RAZ's TOTL review and rambles thread... could it be.... alive?

[mvvRAZ]

Any thoughts/feelings on the new Mojo info?

Uncategorized

Chord Electronics
Mojo2
Black Finish Only
Price: £ 449 (UK)

About 7 years after Chord Electronics created the portable headphone / DAC amplifier "Mojo", the new "Mojo 2" is released.

UHD DSP
・ Advanced DSP allows integrated tone adjustment over all frequency bands
・ UHD DSP technology operates at 705 / 768KHz
・ Uses 104bit and extended internal noise modulation
・ UHD DSP provides bass and medium The entire frequency band can be adjusted in 18 steps for each frequency band of bass, bass, and treble.

-The volume adjustment range has also been improved from + 18dB to -108dB. It has two types of operating ranges, low volume and high volume.
・ It is equipped with a new cross-feed mode with 4 settings controlled by DSP, realizing a space effect for listening like a headphone speaker.

・ Introduced a menu system
Equipped with a mute function, 4-step customization function, travel button lock function, tone control function, etc.

・ Digital input
USB-C input has been newly installed to increase the number to 4 systems, enabling more flexible support.
USB-C, optical, coaxial (including dual data for M scaler), and Micro USB installed.
3.5mm mini jack headphone output There are two systems, and up to two people can listen to music at the same time.

-Charging system
New FPGA-based charging system greatly improves battery management
This technology significantly improves charging speed, reduces power loss by 75%, and enables more efficient charging.
Increased capacity by 9%, improved performance and improved battery life to over 8 hours

-The "Intelligent Desktop Mode" technology has also been improved to support batteryless operation by redesigning the battery isolation and power supply.

・ Improved WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter to achieve 40,960 taps (technical indicator of interference filter complexity) using 40 DSP cores.

・ Improved noise modulator improves depth and detail, and improved 4e pulse array DAC reduces distortion and out-of-band noise.
・ Abolishes coupling capacitors to achieve higher neutrality.

・ Mojo 2 is designed and manufactured in the UK. Uses a high-quality aluminum housing with a black finish that has been sandblasted.

Mojo 2 is fully compatible with Poly Streamer / Server, allowing you to store and play up to 2TB of solid libraries when using high resolution streaming and microSD card slots.

I feel like I keep purchasing portable amps and then never really using them, I love the Diablo but it's been collecting dust for the most part lol. Intelligent desktop mode and a fixed battery don't sound all that bad though, as long as it's not as outrageously warm as the OG Mojo

 

[leaky74]

Tempting at that price! Assuming U.K. pricing is accurate.

 

[gLer]

Any thoughts/feelings on the new Mojo info?

Uncategorized

Chord Electronics
Mojo2
Black Finish Only
Price: £ 449 (UK)

About 7 years after Chord Electronics created the portable headphone / DAC amplifier "Mojo", the new "Mojo 2" is released.

UHD DSP
・ Advanced DSP allows integrated tone adjustment over all frequency bands
・ UHD DSP technology operates at 705 / 768KHz
・ Uses 104bit and extended internal noise modulation
・ UHD DSP provides bass and medium The entire frequency band can be adjusted in 18 steps for each frequency band of bass, bass, and treble.

-The volume adjustment range has also been improved from + 18dB to -108dB. It has two types of operating ranges, low volume and high volume.
・ It is equipped with a new cross-feed mode with 4 settings controlled by DSP, realizing a space effect for listening like a headphone speaker.

・ Introduced a menu system
Equipped with a mute function, 4-step customization function, travel button lock function, tone control function, etc.

・ Digital input
USB-C input has been newly installed to increase the number to 4 systems, enabling more flexible support.
USB-C, optical, coaxial (including dual data for M scaler), and Micro USB installed.
3.5mm mini jack headphone output There are two systems, and up to two people can listen to music at the same time.

-Charging system
New FPGA-based charging system greatly improves battery management
This technology significantly improves charging speed, reduces power loss by 75%, and enables more efficient charging.
Increased capacity by 9%, improved performance and improved battery life to over 8 hours

-The "Intelligent Desktop Mode" technology has also been improved to support batteryless operation by redesigning the battery isolation and power supply.

・ Improved WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter to achieve 40,960 taps (technical indicator of interference filter complexity) using 40 DSP cores.

・ Improved noise modulator improves depth and detail, and improved 4e pulse array DAC reduces distortion and out-of-band noise.
・ Abolishes coupling capacitors to achieve higher neutrality.

・ Mojo 2 is designed and manufactured in the UK. Uses a high-quality aluminum housing with a black finish that has been sandblasted.

Mojo 2 is fully compatible with Poly Streamer / Server, allowing you to store and play up to 2TB of solid libraries when using high resolution streaming and microSD card slots.

I feel like I keep purchasing portable amps and then never really using them, I love the Diablo but it's been collecting dust for the most part lol. Intelligent desktop mode and a fixed battery don't sound all that bad though, as long as it's not as outrageously warm as the OG Mojo

Meh. Gryphon offers much more for less or equal money. Micro USB in 2022? Just to maintain compatibility with a dated and expensive wireless add-on? I guess for existing Mojo/Poly owners it's an upgrade path.

 

[Beh0lder]

Meh. Gryphon offers much more for less or equal money.

It's also only slightly warm under heavy (Aurum levels) load for longer periods of time, unlike Mojo OG.

 

[mashuto]

Meh. Gryphon offers much more for less or equal money. Micro USB in 2022? Just to maintain compatibility with a dated and expensive wireless add-on? I guess for existing Mojo/Poly owners it's an upgrade path.

Some of the upgrades truly look nice to me, having dsp built in, a desktop mode that preserves/bypasses the battery. It genuinely does look like a nice upgrade to the mojo.

But, there are some huge caveats at least for me. Just looking at the external design of this thing feels like they made a huge compromise to maintain compatibility with the poly. And personally, I feel the poly is garbage. Its nice that they added usb-c, but in 2022, usb-c should just be the standard, not just some random port shoved way at the bottom of the case, when all the rest are nicely lined up. It might not have even been a big deal if you could also charge via usb-c too, but it does not seem you can.

And for the dsp, great, good features to add. But the "user interface" of chord devices has always been a bit... lacking. The glowing balls are cool, and for the original mojo it was fine since you were basically just controlling power and volume. But a whole "menu" system as they say for muting and controlling dsp. Well, I imagine its going to be a product where you need to just fully memorize the operation or carry a manual with you at all times.

In the years since the original mojo came out, I am sure many many things have caught up and passed the mojo in terms of sound quality, and for the price it seems they are asking, theres gotta be a lot out there that offers comparable or better sound quality with more features for less money. Personally, it looks cool, but I am not seeing the value.

 

[xenithon]

Also, at least for me, if there aren’t any balanced ports it’s a non-starter.

 

[gLer]

Also, at least for me, if there aren’t any balanced ports it’s a non-starter.

Yeah, that too. 4.4mm...

 

[twister6]

The brothers HAVE SPOKEN

 

[stacey]

Also, at least for me, if there aren’t any balanced ports it’s a non-starter.

Exactly what I was thinking. I’m sticking with my W2 and Cayin RU6.

 

[Damz87]

Exactly what I was thinking. I’m sticking with my W2 and Cayin RU6.

I also wish Chord brought out something in the dongle form factor. I feel like it would be hard for me to go back to using a device the size of Mojo when there’s such great quality dongles like W2/S1/S2/RU6.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Okay so dead pre-release. Thanks for the input boys and moving on

 

[aaf evo]

Okay so dead pre-release. Thanks for the input boys and moving on

Wow I hope @toaster doesn’t see this

 

[mashuto]

Okay so dead pre-release. Thanks for the input boys and moving on

I wouldn't say dead... Check out the mojo 2 speculation thread. Some of them seem quite excited over there. Just for me personally, if the $700+ price is true, given the rest of what I said, its just absolutely not something I would consider. And I loved the stupid glowing balls.

 

[stacey]

I also wish Chord brought out something in the dongle form factor. I feel like it would be hard for me to go back to using a device the size of Mojo when there’s such great quality dongles like W2/S1/S2/RU6.

It’s really weird imo. 7 years ago the Mojo was the only remotely portable DAC around, but not making the Mojo into a dongle form factor is a huge miss for Chord.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I wouldn't say dead... Check out the mojo 2 speculation thread. Some of them seem quite excited over there. Just for me personally, if the $700+ price is true, given the rest of what I said, its just absolutely not something I would consider. And I loved the stupid glowing balls.

I own Mojo OG/Poly and Hugo 2/2Go. I do not see anything in the Mojo 2 making it worth adding to my collection. It's a slight upgrade to the Mojo OG. If I didn't already have the OG, I might go for the Mojo 2. After cycling through the dongle, DAC, DAP alternatives, the DAP user experience has won me over so I prefer a form factor with a screen running Android.