swap OTG for either Toslink/optical or an analogue interconnect cable).
You will also need to find a way to stack such a system too.
Just like the unbalanced section above, all the software features in the XDP-100R are available in the DP-X1 as well.
Closing:
For me, I was considering getting the
Chord Mojo to pair with my Onkyo DP-X1 for my unbalanced headphones only, but I am getting the
Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon, and I do not wish to use a stack system.
For many years I used the sublime
iPod Classic 160 GB (A1238: 2007-09) as a source for almost all my portable needs since 2007 to Jan 2016.
I used it as is initially, then with various
JDS Labs cMoy amps (
RIP Chu Moy), to JDS Labs C421/C5 (now in
C5D iteration), and finally the insane
CEntrance HiFi-M8.
In the end, I missed using streaming capabilities that my various Android Samsung Galaxy phones could do, and it really grinded on me using stacks.
The Onkyo DP-X1 is the first high-end, audiophile, DAP that I have ever purchased. It was bought to combine all my unbalanced, balanced, and streaming capabilities into one unified device, with potential for the device to do more via Android.
If I was really wanting to max my unbalanced headphones, sure, I would choose Chord Mojo, or even iFi Audio Micro iDSD, but there is no need for that, I am content in using the SE output at home and away on such headphones.
This is also because I am patient, I don’t mind waiting for my Cavalli Audio Liquid carbon coming out later this year. I plan on making the DP-X1 my primary frontend in a full balanced system into Carbon, and use the Carbon SE output to max my unbalanced headphone gear at home. I can also use the Carbon balanced outputs for my balanced gear (using DHC 2.5 mm to 4-Pin XLR ultrashort adapter).
More so, I can use the Carbon balanced out for my balanced headphones, and the Carbon unbalanced output to my
SubPac S2 seatback tactile bass system, simultaneously!!!
\m/
Yet that is my scenario, yours may be very different with different needs.
I hope this guide helps others.
... Can this be balanced? Variable line out enabled in settings
